The Indianapolis Colts (3-1) and Cleveland Browns (3-1) are preparing for what should be an enticing matchup in Week 5 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Both teams are enjoying three-game winning streaks while this game will prove a test for either sideline. Has their recent success been a product of their talent and coaching? Or has it been more due to the schedule?
Before the matchup, we caught up with Jeff Risdon, managing editor of Browns Wire, to ask him a few questions on the Colts’ Week 5 opponent.
Colts Wire: What is the biggest difference in Kevin Stefanski from Freddie Kitchen as a head coach?
Jeff Risdon: Stefanski has a poise, maturity and organized purpose to him that Kitchens lacked. The Browns are playing like a team instead of a collection of talented guys wearing the same uniform and that’s directly attributable to Stefanski’s approach. On game days it’s patently obvious that Stefanski is well-prepared and studied the opponent. That’s not something anyone would ever say of Kitchens. The players like and respect it, especially the guys who have been in Cleveland for both Kitchens and Hue Jackson.
CW: Are there any concerns that Baker Mayfield won’t turn into the long-term franchise quarterback or is it still too early to tell?
JR: Some fans and a few in the Cleveland media still don’t buy into Baker as The Man, that’s for sure. After a rough Week 1 in Baltimore those voices got louder. Since then he’s been much better and it’s eerily quiet on that front.
He’s not turned the ball over in three straight games and he’s making the smart decisions asked of him in Stefanski’s offense. That has solidified his status with his teammates and coaches, and that’s who really matters. Mayfield has yet to be in a position to be required to win the game on his own volition yet. Cleveland isn’t designed to be that sort of team, but I think seeing Baker conduct a fourth-quarter comeback win would help ease some minds too.
CW: Odell Beckham Jr. has looked more like himself in recent weeks. How much of that is a product of the schedule and how much is it him just bouncing back from a poor 2019 season?
JR: The best thing about Beckham in 2020 has been how great of a teammate he’s been. Any of the noise you hear about trades or dissatisfaction or neediness, it’s all from a jealous New York media that can’t end its obsession with OBJ. He’s been perfectly happy to be one of a unit and not asked to be the focus of the offense. He’s also healthy, something he was not in 2019. The bounce is back to his routes and his running and that definitely helps too.
CW: Who has been the biggest surprise for the Browns through the first four games?
JR: Wyatt Teller. He’s been the best right guard in football, both in PFF grading and the eye test. Teller is physically dominating people in a fashion Colts fans would recognize from Quenton Nelson. The new outside zone blocking scheme and veteran OL coach Bill Callahan have really clicked. He was the biggest question on the OL entering the year and now he’s the best player on it–and it’s a very good overall line. Have to mention CB Terrance Mitchell too. Playing in place of Greedy Williams, Mitchell has been very sticky in coverage–enough that he might stay in the starting lineup if/when Williams ever returns.
CW: Final score, prediction?
The Colts defense is a stiff challenge, one the Browns have not seen yet. Even against the Ravens they moved the ball well but made too many mistakes. I think the battle between the Browns OL and the Colts front 7 is going to be a great matchup. The Browns defense, on the other hand, has been very reliant on Myles Garrett being amazing and the unit taking the ball away. Garrett has a strip-sack in three straight games and is a front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year thus far. That will be harder to do against Philip Rivers and a balanced Colts offense. I sense a slight hiccup from the Browns here against a team that won’t beat itself.
Colts 27, Browns 25