Normally when two teams play a football game, they just have to worry about figuring out how to beat each other. But for whoever wins today, they won't just have to beat their opponent, they'll have to beat Old Man Winter as well in order to take home a big W in this Christmas Eve clash!
If this temperature holds, this will be among the Top 5 coldest games in the history of the Cleveland Browns, as well as the coldest game ever at FirstEnergy Stadium. For all of you veteran Browns fans who were around then, today won't be nearly as cold as the famous Red Right 88 Playoff game against the Raiders. That game was played on January 4, 1981 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, and the gametime temperature was reported to be 1 degree. Today's game won't be quite that brutal. But it'll still definitely be bitterly cold. The temperature at kickoff is expected to be 12 degrees, with 30 MPH wind gusts coming off the lake, dropping the windchill to a ridiculous -30 degrees! Welcome to late December football on the shores of Lake Erie.
But regardless of the weather, both teams desperately need another win. The Saints come in off a win over the Falcons last week. And even though they've lost four of their last six games, New Orleans sits just a game behind the 6-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South lead. Winning a game like this would be enormous for their playoff push, as well as for their confidence.
But the Browns come in with something to play for as well: Momentum going into 2023. They are all but out of the AFC Playoff picture at 6-8, but they have won three of their last four games, and they have a decent chance to win their last three (today vs. New Orleans, at Washington, at Pittsburgh) if they continue to play well. I do not think Cleveland will make the Playoffs. That opportunity passed them by when they lost so many winnable games earlier in the season. But considering where they were at their lowest point in the year at 3-7, ending the year on a 6-1 run, and posting a winning season at 9-8 would be absolutely fantastic!
But none of that happens if they don't first take care of business today. Football is a tough game. Minus lightning strikes, these guys play in virtually any and every type of weather. It tests not only their physical strength and conditioning, but perhaps more importantly, it tests their mental fortitude and courage as well. Stout football teams are built by winning tough games like this. If the Browns do take off in 2023, this game will hopefully be looked at as one of those games that served as one of the early foundation stones for a winning team. It's easy to perform well in perfect conditions. But brutal games like these separate the men from the boys REALLY quick!
How do the Browns pull out the win in the bitter cold today? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory!
Get the running game going!
These kinds of games are exactly why it's critical for a team to have a stout rushing attack. If the wind is truly as bad as it is supposed to be today, neither team will have much of a passing game. The wind gusts may be similar to the game against the Raiders in 2020. Derek Carr and Baker Mayfield had probably 250 passing yards combined, and there were at least two missed field goals. The Browns were without Nick Chubb that day as well. But they're fortunate to have him today.
Chubb currently has 1252 rushing yards on the season, and as a team, the Browns are averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Chubb needs 20+ carries today, and Kareem Hunt probably needs 10-15 carries. Not to mention a few designed quarterback runs by Deshaun Watson wouldn't hurt either if the opportunity is there. Aside from perhaps short passes over the middle, and screen passes out into the flats, the ground game should be the Browns' bread and butter today. No reason to get cute or flashy here. In games like this, the flashiest offense won't count for anything. This isn't the right weather for a flashy, sexy Ferrari. But this is most certainly the perfect weather for a bulldozer or snowplow. Nick Chubb is as close as you can get to having one of them on your team. Feed him the ball, let him plow ahead, and let's go!
Yes, punting is a weapon
This could definitely be a game with an old school feel to it. Before the game evolved offensively, the field position game was incredibly important. More so than it is now. Since neither team will likely be able to really open things up offensively in this weather, punting will play a huge factor if needed. And Browns punter Corey Bojorquez has one heck of a leg!
This season, he's averaging almost 50 yards per punt (49.3), with his longest punt of the season being a 76-yard boomer! Over his last five games, these are his longest punts from each game: 70 yards, 65 yards, 67 yards, 65 yards and 55 yards. He'll definitely be a weapon today if he can get hold of the ball and boot it downfield consistently like he has all season. A great punter not only flips the field or pins an opponent deep, but they also give a hungry and surging defense a chance to get after the quarterback, which brings me to my last Key to Victory...
17 or less
The Browns defense has certainly had their struggles over the course of this season. And I still don't think Joe Woods is the right guy to lead this unit. But I will give him and his staff some credit here. The Browns have held their opponents to 17 points or less in three of the last four games. Defense has also been a huge part of the current run the team is on. I'm seeing glimpses of what I expect a tough, stout Cleveland Browns defense to look like: A nasty pass rush up front that gets after the opposing quarterback, and an opportunistic secondary that doesn't play so soft all the time. The defensive line is physical, and the corners and safeties are getting up close and personal with opposing receivers to contest passes. That's how good defense is supposed to be played!
Myles Garrett really struggled early in the year, but he's come on really strong lately. He has 13.5 sacks so far on the season. And he'll have to have at least one today, while the Browns defensive line as a whole should probably hit the 3+ sack mark against former Bengal, Andy Dalton if they want to consider today a success. A great pass rush is normally effective at crippling an opponent's passing game. But it would still impact a game like this. If a defensive line is routinely harassing and getting after a quarterback, that also means they're likely in the backfield often enough to shut down an opponent's running game too. If the Browns get the pass rush brewing like they have the last several games, that'll also allow the secondary to keep playing aggressively like they have been. If both units play well, and feed off each other, I see no reason why the Browns can't hold another opponent under 17 points, and bring home win #7.
Winter has definitely arrived. And this is certainly not your typical football game. But this one will definitely test where the Browns are as a team as we leave 2022 in the rearview mirror, and look forward to 2023. It would definitely be nice to get a Browns win on Christmas Eve as an early gift. Lord knows we've certainly been given enough coal over the years!
The battle in the snow goes down at 1 PM today on CBS. GO BROWNS!
Sources: nfl.com, clevelandbrowns.com, Dawgs By Nature
Picture Credit: clutchpoints.com
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