Pat McManamon, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Will this be the week the Browns get that first win?

BEREA, Ohio — Is this the week?

Will the Cleveland Browns finally win a game when they play the San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve?

The experts say no.

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook says the Chargers are a 6-point favorite. ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Browns only a 29.2 percent chance to win.

That is interesting, given that San Diego is 5-9 and has lost three in a row and five of seven. Questions about coach Mike McCoy's job security are swirling.

Quarterback Philip Rivers has thrown 18 interceptions (11 in his last five games), and standout running back Melvin Gordon might not play because of hip and knee injuries.

Finally, San Diego has drawn the short straw of traveling from a warm-weather climate to play across the country in cold weather on Christmas Eve.

"We'll take every advantage we can get," said Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III, who will start his third game in a row on Saturday. "We're just trying to win a game. We got a team coming from California and it's gonna be cold."

Both coaches, though, dismiss traveling or the weather having any effect.

"No, because I have watched Philip Rivers do that quite a few times before," Browns coach Hue Jackson said. "I know what kind of player he is, having been in that division for a little while. He is a tremendous competitor and he likes to try to win every game. So, he will have not just their offensive team, but he will have that football team ready to play."

"It is not the first time we have traveled," McCoy said.

At 0-14, there are several hurdles the Browns must overcome. Factors that favor San Diego include:

  • The Chargers not wanting to be "that team" that loses to the Browns.

  • Four of San Diego's five wins have come against teams that are in playoff contention: Denver, Atlanta, Tennessee and Houston. The Texans' loss to San Diego was the only home game they have lost this season.

  • The Chargers have kept the score close in just about every game they've played. Seven of their nine losses have been by seven points or fewer -- four by four points or fewer.

  • Rivers is one of the league's most underrated and competitive quarterbacks. This season he's thrown for 3,795 yards and is on his way to his eighth 4,000-yard season in the last nine.

  • San Diego has scored a touchdown on it s first possessions in eight of their games; the Browns aren't exactly a comeback team.

  • The Chargers have a takeaway in every game.

The Browns, well ... they gave up 280 rushing yards to Buffalo and 493 in the last two games. They haven't scored more than a touchdown in any game since Oct. 30, a streak of six games. In those six games, the Browns have scored 62 points (10.3 per game). And their top receiver, Terrelle Pryor, might not play because of a painful injury to the middle finger of his right hand.

Jackson said Wednesday's Browns practice was spirited and one of the better ones of the season.

So, as the quest for that solitary win continues, there's that.

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