JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -The Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars began the season talking about getting to the playoffs and maybe making a run at the Super Bowl.
Now, they’d settle for getting back in their division races.
The Browns (2-4) lost their first three games and trail Pittsburgh by three games in the AFC Central. The Jaguars (3-3) have won three of four since an 0-2 start, but find themselves three games behind unbeaten Tennessee in the AFC South.
Even though both teams realize there’s plenty of football left, they know the loser of Sunday’s game in Jacksonville could end up in an even bigger hole.
“We got off to a rough start, so we’re trying to focus and see if we can somehow win a game to stay close in this race,” Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel said.
ich the offense sputtered for the fifth time in six games.
Derek Anderson has thrown for more than 170 yards just once, against the Giants. Jamal Lewis hasn’t had a 100-yard rushing game. And the defense has given up more than 350 yards three times, including the last two games, and has mostly been gouged on the ground.
“The common thread is when we don’t execute, generally we lose,” Crennel said.
The Browns can’t afford to keep losing, either.
“We all know that,” center Hank Fraley said. “There are a couple teams that have kind of separated themselves from the pack. There’s a lot of teams that are 4-3, 3-3 and 2-4, so it a big hill for us to stay there and try to get to 3-4, to stay with the pack and don’t keep getting pushed back behind the leader.
“It’s definitely a big game for us in Jacksonville. It’s an AFC game. We know when it comes down to the end there is a lot of tiebreakers at stake.”
Jacksonville also had a big win two weeks ago, although it has since been diminished. The Jaguars manhandled Denver on the road, rolling up 416 yards of offense and forcing three turnovers in a 24-17 victory. But New England looked even better against the Broncos last week, creating some speculation that Jacksonville’s most complete win of the season might not be all that impressive.
biceps), guard Chris Naeole (knee), safety Reggie Nelson (knee) and cornerback Drayton Florence (groin) returning from injuries, and with some closure in the Richard Collier shooting case – Collier has been released from the hospital and a suspect arrested – coach Jack Del Rio believes his team is capable of making a run after “surviving an early-season storm capable of ruining a team.”
It starts against Cleveland, a team the Jaguars have beaten eight times in 10 meetings.
“We see ourselves as a contender to get back into the tournament,” quarterback David Garrard said. “Once you get there, you can do a lot of things. We set our own agenda and we know a lot of people have written us as favorites for the Super Bowl and all of that. … We still feel like we have a great team here and we still feel like we can beat anybody on any given Sunday. We just need to keep going out and proving it.”
Cleveland and Jacksonville have more in common than high expectations and a slow start, too. Both are dealing with a staph infection and a suspension.
Browns general manager Phil Savage suspended Kellen Winslow one game without pay after the outspoken Pro Bowl tight end accused the team, which has had a high number of staph cases in recent years, of trying to cover up his staph infection. Winslow appealed his suspension Wednesday. His case will be heard by an arbitrator next week.
inslow could recoup the $235,294 he will be docked by missing Sunday’s game.
“All decisions are tough when it involves sitting a player, but the organization made a decision and decided on an action and the action was taken,” Crennel said.
Jaguars receiver Mike Walker spent four days in a local hospital last week with an infection in his right knee and has been ruled out against the Browns.
Fellow receiver Matt Jones, who leads the team with 30 catches for 338 yards, is appealing a three-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. He will play Sunday, but could miss time following his hearing early next week.
More important than either team’s suspension, though, is getting back into the division race.
“These are two good football teams that haven’t had the season start the way we’d like,” Del Rio said. “There’s a 10-game season left for us both and we both need a win badly. … These are two football teams that are going to be very hungry.”
Add A Comment