Atlanta at Cleveland

Atlanta is a talented team on the rise, coming off a 23-17 win and cover against Washington. QB Matt Ryan is a star and backup QB Matt Schaub passed for 179 yards, leading three scoring drives last week. The passing attack struck for 280 yards and faces a bad, rebuilding Cleveland team with little talent. This Atlanta offense finished seventh in the NFL in yards last year and adds WR Mohamed Sanu (Bengals) to help take the heat off WR Julio Jones (1,871 yards), a good pickup. The defense improved a lot under the new coaching staff. CB Jalen Collins has had himself a strong training camp and with CB Desmond Trufant sidelined, C.J. Goodwin has played plenty of reps at cornerback with the first-team defense. The wide receiver-turned-defensive back, who stands at 6-foot-3, has earned praise from Atlanta's coaching staff. The Browns are expected to be bad -- and look worse after a loss at Green Bay. The offense scored 11 points and was dreadful all around, getting 95 yards passing and 77 rushing. Four QBs were sacked four times. The injury issue atop the depth chart at receiver has forced them to try a lot of young, untested targets. Cleveland's lack of experience at wide receiver is already a major problem. The Browns are also being cautious and will likely hold star OT Joe Thomas out of Thursday's preseason game (back issue). Play the points on Atlanta.