CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Browns have a chance to overcome all their adversity of the past two weeks and pull off a 17-season playoff drought against the Steelers today at Firstney Stadium.
Test positive and ward replacement, along with Denzel Ward, Malcolm Smith and Harrison Bryant, Kevin Johnson, has been placed on the virus reserve list late Saturday night, either as a close contact or as a positive.
The Browns also have three coaches on the COVID-19 reserve list, including offensive line coach Bill Cal Lahan, receiver coach Chad O’Sia and assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters.
Some pre-notes of the game:
1. Wyatt Taylor is active versus Steelers
In a perfect world, Taylor will fit the game with his ankle, but it’s time and he will play. Taylor has lost three games with a sprained ankle against Ravens on December 14th, and he may not be 100% today.
But even 80% of Taylor is better than most guards. Also, the Steelers will rest pro bowlers TJ Watt and Hey Hayward today, so Taylor will not argue with them.
Left-hander Jedrick Wills Jr., who missed the game of the Jets due to a flu-like illness that was not a Covid-19, is back on his own this week.
2. Miles Garrett can set a team record and strengthen his case for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The game began with Mason Rudolph and the Pro Bowl center will rest with Marquis Poonce Nancy, Garrett could have a monster day. After returning from Covid-1 last week, he played his best game again in the Jets, and would have been in the strip-bag if the officer hadn’t blown the whistle sooner.
He’s ranked 6th in the NFL with 12 sacks, but he’s just three shy of NFL leader Watt, who is pushing the game forward. With strip-bags or two, Garrett could make a strong case for himself for the famous NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, which he missed last season.
He also needs just 2.5 sacks to reach the Browns’ second goal of breaking the record 14 set by Reggie Camp in 1984.
Named the captain for the game, Garrett expects the light to come on today and achieve some personal goals on the way to helping Brown make the playoffs.
3. Denzel Ward should have missed the playoff game
The Brows are hoping they’ll be back for a playoff game next week if they make it, but will cut it close to the game regardless of whether it’s Saturday or Sunday. The ward must be isolated for at least 10 days when symptoms are first reported or tested, and then must undergo cardiac screening and be cleared for action.
He was placed on the list late Thursday afternoon, so it is not yet known whether he tested positive on Wednesday or Thursday. It can make a difference depending on whether it is characteristic or not.
To make matters worse, his replacement, Kevin Johnson, was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on Saturday night. With the news coming so late, Johnson could be in close contact, meaning he’ll have a good chance to return for a playoff game next week.
But Brown will be out with Ward, Johnson and Andrew Sandejo (positive for COVID-19) all on secondary Sunday.
OL. O.L. Coach Bill Callahan also iffy
If the Browns make it, maybe. The playoffs also have to be without Kallahan. Kalha, who looked fine on Friday night, tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and will have to be kept apart for 10 days. He will keep it at home during the playoff game on Saturday or Sunday. His assistant O-line coach, Scott Peters, was in close contact, and he will probably be available for the playoff game.
Browns hopes receivers coach / passing coordinator Chad O’Shea is back for the playoffs. He tested positive on Wednesday and his 10-day minimum will expire on Friday.
On Sunday, Kailahan will not help the Browns adjust to anything he throws on the Steelers ’sophisticated front.
5. The NFL has responded well to Brown
The NFL has praised Browse over the past two weeks for controlling their COVID-19 crisis. The league has told the Browns that most of the positive tests were out of their control and they were sticking to protocol and going beyond the call on duty.
The only missteps in the days leading up to the Jets game came when some players didn’t properly mask the recovery pool area, where they were linebacker B.J. Came in contact with Goodson. The rest of the positive feature came from outside, and contacts were largely contained.
6. Nick Chubb can go over 1000
Bacon running coach Stump Mitchell was confident that both Nick Chubb and Karim Hunt would go over 1000 yards this season, but at least Chubb would achieve this feat on Sunday. He has 959 yards and needs 41 for his second career 1000-yard season and another straight.
Hunt has 804 yards and will be hard pressed to reach 1,000 today.
Chub will have three straight ones, but his rookie year was left to lose at the end of the season hitting under 1,000 10,000. Last season, he finished second in the NFL from Derrick Henry of Tennessee with 1,494. This season, if he achieves this feat, he will have done so despite missing four games.
7. Robert Jackson listed as early CB
Following the departures of Ward and Johnson, Robert Jackson, who first signed to the Browns practice team in 2018, has been listed as a starter instead of Ward, based on the first start of his career. It was originally signed by the Colts in 2018 out of the UNLV. This season he appeared in nine games for the Browns, on all special teams.
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