After notching their first win of the season, the Browns head to the Motor City to take on the Lions.
Since finishing last season with the best record in the NFC, Detroit cemented itself as a true Super Bowl contender.
This Detroit offense is led by the extremely efficient play of Jared Goff. Since joining Detroit in 2021, Goff has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. This season, he is top-three in passer rating and passing touchdowns, all while completing 77.9% of his passes. It doesn’t hurt that he has one of the best #1 options in the league in Amon Ra St. Brown. His elite route running and ability to make contested catches make up for his lack of explosiveness. Goff’s MVP-caliber play has opened up Detroit’s run game as well. The duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs has run roughshod on defenses. Combining for 413 yards and six touchdowns (three apiece), this
Just as Cleveland’s defense centers around an All-Pro pass rusher, so does Detroit’s. Aidan Hutchinson has always been a threat rushing QBs, but he’s made recent strides in the run game. He’s earned a 93.1 run-defense grade in last week’s win against Baltimore, according to Pro Football Focus. As a whole, Detroit’s run defense is decent, but against the pass, however is where their weakest. They’ve allowed 2+ passing touchdowns in every game so far this season. When targeted, starting CB Terrion Arnold has allowed a passer rating of 121.5. Arnold also leads the NFL in passing yards given up as well. If the Cleveland receivers were to find their way out of the gates, it would be in this game.
Strengths:
- High-Powered Offense Can Score In a Variety Of Ways
- Most Efficient Team At Play Action In the League
- Pass Rush Gets Home Often (2nd Best Sack % In NFL)
Weaknesses:
- Secondary Vulnerable To Big Plays
- Play Calling Tends To Be Too Aggressive At Times
- Multiple Injuries To Defense And O-Line Could Be Exploited
Key Matchup:
- Cleveland’s D-Line VS David Montgomery/ Jahmyr Gibbs
For Cleveland to pull off another upset win, two things need to happen: they need to stop Detroit’s run game and (finally) take the top off Detroit’s secondary. The former is highly probable; the latter, not so much. Even when going against a soft Detroit secondary, the numbers aren’t on the side of the Cleveland WRs. Both starting receivers, Jerry Juedy and Cedric Tillman, rank toward the bottom of the league in terms of average separation. This is an area of immediate concern for Cleveland, not only in this game but in going forward.
Slowing down the tandem of Montgomery and Gibbs will take away the Lions’ play action, severely impacting Jared Goff. It’ll be a true test for Cleveland’s dominant run defense, but given how they stifled every team they played so far, I expect more of the same. With that said, the Lions are just too good a team for the Browns to overcome.
Score Prediction:
- CLE–17
- DET- 23
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