Saturday Dawg Chow: Browns news (12/10/22)

Curated from Dawgs By Nature:

• Browns vs Bengals: Final injury report has just one player from each team (Jared Mueller) - The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals lock up in an important AFC North matchup this Sunday. The Battle of Ohio has been owned by the Browns but the Bengals made the Super Bowl last year, have the better record this year and, again, have Super Bowl aspirations. Thought the week, injuries have been an interesting story to watch including Friday when multiple reports provided information.
• Browns fans’ confidence rises to 55%; fans think Deshaun Watson will be a little better against Bengals (Chris Pokorny) - Each week during the regular season, Cleveland Browns fans vote in SB Nation Reacts to express their confidence level in the team. Heading into Week 14, 55% of Browns fans are confident in the direction of the team, an increase of 7 percentage points from last week.
• Baker Mayfield, Rams comeback win aids Browns playoff hopes slightly (Jared Mueller) - For some Cleveland Browns fans, what happens to QB Baker Mayfield will always be interesting to them. For other fans, Mayfield doesn’t play for the team so talking about him is meaningless. Today, Mayfield’s play had a slight impact on the Browns so we get a chance to placate both parts of the fan base.
• Browns defense not lacking for confidence against the Bengals (Thomas Moore) - The Cleveland Browns defense is one that, more often than not, is getting its lunch money taken away by opposing offenses on Sunday afternoons. That is unless they are facing this week’s opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cleveland Browns:

• Joe Woods hopes Browns’ turnover success ‘a trend’ that continues against Bengals (Beacon Journal) - There were a lot of individuals around the Browns who were waiting for a game like last Sunday. None, maybe, more than defensive coordinator Joe Woods.
• Amari Cooper listed as questionable, thinks he’ll play Sunday vs. Bengals (Browns Zone) - Receiver Amari Cooper injured his hip Thursday in practice, didn’t practice Friday and was listed as questionable to face the Bengals on Sunday in Cincinnati. Cooper said he “should be” able to play as he walked out of the locker room after practice.
• Kevin Stefanski, Zac Taylor are ‘perfectionists’ and ‘very similar,’ say those who know both (cleveland.com) - Before Zac Taylor coached in a Super Bowl or Kevin Stefanski won Coach of The Year, the players around them saw the potential in both. Browns safety John Johnson III saw it when the Bengals coach was an assistant receivers’ coach with the Rams – “We knew he was next up,” Johnson said this week.
• Why Nick Chubb and the Browns run game may key Cleveland’s pass attack (The Athletic) - When in doubt, run. That’s what the Browns are going to do Sunday in Cincinnati. We’re not going to get any real answer about the real internal level of doubt surrounding Deshaun Watson’s readiness to play at a high level, and we’re not going to get any real glimpse into the Browns’ offensive game plan ahead of what shapes up as a fun and important game on multiple levels. But it’s not much of a leap to assume the Browns are going to both start with the run and use Watson as a runner to test (and stretch) the Bengals.

NFL:

• Lamar Jackson doubtful to play vs. Steelers (baltimoreravens.com) - Lamar Jackson is doubtful to play in Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh after not practicing all week, meaning Tyler Huntley will most likely make his first start of the season.
• The Titans fired their GM. What’s next? (The Ringer) - Even bad NFL teams rarely make front office changes midseason. Playoff teams never do. What are the Titans thinking?
• Maxx Crosby on Raiders’ latest collapse against Rams: ‘I just feel bad for the fans’ (NFL.com) - The Las Vegas Raiders keep living the same nightmare. Build a lead. Squander lead. Suffer dramatic loss. Thursday night’s epic 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams marked the fourth game of the season the Raiders lost after building a 13-plus point lead.
• Inside Baker Mayfield’s first 48 hours with the Rams and his stunning debut win (ESPN) - As Baker Mayfield walked off the podium and into the locker room after his postgame news conference, he stopped and turned to a member of the Los Angeles Rams’ PR staff. “Where the hell do I go?” Mayfield asked.