The Cleveland Browns are one of the unfortunate teams in the NFL that are looking forward to the end of the regular season after the Week 18 game clocks hit zero. The only thing that can be viewed as exciting for the Browns on Saturday is having the opportunity to officially close the chapter that is the 2024 NFL season.
“Resting their starters” is certainly one way to put it.
What’s At Stake for the Browns
The Browns have lost five straight games entering Saturday. The only thing that Cleveland has to play for on Saturday on the road against the 11-win Baltimore Ravens? The number one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The Browns enter Week 18 owning the third overall pick in the current NFL Draft order.
Of course, no current player in that locker room or on that field will be trying to lose just to potentially reward the front office with a better draft pick position. That said, the Browns actually do have something to play for.
The Role of Spoiler
Finding motivation in the NFL never seems to be a challenge, especially with bulletin board material always getting posted up in opposing teams’ locker rooms. The special motivating factor of being a spoiler is always compelling and should never be overlooked.
In division rivalries like this one between the Ravens and the Browns, teams love embracing the spoiler role this time of year. Although there’s nothing for the Browns to play for this season, the Ravens still need to clinch the AFC North division. They can do so on Saturday with a win over the Browns or with a Pittsburgh Steelers loss against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ravens LB Roquan Smith added his thoughts on ensuring that his teammates do not overlook their division rival.
“These guys are fighting for their livelihoods. They have jobs. They have families they have to take care of,” Smith said. “So, we know it’s not going to be anything light, but we’re preparing for whatever.”
Browns Won First Battle, Adding Fuel to Ravens Fire
The last time the Ravens and Browns met, QB Jameis Winston led the Browns to a home victory with a final score of 29-24 back in Week 8. On that day, the Browns’ offense went up and down the field on Baltimore’s defense, finishing with over 400 yards of offense.
Winston had one of his good days where he threw three touchdown passes on the way to a Browns victory. Unfortunately, it was one of only three victories the Browns have been able to secure up to this point.
BROWNS DEFEAT THE RAVENS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/SYehXN8bqb
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Jameis Winston will not be starting this time around. Winston will be listed as the third-string quarterback on the depth chart. Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski announced that the team will be going with QB Bailey Zappe to start the game off and will also be using QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, most likely for the second half.
Winston had a rocky tenure with Cleveland this year. Pro Football Network’s QB+ metric weighs statistics we value highly and then uses them to evaluate a quarterback throughout the season, Winston had three games grading as a D or below and four games grading as a C or above.
It’s not a major surprise that Winston was benched after Week 15 when he threw three interceptions and had just 4.4 nYPA despite getting 6.3 YAC/Cp.
Winston’s numbers over his last four weeks as a starter saw him rank 30th among 33 qualified QBs, and his overall EPA/DB (-0.07) ranks 33rd among 43 qualified QBs this season.
40th Starting Quarterback Since 1999 for Cleveland
Zappe will become the 40th starting QB for the Cleveland Browns franchise since 1999. All Zappe will care about come kickoff is finding ways to get in the end zone and put the Browns in a position to potentially steal a win.
Zappe is getting his first game action of the season on Saturday and will be desperate to put some solid gameplay on film in hopes of getting picked up by one of the NFL’s 32 teams in a backup capacity. Zappe was asked about the opportunity that is in front of him on Saturday against Baltimore:
“Obviously it’s a great opportunity, personally, I kind of look at it like I’m on a one-year deal here. I have no idea what the future holds for me, and it’s a great opportunity for me to go out there and play some football and get some film for people to watch. Hopefully it’s good film, but I’m excited for this opportunity.”
Will the Browns be able to play spoiler as huge underdogs, or will the Ravens, led by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, be celebrating a division crown?