Sunday Dawg Chow: Browns news (10/29/23)

Dawgs By Nature:

• Browns need defense to reassert itself against Seattle (Thomas Moore) - The Cleveland Browns defense left Lucas Oil Stadium last Sunday a bit bruised after the encounter with the Indianapolis Colts. Even with the issues against the Colts, Cleveland enters Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks with a defense that leads the league in total defense (243 yards per game), passing defense (149.2 yards per game) and third-down percentage (27.5).
• Browns vs. Seahawks: 4 crucial things that could lead to a Cleveland win (Curtiss Brown) - Getting an upset (the point spread has stayed a little over 3) will take a team effort.
• Touring the Browns’ road cities: Seattle’s stadiums, Pike Place Market, Space Needle (Chris Pokorny) - Our road cities tour continues with a look at Seattle, where the Browns will play this Sunday for their third road game of the season.
• Browns elevate two offensive players from PS (Thomas Moore) - The Cleveland Browns will face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday with a few important injury questions on the offensive side of the ball beyond just the quarterback position. With running back Jerome Ford (ankle) and left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (foot/ankle) both questionable for the game, the Browns added some insurance by elevating running back Jordan Wilkins and offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe from the practice squad to the active roster.
• Browns-Seahawks DraftKings Week 8 prop bets: Bet on P.J. Walker throwing his first TD (Chris Pokorny) - The Cleveland Browns are on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season this Sunday, October 29, at 4:05 PM ET. The Browns are 3.5-point underdogs against the Seahawks, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my favorite player prop bets from the Browns’ perspective in Week 8.
• Browns vs. Seahawks preview and prediction (Chris Pokorny) - This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8. Below, we analyze a few advantages, disadvantages, and general thoughts about the two teams before getting to our predictions for the game.
• Way too early 2024 Cleveland Browns Mock Draft 8.0 (Jared Mueller) - We continue our weekly Way-Too-Early 2024 Cleveland Browns Mock Draft series with a small change. Jackson McCurry is off this week so you get Jared’s quick version. Don’t worry, the better version will be back next week.

Cleveland Browns:

• ‘Philip, P.J., Phil’: Walker, by whatever name, takes long way to Browns quarterback job (Beacon Journal) - P.J. Walker has been asked to save, or at least stabilize, the Browns quarterback position the last few weeks. Long before that, Phillip Walker was asked to provide looks in practice to the Indianapolis Colts kickoff coverage team. Those two people are one and the same. It’s just circumstances have changed quite a bit.
• The underrated part of Amari Cooper’s game - one he doesn’t even consider a skill - that’s helping the Browns offense (cleveland.com) - It’s not a question of whether Amari Cooper is good at it. He’s good at most things an NFL wide receiver should be good at, and has the Pro Bowler résumé to prove it. For him, the real question is should it even be considered a skill at all for a receiver to be good at drawing contact — specifically defensive pass interference calls?
• Three Questions for the Browns ahead of Week 8 matchup vs. Seahawks (clevelandbrowns.com) - QB P.J. Walker will make his second start this season as QB Deshaun Watson deals with a shoulder injury. The Browns will travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks, who have a 4-2 record this season. Here are three questions heading into Sunday’s Week 8 matchup.
• More P.J. Walker magic? A Browns win in Seattle? A tip from a ballet teacher (Terry Pluto) - How can the Browns win this game? I kept thinking that as I prepared to go to Seattle for Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks.
• 5Qs, 5As: Previewing Seahawks-Browns with Dawgs by Nature (Field Gulls) - Both teams bring stout defenses, but it will likely be the play of the quarterbacks that determines the outcome of this intraconference matchup.

NFL:

• 49ers’ Brock Purdy cleared to start against Bengals (The Mercury News) - Quarterback Brock Purdy is cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol and will start Sunday when the 49ers face the Cincinnati Bengals at Levi’s Stadium. Purdy completed the fifth and final stage of the evaluation process Saturday to get the go-ahead from the 49ers’ medical staff and an independent neurologist.
• Bijan Robinson and Derrick Henry’s race to the Hall of Fame (ESPN) - From 2019 to 2021, Derrick Henry’s run with the Tennessee Titans put him firmly in the Pro Football Hall of Fame discussion. While Henry is in the back end of an illustrious career, could Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons be the next great candidate to make a run at the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and be a perennial threat to win the rushing crown?
• ‘That’s just called Steelers football’: Close wins are the norm, but is that a feature or a bug? (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) - Through seven weeks of the 2023 NFL season, 69% of games have been one-possession affairs in the fourth quarter, which is a great number for the almighty shield. Close games and exciting finishes are good for business, and when the majority of fans feel as if their team has a realistic chance of winning, even better. The Steelers haven’t always helped that stat this year — blowout losses to the 49ers and Texans made for sleep-inducing second halves — but when the margins get thin, they’re a model franchise. You can’t pull away from the Steelers and they certainly won’t pull away from you.

Can P.J. Walker help lead the Browns to a third consecutive win?