CLEVELAND — It's been a rollercoaster week and a half for the Cleveland Browns coming off of their Thursday night victory last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
From the lowest of low feelings losing in one of the most improbable fashions against the Jets, to getting back on track with a decisive victory against the Steelers on national television, to the frightening car crash this week Myles Garrett was involved with that will keep him out of today's game in Atlanta.
Here are week 4's "Keys to Victory" for the Cleveland Browns in their matchup against the 1-2 Atlanta Falcons:
1. Dominate the time of possession
Myles Garrett will miss today's game and as of the time this story is published, Jadaveon Clowney is questionable to suit up against the Falcons. Filling the void left by Garrett is a nearly impossible task that will be made even worse if Clowney can't go. Starting DT Taven Bryan is also out leaving a possible three defensive linemen down for the Browns defense today.
The Browns running and intermediate passing game this season has been one of the NFL's best. Nick Chubb leads the NFL in rushing yards with 341 through three games with Kareem Hunt adding another 151. Not many would have predicted this going into the season but Jacoby Brissett is in the top 10 of NFL quarterbacks in terms of completion percentage completing 66.3% of his passes.
The lack of a pass rush will make any offense look more competent than they have any right looking. Limiting the number of overall possessions for Marcus Mariota and the Falcons will be one of the most important keys.
2. Will the real Denzel Ward please stand up?
One of the biggest, and unfortunate, surprises so far for the Cleveland Browns is the shaky play from All-Pro CB Denzel Ward. In week 2 vs the Jets, he was credited with 5 receptions allowed for 112 yards and 2 TDs given up.
It didn't get much better in week 3 for Ward. Ward graded out as the lowest-graded player for the Browns in week 3 by Pro Football Focus. And through three weeks, when targeted, he has allowed a passer rating of 132.3. No other cornerback in the ENTIRE NFL has allowed a higher passer rating when targeted.
Ward will draw a tough matchup today against rookie Drake London. London has been a bit of a sensation on a Falcons team not expected to make a lot of noise in 2022. He's racked up 16 receptions for 214 yards (13.4 yards per reception) and has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games.
The Browns desperately need Ward to return closer to his usual form with Myles Garrett missing today game and Jadaveon Clowney likely to be limited even if he does take the field.
3. Next man up
I'm going to list the likely candidates who will have an opportunity to get a significant amount of playing time today in Garrett's absence. You're going to have to promise me that you'll take a deep breath before reading the list. We'll get through this one together:
- Alex Wright
- Isaiah Thomas
- Curtis Weaver
- Isaac Rochelle
A whopping zero career starts from the first three on the list and a total of 9 total starts over six years for Isaac Rochelle.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime for one, if not multiple in the group of guys listed above. None of them are the freak of nature Garrett is, but the Browns don't need to replace Garrett's impact 1 for 1. Within the group of four, some semblance of a pass rush needs to be generated to let the talent in the defensive backfield to be effective.
The pressure on the Cleveland Browns to stack wins to stay in the race in the AFC North as the year goes on makes games like today against a team clearly less talented than them even more important. They may be dealing with a less than 100% Myles Garrett for at least the next month.
The loss of Garrett can't be understated, but the Browns should have enough to take care of business against the Falcons in Atlanta this afternoon.
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