The Cleveland Browns, in the middle of another rebuilding project, travel to the City of Brotherly Love. They face the Philadelphia Eagles in a week 1 matchup Sunday afternoon. The game kicks off at 1:00 pm ET from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Television coverage for the game is provided by CBS. The current odds have Philadelphia as a 3.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 41 points.
Cleveland missed the playoffs for the 13th straight year last season. The Browns finished 2015 3-13 in Mike Pettine’s second and final year as coach. The Browns hired Hue Jackson to take over the reins in the offseason. Philadelphia is another team with a new coach as Chip Kelly was cast out after nearly three full seasons. The Eagles finished 7-9 in 2015 and missed the playoffs. Doug Pederson is the new coach. This is the 49th all-time meeting between the teams. Cleveland holds a 31-16-1 advantage. The Eagles won the last four meetings, including a 17-16 win on September 9, 2012.
The quarterback position is completely different from a year ago for the Brows. Johnny Manziel is currently a man without a team after Cleveland cut him loose. Josh McCown was the starter for eight games last year. He hit 186 of 292 passes for 2,109 yards with 12 touchdowns and four picks. McCown is the backup now as Robert Griffin III, the former first round pick, is the starter under center. Can Jackson coax the skills that RG III had when he led the Redskins to a division title as a rookie?
Isaiah Crowell led the team with 185 carries for 706 yards and four scores. Duke Johnson Jr. has 104 carries for 379 yards while adding 61 catches for 534 yards plus two scores. Travis Benjamin (68 grabs, 966 yards, 5 TD) blossomed as a wide receiver last season. Tight end Gary Barnidge (team high 79 receptions, team high 1043 yards, 9 TD), along with Benjamin, are the top two targets when Cleveland looks downfield. The Browns should look to stretch the field with speedy rookie Corey Coleman from Baylor. Cleveland also gets Josh Gordon back in week 5 after he serves his four game suspension for a substance abuse violation. Travis Coons was solid as a rookie kicker last season. He hit 22 of 24 extra points and 28 of 32 field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards.
Much like the Browns, it’s an overhaul offensively for the Eagles. Sam Bradford was traded to the Vikings last week to Minnesota after Teddy Bridgewater went down. Mark Sanchez went to Denver and after the Broncos cut him, signed with Dallas. Carson Wentz, the second overall pick from North Dakota State, is under center for his first NFL start. He missed a fair amount of preseason with broken ribs. Does he have enough practice time under his belt to run the system effectively? Chase Daniel is the backup quarterback.
Ryan Mathews was second on the team in rushing with 106 carries for 539 yards and six scores. He is the feature back now as DeMarco Murray went to Tennessee in the deal that brought the pick for Wentz to the Eagles. Jordan Matthews led the team with 85 grabs for 997 yards and eight scores. Darren Sproles (55 catches) is one of the best pass catching backs in the league. Tight end Zach Ertz (75 catches, 853 yards, 2 TD) is a solid secondary target. The pressure is on young receivers like Nelson Agholor, Dorial Green-Beckham and Josh Huff to contribute. Caleb Sturgis was 35 of 37 on extra points and 18 of 22 on field goal attempts with a long of 53 yards.
The Eagles are developing a slew of young talent offensively at the skill positions. Rookie quarterbacks don’t necessarily fare well in the NFL. Wentz missed a chunk of preseason with an injury so he doesn’t have as much game action as Pederson would like. The Browns are nothing special but Griffin III gives them a dynamic playmaker at quarterback. The Eagles may win but I can’t see it being by more than a field goal. Take the points and the Browns in what might be one of the only times that’s said this year. For more of our NFL picks, click here!
Cleveland is 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight in September. Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in their last five at home and 1-4 ATS in their last five in September.