Detroit @ Cleveland preview
FirstEnergy Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 15, 2013 ) Detroit 6, Cleveland 24
Two teams looking to maintain at least a share of first place in their respective divisions square off Sunday as the Detroit Lions visit the Cleveland Browns. Detroit enters Week 6 tied with the Chicago Bears for the top spot in the NFC North after suffering a 22-9 loss at division rival Green Bay last Sunday. The setback was the Lions' 23rd straight to the Packers on the road.
Cleveland has been one of the surprise teams in the league in the early going, reeling off three consecutive victories after losing its first two games. The Browns, who share first place in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, rallied from an early 10-point deficit and scored the final 20 points en route to a 37-24 triumph over Buffalo in Week 5. Cleveland paid a price in the victory, however, losing Brian Hoyer for the season with a torn knee ligament, meaning Brandon Weeden - who was under center for the team's two losses - returns as the starting quarterback.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Lions 2.5. O/U: 44.
ABOUT THE LIONS (3-2): Detroit was without Calvin Johnson last week due to a knee injury, which kept the standout wide receiver out of practice Wednesday and forced him to practice on a limited basis Thursday. Fellow receiver Nate Burleson definitely will miss his third straight contest due to a broken left arm suffered in a car accident. Defensive end Ziggy Ansah leads all NFL rookies with 3.5 sacks.
ABOUT THE BROWNS (3-2): Rumors suggesting wide receiver Josh Gordon would be traded were squashed by coach Rob Chudzinski on Wednesday. "We're not shopping Josh and we have no plans of trading Josh," Chudzinski told The Plain Dealer. Gordon is averaging 101 yards receiving this season. In the wake of Hoyer's season-ending injury, the Browns will be counting on their defense as they rank third in the league with 18 sacks and fourth with an average of 301.8 yards allowed.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Both of Detroit's losses have come on the road.
2. The Lions are 14-4 in the all-time series and have won five of the last six meetings between the teams. Detroit has not visited Cleveland since registering a 13-10 victory on Oct. 23, 2005.
3. Cleveland has not posted four straight victories since Dec. 10, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010.
PREDICTION: Lions 24, Browns 10