The Land on Demand

Resting Browns Will Use Final Regular-Season Game To Audition A Backup Quarterback

One-time Bengal Jeff Driskel is the first QB to start for each team in the Battle of Ohio. He has the chance to surpass P.J. Walker as Joe Flacco's top backup in the wild-card round. (Cleveland Browns)

One-time Bengal Jeff Driskel is the first QB to start for each team in the Battle of Ohio. He has the chance to surpass P.J. Walker as Joe Flacco's top backup in the wild-card round. (Cleveland Browns)

Resting Browns will use final regular-season game to audition a backup quarterback

As of Saturday, January 6, 2024

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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

CINCINNATI, OH

Four downs on Browns (11-5) v. Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)

First down: Meet Jeff Driskel.

The former Bengal has etched his name in Battle of Ohio history as the first quarterback to start for both teams. He twirled a 123.4 passer rating against the Browns in Game 15 in 2018, a 26-18 Bengals loss. On his seventh NFL team, Driskel, 30, has a chance to make more history now as the fifth Browns starting quarterback to record a win this season. Only one other team has won a game with five different QBs – the Patriots – and that was in the strike replacement season of 1987, which constitutes a giant asterisk in NFL annals. Driskel is 1-9 as an NFL starter, losing games with Cincinnati, Detroit, Denver and Houston. Browns OC Alex Van Pelt was on the Bengals staff in 2018 with him and he comes directly from Arizona, whose offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was Browns QB coach last year. Why did Driskel draw this start? Very possibly, the Browns want to see if Driskel gives them a better option than P.J. Walker as primary backup to Joe Flacco for at least the first playoff game. “Every player in this league, their resume is what they put on the field,” Driskel said. “But we’re worried about winning this game and that’s all I’m worried about. If I start thinking about stuff down the line, whether this year or years to come, I would be doing this team a disservice.”

Riley Patterson made 4 of 5 PATs and 1 of 1 field goals in his first game in place of injured Dustin Hopkins. He'll get at least one more game as Hopkins has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. (Cleveland Browns)

 

 


 
Second down: Who’s in? Who’s out?

The Browns already have ruled out: Wide receiver Amari Cooper, cornerback Mike Ford, defensive end Myles Garrett, kicker Dustin Hopkins, cornerback Greg Newsome and free safety Juan Thornhill. There will be another group of players who dress for the game – keeping them eligible to play, if needed – but won’t be expected to play. Among this group could be cornerback Denzel Ward, left guard Joel Bitonio, perhaps running back Jerome Ford, and others, including Flacco. The Bengals declared no players out on their Friday status report. Receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) was doubtful.

Third down: The stakes for the Browns?

Sure, this outcome has no bearing on the Browns’ playoff positioning. They are locked on to the AFC fifth playoff seed and will play in the wild-card round against the No. 4 seed, the winner of the AFC South. It could be Houston, Indianapolis or Jacksonville. It would be Jacksonville if the Jaguars defeat the Titans on Sunday. If the Jaguars lose to the Titans, the Browns would play the winner of Houston-Indianapolis, which played on Saturday night. The Browns’ playoff game is expected to be scheduled on Saturday, January 13. The official announcement of the game’s date and time won’t be made until Sunday night. A win in this game would mark the most wins (12) in a Browns regular season since 1986. It would secure their first 4-2 mark in division games. And, of course, it would mean Kevin Stefanski won games this season with five different starting quarterback, which should secure his coach-of-the-year credentials.

Fourth down: The stakes for the Bengals?

The Bengals are out of the playoffs after reaching the AFC Championship Game two years in a row, and winning it once. All week, Bengals coach Zac Taylor has stated his desire to win this game. “Our No. 1 objective is to win the game by any means necessary,” Taylor said early in the week. A win would net the Bengals a 9-8 record after losing Joe Burrow, their franchise quarterback, with a right wrist injury for the last seven games. It would also be the team’s lone win in AFC North games. They are 0-5 in division games, trying to avoid an 0-for-6 shutout for the first time since the 2002 season.

The pick: Browns 16, Bengals 13.

My record: 11-5.

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