3 Reasons the Cleveland Browns will win vs. the Atlanta Falcons

The Cleveland Browns have the Atlanta Falcons to worry about this Sunday.

The Cleveland Browns are riding high at 2-1, and while there was a lot of luck to get to the top of the division, they’re still the team to be in the AFC North. Nick Chubb is having an MVP season for the ages, and with the sudden and depressing decline of Derrick Henry, Chubb has the chance to win the rushing title without having to take on any more carries than necessary.

They’re taking all that momentum down to Atlanta to face the Falcons on Sunday. Atlanta is a rebuilding team, who for the first time since 2000 is without a franchise quarterback. Ever since they drafted Michael Vick in 2001, and then Matt Ryan in 2008, the team has always had someone they can rely on (save for 2007 for obvious reasons). This is the first year they’re trying things out with a journeyman guy in Marcus Mariota.

Mariota isn’t a game-changer but he can make enough plays to keep the Falcons relevant in every game they’ve played this year. The Browns have struggled against some bad teams in New York, Carolina, and Pittsburgh, so the Falcons should not be viewed as a cakewalk.

That said, the Browns are the obvious favorites to win this game and these are three reasons why.

Three reasons the Cleveland Browns will defeat the Atlanta Falcons

Better on both sides of the ball

The Atlanta Falcons are not a talented team, which makes their strong start more likely to be an apparition than who they are. Eventually, their big stunts and gimmicky playcalling won’t be enough, and they’ll have to rely on talent. The Browns aren’t a perfect team, obviously but they’re better than average and can certainly hand the Falcons a loss on Sunday on talent alone.

A more consistent quarterback

I was big on Mariota coming out of college but he’s never really put it together. He’s always been a good game manager but that’s it. Jacoby Brissett, at least in Cleveland, has minimized his mistakes and taken advantage of the underneath stuff. It hasn’t led to an impressive passing game, but it’s a consistent one, which is more than the Falcons can say.

Nick Chubb

The Falcons’ defense is not very good. Nick Chubb is the early favorite in my opinion to win the MVP. If Jack Conklin is healthy, and the Browns can seal off the backside, Chubb will run for a lot of yards against the Falcons. A team that ranks 14th in the league in yards given up per attempt. The only reason they’re not higher in total yards given up on the ground (18th overall) is because of how bad their passing defense is (10th most yards given up overall). The Browns could win this game without throwing a single pass if they want.