The Eagles roughed up Sam Bradford and the Vikings. (Michael Perez/AP Photo)
The Cleveland Indians are about to face the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. The Cleveland Cavaliers are world champions. Even the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters hoisted that hockey league’s championship trophy this past season.
And then there are the Cleveland Browns — winless in six attempts this season, five different players all throwing passes while holding the eternally vexed title of Browns quarterback.
On the morning after the Cubs reached their first World Series in 71 years, the Browns are a reminder that not all sporting futility has been swept aside so easily in 2016. And whatever dark magic has afflicted their quarterback history seems like it may claim another victim. Rookie Cody Kessler left the Browns’ Week 7 game against the Bengals with an apparent concussion, giving way to Kevin Hogan — the sixth man to take a snap at quarterback for the Browns this season.
Hogan would find no better result than his 2016 predecessors, as the Browns dropped to 0-7 after a 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Browns’ misery is one of several noteworthy story lines in Week 7, one of which got underway early on an entirely different continent when the New York Giants kicked off against the Los Angeles Rams in London’s Twickenham Stadium at 9:30 a.m. ET.
The Giants have been weathering a media storm after their place kicker, Josh Brown — already suspended one game this season for a domestic violence incident involving his ex-wife — was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list following the revelation of multiple such incidents during an investigation by Seattle-area police. The team signed former Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould, who joined the team Saturday to take over for Brown.
Gould started the scoring for the Giants with a field goal and later tacked on an extra-point following a stunning 45-yard interception return for a touchdown by Giants safety Landon Collins. Weaving through tacklers and utilizing his teammates-turned-blockers, Collins knotted the score at 10 late in the first half. The Giants pulled ahead 17-10 on a short touchdown run by Rashad Jennings following Collins’s second interception of the afternoon.
The Giants made that seven-point margin hold up for the win, thanks in large part to four total interceptions from Rams QB Case Keenum. The poor play from Keenum only reinforced calls for No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff toassume the starter’s role next week. Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher attempted to end the quarterback conversation before it began after the game, telling the assembled media he was planning to stick with Keenum.
Back on this side of the Atlantic, the Minnesota Vikings started the season 5-0 in large part because of the solid play of quarterback Sam Bradford, acquired from their Week 7 opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, by trade just before the start of the season. Bradford was anything but solid in his return to Philadelphia, throwing an interception and losing two fumbles as the Vikings lost for the first time this season, 21-10.
The Vikings were the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team.
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