Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns Preview

By Thomas Hanson  |   Friday, October 21, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

NFL Football News
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The Detroit Lions will visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 PM EST.

The offensively challenged Cleveland Browns have had to ride the arm of QB Trent Dilfer who is averaging 33.6 passes per game on the season, a number that puts him on pace to compete for the all time Browns single season record for passes attempted, 567 by Brian Sipe. In last Sunday's loss to Baltimore, the Browns did not run the ball a single time in the first period. Though Dilfer is more of a complimentary player, he has thrown for 220 plus yards per game this season, good for 11th in the league.

The Browns are 27th in total yards given up but the defense continues to limit the opposition point totals, giving up 16 a week ago to the Ravens. On the season, Cleveland is giving up just 18 points a game, good for tenth in the league. Three key turnovers against the Ravens kept the Browns at bay, with two turnovers leading to ten Ravens points.

For Joey Harrington and the Detroit Lions, things are essentially the same. While the Browns rank 26th in scoring, the Lions rank even lower, holding the 30th spot on the season. For Detroit, the team's 237 yards of total offense per game is only 13 yards more than the per game average of Dilfer. But also like the Browns, Detroit is tough to score against, having giving up just six more total points than the Browns.

Two weeks ago, the Lions beat up on the Ravens, 35-17, then Detroit gave the Carolina Panthers a good scare last week in a 21-20 loss. Perhaps most importantly, Detroit's three losses have come against teams with a combined 11-6 won-lost record on the season.

The Cleveland Browns (2-3) have split their two home games in 2005 while the Detroit Lions (2-3) are winless on the road in two outings. Based on the team stats in that area, Cleveland is favored by 2.5 points in what is expected to be another low scoring game.
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