Lions doing their best to sincerely talk up winless Browns

Associated Press

DETROIT

To hear Ameer Abdullah tell it, the winless Cleveland Browns might as well be Super Bowl contenders.

“They’re a really good team, statistically. Go look them up defensively,” said Abdullah, whose Detroit Lions face the Browns today. “They’ve had a lot of first-round picks. They’ve got a lot of young talent. ... You never know. If they win eight straight, they’ll probably make the playoffs.”

Right now, Cleveland is trying to win one game, and although Abdullah apparently isn’t counting out the Browns, it’s Detroit that brings the more realistic playoff chances into the matchup. In fact, this is one of several games during the second half of the season that the Lions could be significantly favored in. Detroit’s postseason hopes may hinge on whether the Lions can avoid upsets against teams like Cleveland.

The Lions (4-4) have only one remaining opponent — Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day — that currently has a winning record. Of Detroit’s final eight games, four are against teams in last place at the moment.

Cleveland (0-8) is obviously one of those cellar dwellers, but Abdullah was right about one thing. The Detroit running back pointed to the Browns’ defensive stats, and Cleveland is indeed ranked ninth in total defense and fourth against the run.

That matches up with a Detroit weakness: The Lions are 29th in rushing.

Rookie defensive end Myles Garrett, the top overall pick in the draft, is back after missing Cleveland’s most recent game Oct. 29 because of a concussion.

“He’s one of our best football players,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “Our defense has done a good job of holding down the fort when he’s not there, but obviously he makes us a better football team defensively when he’s out there playing.”

The Lions are the only NFL team to go 0-16. That happened in 2008, and Cleveland avoided that embarrassment last season when the Browns won their next-to-last game. Now the Browns are again halfway to a winless season, so this game is an opportunity for Detroit to boost its postseason hopes — but the Lions are wary.

“I mean if you put the tape on, these guys jump off the screen to you, especially on the defensive side of the ball,” Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “They stop the run about as good as anybody in the NFL. They’ve got young, really talented guys in the secondary.”