NFL Atlanta FalconsCleveland Browns

Predicting The Final Score of Browns vs. Falcons

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Where does the NFL season go? It feels like its just getting started, but Week 12 is already upon us and playoff races are heating up. The Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons are both teams competing for playoff spots in their respective conferences. On Sunday, the 6-4 Browns will travel to the Georgia Dome to face the 4-6 Falcons, who are suddenly tied atop the NFC South.

While the Falcons are in the worst division by record, Cleveland is fighting for position in the best division in football. All four AFC North teams are over .500 and are within less than one game of each other. The Browns and Falcons can’t afford to lose many more games, making Sunday’s matchup a dogfight in the making. Depending on what happens in the latter stages of the season, each team could finish in any place in their respective divisions.

Both teams need this one, but quarterback Brian Hoyer and the Browns’ offense will make the difference. Hoyer threw the ball 50 times last week and only completed 20 passes, but expect him to bounce back in Week 12. Also in case anyone forgot, the Browns will finally get their dynamic wide receiver Josh Gordon back after he completed serving his 10-game suspension. Gordon hasn’t played all season obviously, but he should still have a big impact on this game against a Falcons defense that’s ranked last in the league.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has been playing very well of late, and should make some big plays for the Falcons on Sunday. However, it won’t be enough to hang with Cleveland all game. The Browns’ secondary is good enough that Ryan won’t have too huge of a day. Ryan has only thrown one interception in his last four games, but the Browns lead the AFC with 14 picks. The Browns should also rely on the running game more than they did last week, and that will keep Ryan on the sideline.

Isaiah Crowell rushed for 61 yards on 14 carries, which is decent, but Cleveland didn’t run the ball enough as a whole. That was a result of the Browns playing from behind most of the game, but they will control the pace this week. An efficient running attack is also what opens the door for Gordon down the field. Hoyer should definitely take his shots down the field, but needs to cut down on the attempts.

The Falcons will put up a fight at home because their margin for error is tiny at this point. The Falcons’ record won’t be nearly good enough for a Wild Card spot, so becoming NFC South champs is the only way to the playoffs for Atlanta. Cleveland is coming off of a disappointing defeat at home after they had sole possession of first place for the first time in years. Losing first place won’t sit well with Cleveland, and they will correct some of the mistake they made last week.

Because of the desperation factor, expect there to be plenty of points scored. The Falcons have done a great job to only concede 17 points in each of the last two weeks, but that trend will stop on Sunday. The Browns will score a lot of points and control the game. Hoyer will have a more accurate day passing and the Browns will run for over 100 yards as a team.

The Falcons will have a few touchdowns of their own and keep it close, but ultimately it will be the Browns that win and move to 7-4, while the Falcons will slide down to 4-7.

Final Score: Browns 31, Falcons 24

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