Fun in Atlanta

It was almost exactly four years ago the two teams last met. And it was memorable for one well-remembered moment.

It was game 10 of the 2018 National Football League season. The Atlanta Falcons arrived in Cleveland on the heels of a three-game winning streak to take on the floundering Browns, two games removed from the firing of head coach Hue Jackson.

After the 2-6-1 Browns knocked off the 4-4 Falcons, 28-16, Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield uttered a phrase that became extremely popular with Browns Nation for a large portion of the next four seasons.

"When I woke up this morning, I was feeling pretty dangerous," said the rookie, who was 17 of 20 for 216 yards and touchdown connections with Rashard Higgins, Duke Johnson Jr. and Nick Chubb, who later romped a club-record 92 yards to close out the Falcons.. "I just woke up feeling really dangerous."

Never heard that one before. Of course the fans loved it. They glommed onto the phrase even as they embraced Mayfield as the face of the franchise. Here (finally) was the quarterback they yearned for throughout all those dank and fruitless seasons. 

The two teams meet again Sunday in Atlanta for the first time since then and my how the times have changed.

Mayfield, who now has the Carolina Panthers huddle, extricated himself from the Cleveland sports scene due to the complexities surrounding the Deshaun Watson saga. The Browns have changed head coaches twice since then, Kevin Stefanski succeeding interim Gregg Williams and Freddie Kitchens.

Both teams have new quarterbacks. Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 overall selection by Tennessee in the 2015 college football draft, arrived in Atlanta by way of a two-year backup stint in Las Vegas. Jacoby Brissett is keeping the seat warm for Watson for the next seven games after this.

These teams have a relatively brief and disinteresting history because they get together just once every four seasons due to residing in different conferences. They have met only 15 times over the years -- just five times since the 1999 return -- with the Browns winning a dozen games.

Traveling to Atlanta has proved bountiful over the years, the Browns losing just once in seven trips, the lone loss coming in 1993. So can anything be gleaned from these facts? Not really. Too many things are different.

That was then. This is now.

And now the 2-1 Browns appear to have zoned in on an offensive formula that would have had them entering Sunday's game 3-0 if not for a monumental meltdown by the defense in game two against the New York Jets.

Stefanski's highly disciplined offensive scheme has produced nearly 25 first downs a game, a ground game averaging 191 yards, a quarterback who has thrown only one interception and that was in desperation, and features an offensive line that not only creates sizable holes for running backs, it has allowed just four sacks (corrected from an earlier piece that said seven).

The whole idea is to gain a stranglehold on time of possession, arguably the most vital statistic in a game. It's no accident the Cleveland offense has owned the football this season for an astounding -- and league-leading -- 35 minutes and 36 seconds a game. Chief benefit: It  keeps the defense fresh.

It also appears the previously disjointed defense, most notably the secondary, seems to have turned a corner, much as it did last season after a brutal start. That side of the ball, however, probably will operate at a physical and personnel disadvantage up front against the Falcons.

Savvy middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. is gone for the season, replaced by the faster but far less experienced Jordan Phillips, who will call defensive signals. Defensive end Myles Garrett, fortunate to be vertical after his harrowing car crash several days ago, will sit this one out and watch the game on TV.

With Jadeveon Clowney not fully recovered from a sprained ankle and unlikely to suit up, the pass rush will be handled by rookies Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas and veteran Isaac Rochell. All of  which could alter defensive coordinator Joe Woods' original game plan.

Taven Bryan has also been ruled out with a hamstring, which means Tommy Togiai and rookies Perrion Winfrey and Roderick Perry II will rotate with Jordan Elliott at defensive tackle against an Atlanta ground game that averages 157 yards and features the dangerous Cordarrelle Patterson.

The 10-year veteran, who was converted to running back last season after spending his first eight NFL seasons as a kick returner and wide receiver with Minnesota, Las Vegas and New England, owns a pair of 100-yard games this season and averages 6.2 yards a pop.

Much like Chubb's value to the Cleveland attack, Patterson's success allows Mariota to be successful with play-action passes. He has targeted rookie wide receiver Drake London (16 receptions, 214 yards and a pair of touchdowns) and budding All-Pro tight end Kyle Pitts with 57% of his passes. 

The Atlanta defense, however, has had trouble preventing the opposition from converting third downs, a stat the Browns excel at, converting nearly half of them. This falls in line with the Browns' success with ball control.

The Falcons limit opposing runners to just 109 yards a game. But they have not faced the likes of Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who bludgeon opponents behind the efforts of the aforementioned offensive line. Therein lies the difference for this one.

Look for Stefanski to stick with his successful formula. Numerous doses of Chubb and Hunt along with low-risk, high-percentage passes from Brissett to Amari Cooper, David Njoku and Donovan Peoples-Jones with keeping the chains moving the main goal.

Defensively, Woods might be a little more cautious (code for conservative) working with a line loaded mostly with inexperienced youngsters. The guess here is he might dial up a few blitzes off the edge from members of the secondary to keep Mariota guessing.

Bottom line: The Browns stick with the formula and continue massaging the time clock with Chubb and Hunt wearing down the Atlanta defense and Brissett continuing to look more like a starter than a place-holding backup. Cade York misses another extra point, but kicks two field goals. And the defense picks off Mariota twice. Make it:

Browns 26, Falcons 15