Cleveland visits Washington in a matchup of teams with seasons going in opposite directions

Cleveland (1-3) at Washington (3-1)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

BetMGM NFL odds: Commanders by 3 1/2

Series record: Browns lead 35-12-1.

Against the spread: Cleveland 1-3; Washington 3-1.

Last meeting: Browns beat the Commanders 24-10 on Jan. 1, 2023, at Washington.

Last week: Browns lost to Raiders 20-16; Commanders beat Cardinals 42-14.

Browns offense: overall (31), rush (26), pass (29), scoring (27)

Browns defense: overall (11), rush (19), pass (10), scoring (17)

Commanders offense: overall (6), rush (3), pass (12), scoring (3)

Commanders defense: overall (27), rush (23), pass (22), scoring (25)

Turnover differential: Browns minus-2; Commanders plus-1

LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will likely draw the assignment of shadowing dynamic Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, a dual-threat QB capable of beating any defense with his arm or legs. Owusu-Koramoah is excellent at playing in space and will need to react when Daniels, who has already rushed for 218 yards and four TDs, gets outside the pocket. He leads the Browns with 34 tackles.

RB Austin Ekeler has been cleared to return from a concussion and should again split work with Brian Robinson Jr. Before getting concussed Week 3 at Cincinnati, Ekeler was primarily a pass-catching option, with nine receptions for 121 yards. Keeping a consistent running game humming is important for Daniels and the offense to keep Cleveland off balance.

Commanders pass rush vs. the Browns offensive line and Deshaun Watson. As good as Daniels and Washington's offense has been, the defense struggled until last week at Arizona. One of the big issues has been a lack of pressure, which has made a pieced-together secondary struggle more in coverage. Watson has been sacked a league-high 19 times this season, and he needs to get rid of the ball quicker. He may have more time to throw Sunday than in previous games.

Cleveland's offensive line remains dinged up. LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and RT Jack Conklin (knee) are questionable. ... Wills has played in one game and Conklin has yet to make his 2024 debut following reconstructive surgery. ... TE David Njoku, who missed the past three games with a high ankle sprain, is listed as questionable but is likely to play. ... Backup RB Pierre Strong (hamstring) is also questionable. ... DE Alex Wright (triceps) underwent season-ending surgery this week. ... Commanders WR Noah Brown (groin) and DE Clelin Ferrell (knee) are out. ... Robinson (knee) is trending toward playing but will be a game-time decision. ... LG Nick Allegretti (ankle), S Percy Butler (groin), special teams player Tyler Owens (shin) and backup QB Marcus Mariota (pectoral) are questionable. Mariota has not dressed for a game yet this season.

The Browns have won the past two meetings after dropping three in a row. ... Washington is just 5-17-1 at home against Cleveland. ... The Browns have lost two in a row. This is their second of three consecutive road games. ... Washington is 3-1 for the first time since 2011. Its previous 4-1 start was 2008.

The Browns haven't scored 20 points in any of their first four games. ... Cleveland's offense is last in the league at 3.9 yards a play and a 20.8% third down conversion rate. ... The Browns have scored on their opening possession in all four games. ... Watson has shown improvement each week, completing 75% (24 of 32) of his passes last week. But he also took a sack on Cleveland's final play at the Vegas 9-yard line. ... RB Jerome Ford had a career-high seven receptions last week as Watson used him on a variety of swingouts and underneath throws. ... Browns P Corey Bojorquez leads the league with 1,197 yards. He had a season-high 84-yarder last week. ... K Dustin Hopkins, who played his first six seasons with Washington has been money since joining the Browns last year, making 38 of 42 field-goal tries and 11 of 12 beyond 50 yards. However, Hopkins missed an extra point last week that proved costly. ... Daniels has completed 82.1% of passes, the highest of any player through the first four games of a season. ... Daniels leads all QBs with four rushing TDs and with 218 yards on the ground trails only Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, who has 308. ... Ekeler is 62 yards rushing away from 5,000 for his career. ... RB Jeremy McNichols ran for two TDs had had a career-high 68 yards rushing at Arizona filling in for Ekeler. ... WR Terry McLaurin has made 11 catches for 152 yards over the past two games after having just 39 yards receiving in the opening couple of weeks of the season. ... Washington's defense forced three Cardinals fumbles and recovered one. ... LB Bobby Wagner led the team with 11 tackles.

Given the Commanders' coverage problems, Njoku could be in for a big afternoon in his return from injury. This defense does not have safeties big enough or linebackers fast enough to handle athletic, talented tight ends such as Njoku, who could give Watson a safety valve over the middle if other receivers are not open.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (12) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is hauled down for a sack by Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, right, celebrates his touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) walks off the field after the Browns were defeated by the Las Vegas Raiders 20-16 in an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

WASHINGTON (AP) — After 1,080 days as president, Joe Biden on Friday decided to pop in and take questions in the White House briefing room for the first time, striding in with a grin after a strong monthly jobs report and the temporary settlement of a strike by ports workers.

The president has been less available than his recent predecessors to questions from White House press corps, making his surprise appearance welcome to the gathered reporters who waited as his press secretary's daily briefing was moved up 15 minutes, then delayed for nearly one hour.

The president stepped through the press room's blue door in a dark gray suit and red tie and proceeded to make news in response to questions about comments on the 2024 presidential election, the latest jobs numbers and the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The 81-year old stepped aside from the Democratic nomination this summer, backing Vice President Kamala Harris instead. He acknowledged doubts about whether the November election would be peaceful, given comments by former President Donald Trump that the results could be rigged.

“I’m confident it will be free and fair. I don’t know whether it will be peaceful,” Biden said. “The things that Trump has said, and the the things that he said last time when he didn’t like the outcome of the election, were very dangerous.”

Biden has tried to rebut a political movement that has at times openly trafficked in conspiracy theories, with the latest revolving around the government reporting Friday that employers added 254,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%.

“Another fake jobs report out from Biden-Harris government today,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., posted on social media. “But all the fake numbers in the world aren’t going to fool people dealing with the Biden-Harris.”

The jobs reports are legitimate and have capped a solid run for the U.S. economy. Growth has stayed solid even as the inflation rate has dropped from a four-decade high in 2022 to an annual rate of 2.5%.

Consumer confidence has been weak relative to overall economic growth, a sign that many people still don’t feel the strength seen in the latest jobs and inflation numbers. But Biden stressed that he was operating on valid data despite unfounded claims of falsification by supporters of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.

“If you notice, anything the MAGA Republicans don't like they call ‘fake,’” Biden said. "The job numbers are what the job numbers are. They're real. They're sincere."

The president also highlighted the deal reached Thursday to suspend a strike by 45,000 dockworkers on East and Gulf coast ports until Jan. 15, creating time to try to hash out a new contract.

Still, challenges remain for Biden as his final months as president involve the risk of a wider war in the Middle East.

Since Hamas attacked Israel nearly a year ago, Israel has retaliated by bombarding the Gaza region in ways that have raised human rights concerns, as well as killing Hezbollah leaders and launching airstrikes in Lebanon. On Tuesday, Iran fired at least 180 missiles into Israel and there are concerns about additional retaliation that could cause the conflict to deepen.

When asked, Biden clarified his comments from a day earlier about Israel possibly striking Iranian oil facilities, which caused the price of the commodity to jump on the prospect of supplies being squeezed.

“Look, the Israelis have not concluded what they’re going to do in terms of a strike," Biden said Friday. "That’s under discussion. I think if I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields.”

The president emphasized that he and Harris are “singing from the same song sheet” on foreign and domestic policy, calling her a “major player in everything we've done.”

As Biden began to leave the room, he was asked if he would reconsider his decision to exit the race. Biden cocked his head and smiled.

“I’m back in,” he joked.

President Joe Biden shares a laugh with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre when Biden made a surprise appearance during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden speaks to the media in the White House press room, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden, accompanied by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, makes a joke as he speaks at the top of the daily press briefing, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)