After winning two games in a row, the Los Angeles Chargers now make the trip to take on a suddenly competitive Cleveland Browns team.
But the Browns have been competitive for awhile, at least where the Chargers are concerned.
The Chargers have won three of the last five meetings between the teams, but four of those games have been decided by a field goal or less. That includes the matchup on Christmas Eve in 2016 that stood as the Browns only victory in 21 months.
The Chargers got revenge for that game last season, but they didn’t beat them in the fashion one would expect to beat a team that would finish the season 0-16. The Chargers won the game 19-10, but the Browns were in it most of the way.
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However, dating back to 1992, the Chargers have won nine of the 12 games played between these teams and lead the all-time series 16-9-1. It’s only been in recent years where the Browns decided to play the Chargers tough.
However, despite the 26 games these teams have played against each other, the Browns have only won two or more games in a row once and that was between 1983 and 1986.
Of course, this new version of the Browns features a quarterback that has created a new level of hope within the “Rock and Roll Capital of the World”. Baker Mayfield has played great and to this point, has to be everything the Browns’ organization and its fanbase was hoping he would be with the No. 1 overall pick.
Though the Chargers have an 8-5-1 all-time record in games played in Cleveland, the Browns have won the last two games against them there and have a 2-0-1 record at home this season.
Despite what history suggests, the Chargers will need to be locked in for this game as the Browns, at least at this point in the season, are not a pushover.