Johnny Manziel looks good beating San Francisco 49ers

Dec 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) throws a pass during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

After being benched for paryting during the bye-week for a couple of weeks, Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel got a chance to play. And he looked liked he’s been the starter all year. On the Brown’s first four offensive drives, Manziel was impressive, completing 10 of 14 passes for 135 yards.

They scored 10 points on those first four possessions, which would’ve been more if they didn’t get in their own way. The Browns shot themselves in the foot with a blocked field goal and lost fumble. The Browns might of scored 40 points had it not been for all their mistakes and injuries.

But that didn’t stop Manziel from playing well, going 21-31 for 270 yards, one touchdown and one interception. And he did this with speedster Travis Benjamin as his only healthy receiver in the game. Two of the Browns’ top-4 receivers, Andrew Hawkins and Tyler Gabriel, didn’t even play on Sunday.

Another top receiver, Brian Hartline, ended up had to leave the game in the third quarter. But Manziel wasn’t fazed, making only made one big mistake on a second quarter pass he threw off his backfoot, across his body, toward the middle of the field. But other than that, The Manziel kept the Browns offense moving and was near perfect.

Running back Isaiah Crowell, who’s probably Manziel’s biggest fan, benefitted from having Manziel in there. Since he’s a threat to run, the opposing defense has to take him into account, leaving bigger holes for the running backs to run through. That’s what happened for Crowell Sunday as he had 145 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

Manziel took a big step toward locking down the starting quarterback job for the Browns Sunday. Over the final three weeks of the season, the Browns travel to Seattle and Kansas City, before hosting the Steelers in Week 17. He just needs to win one of Cleveland’s final three games or look good down that stretch.

Manziel does winning the job could mean head coach Mike Pettine ends up losing his. There are already rumors circulating that Pettine and GM Ray Farmer will be out as soon as the season ends. Manziel should have been starting every since he beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.

We’ll see how it ends!