Panthers (6-6) at Browns (4-7-1)
T .... Pittsburgh .... 21-21 (OT) L .... at New Orleans .... 21-18 W ......... N.Y. Jets ......... 21-17 L ...at Oakland ... 45-42 (OT) W ..... Baltimore ..... 12-9 (OT) L ...... L.A. Chargers ...... 38-14 L .at Tampa Bay .26-23 (OT) L ...... at Pittsburgh ...... 33-18 L ........ Kansas City ........ 37-21 W ........... Atlanta ........... 28-16 Nov. 18 ............... Bye .............. W ...... at Cincinnati ...... 35-20 L ........ at Houston ........ 29-13 Dec. 9 .......... Carolina .......... 1 Dec. 15 .... at Denver .... 8:20 Dec. 23 ........ Cincinnati ........ 1 Dec. 30 ..... at Baltimore ..... 1
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FirstEnergy Stadium
TV: Fox
Danny Sheridan’s odds: by 1
Panthers’ keys to victory: Carolina has to shake out of its road funk. The Panthers lost four of their first five on the road and struggle to run the ball in road games. RB Christian McCaffrey and the rushing attack average 96 yards per game on the road, nearly 70 yards less than at home. Finding success against an aggressive Cleveland front seven, perhaps with some designed rollouts for QB Cam Newton, could change that. On defense, LB Luke Kuechly and his mates need to contain dynamic rookie RB Nick Chubb. Creating a takeaway or two, something the Panthers have struggled with recently, will also help. Rookie CB Donte Jackson (four interceptions) is a key.
Browns’ keys to victory: The offense is designed around QB Baker Mayfield’s ability to create big plays. The impressive rookie needs to take shots with playmakers like TE David Njoku and RB Duke Johnson. P Britton Colquitt is having a great season individually, but the rest of the special teams have not played well. The coverage and return units need to make a positive impact to help the Browns win the battle of special teams and prevent big plays. A sack or two from DE Myles Garrett would make life more difficult for the Panthers.
Matchup to watch: Panthers RB McCaffrey vs. Browns LB Joe Schobert. The versatile McCaffrey can score from anywhere. Schobert is always around the ball.
Who wins? Something special is brewing in Cleveland and the Panthers have a bad track record on the road this year.
Browns, 30-24 Panthers