Cleveland (2-8) at Las Vegas (2-8)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM line: Raiders by 4.
Against the spread: Browns 4-6, Raiders 4-6.
Series record: Raiders lead 18-10.
Last meeting: Raiders beat Browns 20-16 on Sept. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Last week: Browns lost to Ravens 23-16, Raiders lost to Cowboys 33-16.
Browns offense: overall (31), rush (26), pass (31), scoring (29)
Browns defense: overall (2), rush (14), pass (1), scoring (18)
Raiders offense: overall (30), rush (30T), pass (25), scoring (31T)
Raiders defense: overall (17T), rush (15), pass (19), scoring (24)
Turnover differential: Browns plus-3; Raiders minus-4.
QB Shedeur Sanders will make his first NFL start, replacing Dillon Gabriel, who is in concussion protocol. Sanders got his first NFL snaps during the second half of Cleveland's 23-16 loss to Baltimore and was 4 of 16 for 47 yards and an interception. Sanders received valuable first-team snaps for the first time this week. Sanders would be the 13th Browns starting QB since Kevin Stefanski became coach in 2020 and the 42nd since the franchise's return in 1999.
DE Maxx Crosby. He has four sacks in his past five games, and one of the league's top pass rushers certainly can make Sanders' starting debut quite stressful. That will especially be the case if Sanders holds on to the ball too long while looking for a big play. The Browns, of course, will try to do what other Raiders opponents attempt and find different ways to keep Crosby out of the backfield. But if he gets there enough times, Sanders could have a long day.
RB Ashton Jeanty vs. Browns defense. It's highly unlikely Jeanty will get just six carries as he did Monday night against Dallas. The Raiders have been answering questions since about that strategy, and coach Pete Carroll's history is he likes to lean on the run. It won't be easy against a Cleveland defense that is 14th against the rush. But the Browns are first versus the pass, so establishing a ground game early could be key.
Browns: Gabriel (concussion), TE David Njoku (knee) and DE Alex Wright (quadriceps) did not practice Wednesday.
Raiders: DT Jonah Laulu (ribs) was limited in practice Wednesday.
The Raiders have won the past five meetings. Four were one-possession finishes and the 2018 game went into overtime with the then-Oakland Raiders winning 45-42. ... The Browns' most recent victory occurred in 2014, a 23-13 win in Cleveland. ... The Raiders won both postseason matchups. In 1980, the then-Oakland Raiders won 14-12 in the divisional round, and two years later the then-Los Angeles Raiders prevailed 27-10 in a wild-card game.
Cleveland's Myles Garrett has generated pressure on 16.8% of pass rushes, leading to 42 pressures, tied for sixth most among edge rushers. Garrett has converted 15 of these pressures into sacks, for a 35.7% pressure-to-sack rate, his highest since at least 2018 and highest among edge rushers this season (min. 200 pass rushes). Geno Smith has been pressured on 35.3% of drop-backs (14th highest), with opposing defenses converting sacks on 24.8% of these pressures, the sixth-highest rate among quarterbacks. ... Quinshon Judkins has been hit behind the line of scrimmage on 51.0% of his rushing attempts this season, the highest rate among running backs with at least 100 carries, resulting in 102 yards lost before contact. Judkins has 555 yards after contact, with these yards comprising 89.5% of his total rushing yards (fifth highest among the same group). ... The Raiders allow 3.8 yards per rush, second only to Denver's 3.6. ... Crosby’s 119 tackles for loss since his rookie season in 2019 are the most in the NFL. ... Las Vegas’ 16 passes defended by linemen are the most in the league. Philadelphia is next with 12. … S Jeremy Chinn needs one sack to become the eighth defensive back since 1982 with six consecutive seasons with at least one. … K Daniel Carlson’s 218 made field goals since he entered the league in 2018 are the most in the league. … A victory would give coach Pete Carroll No. 173 for his career, which would move him into a tie for 16th with Jeff Fisher. Carroll is tied with Bill Parcells.
Browns defense. This is an elite unit facing a Raiders offense that is 30th in yards and tied for 31st in points. Especially given the Raiders' blocking problems, it could be a big day for Garrett.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
