Intriguing Game- Week Five
Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns
Colts: After the loss, they’ve reeled off three straight wins. When you look at their offense, Philip Rivers will still attempt to push the football down the field. Most importantly, he has settled in, meaning he’s made himself more comfortable within the offensive system. So far, the talk of this team has been the defense that is ranked first in the league. The acquisition of DeForest Bucker is paying off because he does things that don’t necessarily appear on the stat sheet. He doesn’t always sack the quarterback, but he can apply pressure or make his presence felt by collapsing the pocket. The sky is the limit if they continue to play at this high level. Look what they did in week four. They made life miserable for Nick Foles. On Sunday, they will face a surprising team in the NFL.
Browns: Maybe they are finally beginning to look like the team they were supposed to be last season. What’s the difference been? It’s most definitely coaching. Kevin Stefanski has come in and given them a boost on the offensive side of the football. They’ve reverted to a balanced attack. The ground game has been carrying them and, they have a two-headed monster in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to control the clock. That rushing attack has done wonders for Baker Mayfield and the passing attack because it has opened up the field for them. The defense has been an issue and that’s why I like the balance they display offensively because it takes the pressure off the defense. They look for another win on Sunday at home. The Colts are in town.
Colts X-Factor: Zach Pascal– Teams have thrown the ball left and right on the Browns. They allow over 330 yards per contest. Attack. Furthermore, Zack is the one receiver who sneaks behind coverages. When you need that catch from a receiver to get the hard-fought yards over the middle, this is your guy.
Browns X-Factor: Olivier Vernon– He complements Myles Garrett well. This is another pass rusher who can rush from the other side when Myles is commanding double teams. Olivier brings speed and a relentless motor to the position. He’ll get to that quarterback by all means.
Final Thoughts: The Browns are off to their best four-game start since 2001. On the other hand, the Colts are rolling. I was high on them coming into the year. This Colts defense will come ready to play once again. However, this will be the best offense they’ve seen all year long. Also, they struggle with dynamic running backs. It’s key for the Browns to take care of the football because Indy has been creating turnovers left and right.
Prediction: Browns 23 Colts 21
