Everyone can take a deep breath and press pause on The Johnny Manziel Era in Cleveland. The Browns announced on Wednesday that Brian Hoyer will start this Sunday when the Browns face the Indianapolis Colts. Speculation had become rampant that the Browns would make the move to Manziel after they benched Hoyer in Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills.

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Hoyer has struggled recently despite the return of star wide receiver Josh Gordon. He has thrown five interceptions in the previous two games and has not thrown a single touchdown pass. He also appears to be struggling to connect with Gordon. Although Gordon's receiving yardage totals are solid, he is not catching a high percentage of his targets, and Hoyer has thrown multiple interceptions while trying to get Gordon the ball.

According to media reports, the Browns consider Hoyer to be a strong locker room presence, which probably led to them choosing him to start Sunday's game. His experience and leadership could both be useful in the stretch run for the Browns. Cleveland sits at 7-5 and is in the thick of the playoff race.

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However, the Browns could easily lose on Sunday to a Colts team that is still trying to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. if that happens, then speculation about a quarterback change would surely heat up all over again. A loss on Sunday could make the Browns a long shot to make the playoffs, and in that scenario, it would seem to make sense for them to switch to Manziel so that he could earn some meaningful reps in the final three games of the season.