The Cleveland Browns have what might be one of the few remaining winnable games on the schedule on Sunday when they take on the Las Vegas Raiders.
No game is automatic for the Browns, of course, especially given that they have lost six of their past seven games. But the Raiders, who bring a 2-8 record into the tilt, have lost eight of their past nine games
, and have allowed 30 or more points in three of their last four games.Cleveland comes into the game in decent health, although they will be without
defensive end Alex Wright, who is fresh off signing a three-year contract extension, and starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who will miss the game with a concussion.
Gabriel’s absence means that the Browns can finally unleash quarterback Shedeur Sanders on an unsuspecting league, with the Raiders being the first sacrificial lamb.
With Sanders running the offense, the Browns are in need of a new backup quarterback, and on Saturday, the team elevated veteran Bailey Zappe from the practice squad to the gameday roster.
Zappe is in his fourth season and second tour of duty with the Browns. A fourth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots in 2022, Zappe appeared in 14 games with the Patriots, making two starts, between 2022 and 2023.
The highlight of Zappe’s career, so far, came as a rookie when he torched Cleveland’s defense for 309 yards and two touchdowns while completing 70.6 percent of his attempts as the Patriots took down the Browns, 38-15.
The Browns had Zappe in the building in 2024, and he started the season finale against the Baltimore Ravens. He was less successful that day, unfortunately, as he threw for just 170 yards and one touchdown, while tossing two interceptions and completing just 51.6 percent of his passes.
Fortunately for the Browns, Sanders has reportedly been preparing like a fiend all week for the game, so the Raiders may not need to fear seeing Zappe on the field, unless it is just to close out the game for the Browns late in the fourth quarter.
