Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) celebrates after a win against the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard )

Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) at Cleveland (2-6)

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Chargers by 2.

Against the spread: Chargers 4-3; Browns 3-5.

Series record: Chargers lead 19-9-1.

Last meeting: The Chargers beat the Browns 30-28 on October 9, 2022 in Cleveland.

Last week: Chargers beat Saints 26-8; The Browns beat the Ravens 29-24.

Chargers offense: overall (23), rush (20), pass (24), score (24).

Chargers defense: overall (8), rush (11), pass (9), score (1).

Browns offense: overall (21), rushing (27), passing (29), scoring (27).

Browns defense: overall (14), rush (18), pass (12), score (18).

Billing Differential: Plus-6 Chargers; Browns minus-4.

Chargers player to watch

Rookie WR Ladd McConkey leads the team in receptions (30) and receiving yards (376). Last week against the Saints, he was the first Chargers rookie since 2010 to have a game with 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He is fourth among league rookies in receptions and third with four touchdowns.

Browns player to watch

Quarterback Jameis Winston didn’t look two years removed from his previous start when he threw for 334 yards and three touchdown passes last week. Winston’s performance gave the Browns a big emotional boost — and some hope that this season can be salvaged — just days after Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles tendon. To be fair, Winston threw several passes that should have been intercepted.

Key Pairing

Chargers RT Joe Alt vs. Browns DE Myles Garrett. Before the draft, Alt said the player he was most looking forward to facing was Garrett. He has his chance on Sunday. Alt did not allow a quarterback pressure last week against the Saints according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the first time in three years that a rookie offensive tackle has done that. Garrett leads the league with 21 quick pressures (less than 2.5 seconds) and has the third-highest pressure rate of all pass rushers (20.7%).

Key injuries

Chargers: Edge running back Joey Bosa (hip) was on a quick count last week. He was limited in practice but is expected to play. He missed three games earlier this season. … WR DJ Chark (hip) will likely make his season debut. … CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring) missed part of practice and will likely be questionable. … Browns: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah remains sidelined after suffering a neck injury last week that led to him being hospitalized overnight. He is Cleveland’s leading tackler. … Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward missed practice time this week while in protocol with his sixth known concussion since 2018. … Six-time Pro Bowl LG Joel Bitonio (foot) was limited this week. He has made 152 starts.

Series Notes

The Chargers have won four straight and 14 of 18… Los Angeles is 14-0 when scoring at least 25 points against the Browns.

Statistics and stuff

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is 1-0 against the Browns and 3-3 in his career against the AFC North, including Super Bowl 47 against Baltimore. … Quarterback Justin Herbert won both of his starts against the Browns with six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) and no interceptions. He hasn’t thrown a pick since the first quarter of Week 2 at Carolina. … RB JK Dobbins has a rushing score in two of the three times he has faced Cleveland. He rushed for 125 yards with Baltimore against the Browns in 2022. … WR Joshua Palmer had a season-high 72 receiving yards last week. … TE Will Dissly has 13 of his 26 receptions in the last two games. … Los Angeles’ defense is allowing a league-low 13 points per game and has forced three-and-out drives on 21 of 77 possessions. The 27.3% rate is the sixth best in the league. … LB Khalil Mack has two sacks in two of his last three games against Cleveland. … Bosa is one sack away from reaching 70 for his career. … Winston was the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, the first for a Cleveland QB since 2019. … Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said the plan is for Winston to start the rest of the season, albeit in Cleveland plans tend to change. Second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is now Winston’s backup. …Winston was the 39th quarterback to start for Cleveland since 1999. …Stefanski handed play-calling duties last week to first-year coordinator Ken Dorsey and the Browns had their best offensive game of 2020 with two firsts: scoring 20 points and eclipsing 400 yards. … Second-year WR Cedric Tillman had great success last week with seven catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Tillman’s role has expanded since Amari Cooper’s trade to Buffalo. … Running back Nick Chubb has averaged 7.9 yards per carry (41 for 320 yards) and three touchdowns in three games against the Chargers. This will be Chubb’s third game following reconstructive knee surgery. … Dawand Jones, who played right tackle as a rookie, started at left tackle last week and held his own. He replaced the injured Jedrick Wills Jr., who could return this week. … The Browns are playing their third straight home game.

fantasy advice

David Njoku, one of the NFL’s most consistent tight ends, scored a touchdown in his final two weeks. Njoku, who was slowed by an ankle injury earlier this season, could thrive under Winston. Njoku had a big game against the Chargers in 2013 with seven receptions for 149 yards and a score.

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