What to watch for, presented by House of Blues

11.18.2009

The Browns have a short week to prepare for the Lions after playing the Ravens on Monday Night Football. This is the Browns' first trip to Ford Field during the regular season, as the last time they met the Lions in Detroit was on October 8, 1995.

The Browns are 4-13 all-time against the Lions, including a 1-8 record in road games. The Browns' last road win against the Lions was a 31-26 decision on September 11, 1983.

This is the second time the Browns and Lions have played in 2009, with the first meeting in the second week of the preseason. The Browns defeated the Lions 27-10 in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

As the game unfolds, here are several things to keep an eye on:

Browns linebacker David Bowens. In his second game of the season as an inside linebacker, Bowens registered a season-high 9 tackles and 2 quarterback sacks of Ravens signal caller Joe Flacco Monday night. Bowens' 2 sacks went for a loss of 9 yards. The Ravens did not score on either drive in which Bowens sacked Flacco.

Bowens, who now has 35 career quarterback sacks, helped anchor a defense that limited Flacco to 155 passing yards, his lowest output of the season.

The Browns pass rush. With 3 sacks of Flacco Monday, the Browns now have 19 on the season. Through the first nine games under first-year defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the Browns have surpassed their season total of 17 sacks from 2008.

Running back Jamal Lewis. With 10 carries against his former team Monday night, Lewis became the 20th player in NFL history to reach 2,500 carries. Lewis, who has 2,507 carries in his NFL career, has 10,607 rushing yards. He needs 152 yards to pass Ricky Watters for 20th in NFL history.

Kicker Phil Dawson. Dawson has been with the franchise since it returned to the NFL in 1999 and has continued his climb up the all-time lists. With his next field goal, Dawson will pass Don Cockroft for second on the Browns' all-time field goals list.

Dawson and Cockroft are tied with 216 career field goals. The late Lou Groza, one of 16 Browns in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, holds the record with 234 career field goals.

Defensive lineman Shaun Rogers. The Pro Bowl nose tackle blocked Steve Hauschka's extra point after Dawan Landry's 48-yard interception return for a touchdown. Rogers has blocked 2 extra points this season and 3 for his career. Rogers has 16 career blocked kicks.

Prior to being acquired by the Browns, Rogers spent his first 7 NFL seasons with the Lions. While in Detroit, Rogers registered 29 quarterback sacks and a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Rookie linebacker Kaluka Maiava. Maiava tallied a career-high 8 tackles against the Ravens Monday. He made 6 solo stops in his second career start.

Wide receiver/return specialist Joshua Cribbs. Despite being injured against the Ravens, Cribbs became the fourth player in franchise history with at least 1,000 career punt return yards.

Cribbs is 1 kickoff return for a touchdown away from taking sole possession of first place on the NFL's all-time list. Cribbs has 6 kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career and is tied with five other players, including Pro Football Hall of Famers Ollie Matson and Gale Sayers.

When the Browns met the Lions back in 2005, Cribbs had a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown in Cribbs' career.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. If the Browns get pressure on Stafford, they can force some mistakes. The first-year man out of the University of Georgia has completed 54.3 percent (144-of-265) of his passes for 1,489 yards and 6 touchdowns. However, Stafford has been intercepted 12 times and sacked 17 times this season.

Lions receiving corps. Calvin Johnson leads the team with 32 receptions for 436 yards and has 1 touchdown. Bryant Johnson and Will Heller each have 2 touchdown catches this season.

Lions running back Kevin Smith. Smith leads the team with 150 carries for 515 yards and 3 touchdowns, but is also one of the top targets in the passing game. He trails only Calvin Johnson in the number of receptions (29) and averages 7.5 yards-per-catch.

Kick returners Derrick Williams and Aaron Brown. Williams leads the way with 25 returns for 523 yards, while Brown has 20 run-backs for 455 yards. Though neither has run a kickoff return for a touchdown, Brown did break an 87-yarder earlier this season.

The Browns go into Sunday's game at 1-8 after a 16-0 loss Monday night to the Ravens. The Lions are also 1-8 following their sixth straight loss, a 27-10 setback at the Vikings Sunday. Stafford went 29-of-51 for 224 yards and 1 touchdown in the loss. Calvin Johnson had 8 catches for 84 yards.

CONNECTIONS

The Browns will see several familiar faces in Lions uniforms on Sunday afternoon. Cornerback Anthony Henry spent the first 4 seasons of his NFL career with the Browns. During his rookie year, Henry tied a franchise record with 10 interceptions, including 3 each against the Ravens and Lions.

Fullback Terrelle Smith played in all 48 games in 3 seasons in Cleveland (2004-06) and got the start in 32 of those contests. In 2005, Smith blocked for Reuben Droughns' 1,240-yard, 6-touchdown season. It was the first 1,000-yard season for a Browns running back since Kevin Mack and Ernest Byner both eclipsed the mark in 1985.

Former Browns wide receiver Dennis Northcutt has been a multi-purpose threat for the Lions. In addition to lining up on offense, Northcutt has returned kickoffs and punts.

Lions long snapper Don Muhlbach and Browns offensive lineman Rex Hadnot were teammates at Lufkin High School. They are the only 2 former Lufkin Panthers currently in the NFL.

Browns wide receiver Mike Furrey spent the last 3 seasons in Detroit. In his first season with the Lions in 2006, Furrey caught 98 passes for 1,086 yards and 6 touchdowns, all career highs.

MEDIA

Fans can watch Sunday's game on local CBS affiliate WOIO-TV 19. Don Criqui (play-by-play) and analyst Randy Cross will call the action.

The game is also available along the Browns Radio Network with Jim Donovan, Doug Dieken and sideline reporter Andre Knott providing the call.