Browns, Bucs, Play for Pride, Draft Position

Football Betting Lines

12/22/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a year where it seems like every team has a shot at the playoffs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns meet this Sunday in a battle for draft positioning.

With two weeks left in the regular season, Tampa Bay and the Browns are two of just eight teams that have been officially eliminated from postseason contention.

The Buccaneers find themselves out of the playoffs for the third time in four years since winning Super Bowl XXXVII.

The Browns have been knocked out of the postseason hunt for the fourth straight year and the franchise has played in just one playoff game since returning to Cleveland in 1999.

Tampa Bay put forth a valiant effort last Sunday in Chicago, but fell short of a comeback victory. The Bears won 34-31 on Robbie Gould's field goal in overtime, after the Bucs rallied back from a 24-3 deficit in the third quarter.

It was the fourth straight loss and seven in eight games for Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, the Browns were handed their second consecutive loss last Sunday, as they dropped a 27-17 decision in Baltimore. The game was tied at 17 midway through the third quarter, but Cleveland faltered down the stretch for its fourth setback in five games.

SERIES HISTORY

Cleveland has a 5-1 edge in its all-time series with Tampa Bay, losing to the Buccaneers for the first time in the most recent matchup, at Raymond James Stadium in 2002. The Browns won the first five installments in the series, with their most recent win coming at home in 1995. The Buccaneers are 0-2 all- time in Cleveland.

Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden is 2-0 in his career against Cleveland, including 1-0 since coming to the Buccaneers in 2002. The Browns' Romeo Crennel will be meeting both Gruden and the Bucs for the first time as a head coach.

BUCCANEERS OFFENSE VS. BROWNS DEFENSE

The Buccaneers will have a new starting quarterback this week, as they hand over the reins to Tim Rattay. Rookie Bruce Gradkowski (1,661 yards, 9 TD, 9 INT) had been the team's starting QB since Chris Simms suffered a season- ending spleen injury in Week 3. After a strong start to his NFL career, Gradkowski began to struggle. Then last Sunday in Chicago, Gruden decided to make the switch to Rattay near the end of the opening half. Rattay (351 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) was superb, throwing for 268 yards with three TDs and an interception, and nearly rallied Tampa Bay from a 21-point deficit in the second half. This will be the seven-year veteran's first start since playing for the Bucs on October 2 of last season. Wideout Joey Galloway (52 catches, 905 yards, 6 TD) had three catches for 107 yards, including a 64-yard TD reception, last week. Tight end Alex Smith (31 catches, 205 yards, 3 TD) and veteran wide receiver Ike Hilliard (29 catches, 268 yards, 2 TD) hauled in Rattay's other two TD tosses.

Cleveland has done few things well on defense this season, but its pass defense would have to be its stronger suit. The Browns are giving up an average of 211.1 yards through the air per game, and are ranked 22nd in the NFL in passing defense. Last week, the Browns knocked Baltimore quarterback Steve McNair out in the first quarter, and Kyle Boller came in for the remainder of the game. Boller, a first-round pick in the 2003 draft, completed 13-of-21 passes for 238 yards with two TDs and an interception. Cornerback Leigh Bodden (30 tackles, 2 INT) came away with the pick for Cleveland, while strong safety Sean Jones (91 tackles, 1/2 sack, 5 INT) led the secondary with nine tackles. One of the Browns' problems against the pass has been their inability to get pressure on the quarterback. They are near the bottom of the league with just 24 sacks, and that includes one by middle linebacker Chaun Thompson (18 tackles, 3 sacks) in last week's game.

Tampa Bay's offense has struggled with the running game this season, and at this stage of the season is ranked 29th in the NFL with just 90 yards on the ground per contest. The Bucs would have been thrilled to reach even that average last Sunday, as they were held to just 57 rushing yards in Chicago. Running back Cadillac Williams (798 yards, 1 TD) continued his disappointing sophomore season, ending with only 26 yards on 11 carries against the Bears. Williams, last year's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, needs 202 yards in his final two games of the year just to reach the 1,000 yard mark. He is questionable for this week's game with a foot injury. If Williams can't go, then fullback Mike Alstott and halfback Michael Pittman will take over most of the running duties. Alstott (111 yards, 3 TD) posted 26 yards and a touchdown on six carries last Sunday, and Pittman has just 86 yards all season.

The Browns have had a tough time stopping the run all season long, and are currently ranked 29th in the NFL with 144.7 rushing yards allowed per contest. Cleveland was slightly below that average last week in Baltimore, as it surrendered 142 yards on the ground. Rookie middle linebacker Leon Williams (21 tackles) had a busy day for the Browns, notching a team-high 11 tackles and forcing Ravens running back Jamal Lewis to lose a fumble. Thompson also posted seven tackles, and veteran defensive tackle Ted Washington (44 tackles) clogged up the middle with four tackles.

BROWNS OFFENSE VS. BUCCANEERS DEFENSE

Cleveland played its second straight week with Derek Anderson as the starting quarterback last week, and the young signal-caller was able to move the ball effectively once again. Anderson (670 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT) threw for 276 yards two weeks ago against Pittsburgh, in his first NFL start, and put up 223 in last Sunday's game at Baltimore. The second-year player out of Oregon State connected on 23-of-32 passes against the Ravens, and threw a pair of touchdown passes to go with two interceptions. Anderson is filling in for the injured Charlie Frye (2,267 yards, 10 TD, 16 INT), who has missed the last two games with a wrist injury. Frye is listed as questionable for this week's contest. Braylon Edwards (55 catches, 831 yards, 6 TD) had five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, and fellow wide receiver Joe Jurevicius (36 catches, 437 yards, 3 TD) added 46 yards and a TD on five receptions. Tight end Kellen Winslow (76 catches, 755 yards, 3 TD) chipped in with five more catches for 61 yards against the Ravens. Jurevicius (concussion) and Winslow (knee) are questionable for Sunday's game. As a team this season, Cleveland is ranked 22nd in the NFL with 187.4 passing yards per game.

The Buccaneers gave up 446 yards of offense last week, and 339 of those were credited to the arm of Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. Chicago's signal- caller has been criticized for his erratic play this year, but with two touchdown passes and no interceptions, Grossman looked downright efficient against Tampa Bay. That is not a ringing endorsement for the Bucs' pass defense, which is rated 23rd in the NFL with an average of 217.6 yards allowed through the air every week. A great deal of Tampa Bay's problems in pass defense likely come from the fact that the Buccaneers have placed very little pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The team is second from the bottom in the NFL with just 21 sacks this year, and 10 of those have come from defensive end Dewayne White (33 tackles, 5 sacks) and tackle Ellis Wyms (26 tackles, 5 sacks). Despite Tampa Bay's trouble against the pass this year, the team did have a member of its secondary named as a Pro Bowl starter, as cornerback Ronde Barber (93 tackles, 3 INT) was sent to Hawaii for the fourth time.

Cleveland has been a dreadful running team all season long, and that trend continued last week against the stout Ravens defense. The Browns, who are 30th in the NFL with 79.8 rushing yards per game, managed just 68 yards on the ground in Baltimore last Sunday. Cleveland's leading rusher this season, Reuben Droughns (583 yards, 4 TD), had just 31 yards on eight carries last week Jason Wright (189 yards), who started the game at running back, posted 37 yards on eight rushing attempts.

After allowing three 100-yard rushers in the first six games of the season, the Buccaneers haven't let a back pass the century mark since. Last week, that streak grew to eight consecutive games, as Tampa Bay kept all of the Bears' runners under 100 yards. However, Chicago was able to rush for 134 yards as a team. Middle linebacker Shelton Quarles (92 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks) helped Tampa Bay avoid the big gain and ended with a game-high 15 tackles. Outside linebacker Derrick Brooks (103 tackles. 2 INT) made 10 stops and defensive end Greg Spires (42 tackles, 2 sacks) led the front four with seven tackles. Overall this season, the Buccaneers are 17th in the league with an average of 121 yards on the ground per game.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Rattay gave the Buccaneers a shot of life in the second half of last week's game, but he won't have the element of surprise when he gets the start this Sunday. Still, the way Gradkowski had been playing, Rattay has to give Tampa Bay a better chance at winning. It's true that the Bucs are 0-7 on the road this season, but this is their last and possibly best chance to end that skid. Tampa Bay should be able to run the ball against this Browns defense, and that will set the tone for a close victory.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Buccaneers 21, Browns 20