Written by Thomas Moore

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The Cleveland Browns close out the home portion of the 2012 NFL season on Sunday, when they host the Washington Redskins.

The Browns are looking to run their winning streak to four games and continue a run that has seen them go 5-3 since starting the year at 0-5.

Standing in the way is a Redskins team that is looking to run its own winning streak to five games as they battle for a playoff spot in the NFC.

The Opposition

Washington’s record: 7-6
Offensive rank: 5th overall/21st passing/1st rushing
Defensive rank: 28th overall/31st passing/7th rushing
All-time record: Browns lead, 33-10-1
Last meeting: Washington won, 14-11, in Week 7 of 2008
The line: Pick ’em

What to Watch For

It all starts with a simple question about Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Will he or won’t he?

Griffin injured his knee in Washington’s win over Baltimore last week and is listed as questionable for the game against Cleveland. Depending on who you listen to, Griffin either was very limited in practice during the week or took all the first-team snaps.

If Griffin does play, the injury should limit his mobility and help the Browns defense deal with him. Even though the Redskins are just 21st in the NFL in passing, Griffin is tied for first in quarterback rating (104.2), while throwing for 2,902 yards and 18 touchdowns, against just four interceptions.

If Griffin is out, the Redskins will turn to fellow rookie Kirk Cousins.

So how will the Browns prepare?

“They run a conventional offense with RGIII so I think you’re looking at their offense plus the other stuff that he adds to it, the other dimension,” Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron said. “So while you’re preparing, I think you’re preparing for both. I would think that whoever’s in at quarterback they’ll still run some of the stuff they run with RGIII, the read-option stuff. I would think the read-zone or however you want to term it so we’re just preparing for them and we’re preparing for RGIII to be out there.”

If the Redskins have to play Cousins, they may be more likely to rely on their running game, which just happens to be first in the NFL. Washington is averaging 168.1 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry, tied for second in the NFL.

Rookie running back Alfred Morris has rushed for 1,228 yards this season, and has cracked the 100-yard mark the past three weeks.

After having a nice stretch where they were actually solid against the run, the Browns struggled last week against Kansas City, giving up 180 yards rushing (165 of them to Jamaal Charles) and 6.9 yards per rush.

“They do a great job,” Jauron said. “(Washington coach Mike Shanahan) always has in everything, run and pass. The zone-run scheme is a difficult run scheme to contain. There’s a lot of cutting going on up front by the offensive linemen. That’s always hard on defenses. You’re moving away and trying to protect your legs and they are coming down on your legs. It’s difficult.

“The backs, they do a great job coaching their backs. They are those one-cut backs. They see a hole and they take it, they don’t dance around. They are through and out the other side. They’ve an outstanding job obviously wherever Mike’s been with his zone scheme.”

On offense, the Browns finally seemed to get things going last week. After a six-game streak where they could not score more than 20 points, the Browns put up 30 against the Chiefs.

If there was ever a week where the Browns can crank up the offense, this would seem to be it.

The Redskins are horrific on defense, especially in the passing game. Consider that Washington is:

• Allowing the second-most passing yards per game (289.3)
• Tied for first in touchdown passes allowed with 27
• Allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 62 percent of their passes
• Giving up 25.3 points per game

 

Sounds like the kind of game that is a perfect opportunity for Brandon Weeden, Josh Gordon and Greg Little to do some damage. During the three-game winning streak, Weeden has thrown for 739 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions; while Little has nine receptions for 123 yards.

But Gordon is the one who has really shined, pulling in 18 receptions for 262 yards and a touchdown.

“It’s probably nothing short of astounding that a guy can one day be not committed to the draft, next day jump in the draft and the next month be in an NFL camp where he missed all the spring time,” Browns offensive coordinator Brad Childress said of Gordon. “You know he’s going to be as raw as he can be. That he’s able to get in shape to where he can compete at this level and then to be able to go on and do what he’s done, it’s a great story. You know what? It’s all kudos to him, because he’s the guy that has had to put in the work. That’s where the rubber meets the road. He’s put that time in, in both the classroom, and the weight room and the training area to where he’s a highly functioning piece of this offense.”

Also functioning at a high level is the Browns offensive line. The team is on pace to rush for more yards and has already rushed for more touchdowns than last year, while also allowing fewer sacks.

“You don’t do anything unless those guys are exerting their will on somebody else in front of them,” Childress said. “They know I feel that way. I think they’re doing a better job of exerting their will because that’s what it really comes down to. Obviously, a defensive lineman is going to try and exert his will against you. That’s probably the highest form of flattery when you say it’s a physical offensive line. They’re getting there. They’re not all there yet, but they’re getting there.”

The line could have a big day against a Washington defense that gave up 186 rushing yards last week against Baltimore.

A Note on Winning Streaks

Much has been made about how the Browns “haven’t beaten anyone” during their winning streak.

While Pittsburgh (with Charlie Batch), Oakland and Kansas City are not exactly the most difficult stretch of games, sometimes it’s good to bring a little perspective to the discussion.

Consider the Denver Broncos, who are media darlings because of an eight-game winning streak.

The Browns five wins this year have come against teams that are a combined 16 games under .500 and have a winning percentage of .379.

The Broncos 10 wins this year have come against teams that a 35 games under .500 and have a combined winning percentage of .366.

Makes you wonder what the Browns could do if they were able to play San Diego, Oakland and Kansas City twice a year.

Is This the End?

Sunday’s game could be the last one at home for Phil Dawson and Josh Cribbs, who will both be free agents after the end of the year.

We wrote about Cribbs earlier in the week and we can understand that, if it means they will have to be the high bidder, why the Browns would not bring Cribbs back. We won’t like it, necessarily, but we will understand it.

Dawson is a different story. While the Browns won’t franchise him for a third consecutive year, there is really no reason not to work out a deal with Dawson. He’s only the best kicker in the NFL and the type of player that the Browns won’t truly appreciate until after he is gone and they lose a game because his replacement missed a kick in a crucial spot.

“I’m not quite sure how it's going to feel,” Dawson told The Plain Dealer this week. “I will spend some time thinking about it and reflecting. And I feel like I’ve had a chance since 2010 to express my love and appreciation for this place, so I don’t think it’s going to be a teary-eyed deal. I think people know how I feel about this place this time, so I’m going to go down there Sunday with a very business-like attitude and try to help my team win a game.”

The Prediction

This is a game that the Browns can win – especially if RG3 doesn’t play.

No matter the merits of the teams that the Browns have beat, the players are starting to believe they can win – and that goes a long way.

“I think there’s some confidence that you develop when you find a way to finish games, and that helps you,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. “It only helps you, though, if you continue to go through the process and use that confidence to remember that there were plenty of mistakes in the game and we’re all striving to play a perfect game. We’ve got to keep working at it.”

The coaches need to help the players from becoming too over-confident, though.

“People want to talk about the playoffs, I think it’s a little too early to be speaking on that,” running back Trent Richardson said. “We’ve got to win every game to even try to get in the train of thought. I just tell the guys you’ve got to fight one play at a time and play one game at a time. We’ve got to play this game here like it’s out last. We can’t think about the playoffs because when you think about the playoffs, you’re thinking before time. If you think way before then, you lose one game and then you’re out of it.”

If the Browns can pull out the win on Sunday, it will give them five home wins on the season – their best home record since 2007 and almost as many home wins as they had combined in 2009 and 2010.

With only two games left on the schedule after the game against Washington, fans will need something to keep them warm in the coming winter months. Sending them home happy with another win should do the trick.

We’ll take the Browns and enjoy the winning streak for at least another week.

Record picking the Browns this season: 4-8-1