A Real Barn Burner
Week one was not flashy, Jacoby Brissett looked slow and out of sorts, but the Browns were able to grind out a win with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb! It does not have to be pretty, but a win is a win! The Jets are coming off a 24-9 loss against the Baltimore Ravens where Joe Flacco took over for Jets injured star quarterback Zach Wilson. After last week neither team looked dominant so this could be a real snooze of a game unless the Browns defense wakes up the old sleeping giant of Joe Flacco. Joe Flacco is known to be a Browns killer!
Vintage Joe Flacco
Flacco as a Raven owns the Browns with a 17-3 record vs. Cleveland as a starter. According to Statmuse, Flacco last started against the Browns 10/7/2018 and the Ravens lost 9-12. This could have left a bad taste in his mouth which could inspire him to play lights out against the Browns this Sunday. Last week, Flacco threw a ridiculous 59 passes in the loss, completing 37 for 307 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Flacco was under pressure and the left side of the O-line gave up 12 pressures on the day. He was sacked three times and hit 11 times. His receivers wilted under the week one pressure with dropped balls and poorly run routes. Vintage Joe Flacco seems like a long shot.
The Dynamic Duo
The Browns running game looked explosive with 217 yards last week but is it sustainable for the season? Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb always ball out but with the sputtering passing game this could get complicated. Jacoby Brissett completed 18 of 34 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in last Sunday’s win. Clearly, he is going to have to manage the game with absolutely no mistakes with this anemic type of play. The Jets secondary, with shut-down corner Sauce Gardner will make it tough for Amari Cooper to establish much of anything in the passing game. The Browns are going to have to rely on the run game and defense to carry the team until Deshaun Watson comes back in week 11. I think after that week one passing performance, the Browns should look to Josh Dobbs to spark the passing game.
Browns Win with Defense
The Browns Defense played well holding the Panthers to 261 total yards but did give up two big plays to help the Panthers come back in the fourth quarter. Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney should have a field day with slow Joe Flacco and this swiss cheese line. The Browns defense will have to step up to compensate for the lack of passing game. The Browns are six and a half point favorites and will have home field advantage. Browns will beat the Jets, but I do believe the game will be close and the defense will make a big play for the win.