Cleveland Browns: Most intriguing player match-ups the last 11 games

The Cleveland Browns have seen their fair share of talented players on the opposite sideline this year. However, the player match-ups yet to come are even better.

Five weeks into the Cleveland Browns 2018 season and we are starting to see teams take shape and players begin to find their roles within their respective teams. Here are my picks for match-ups to keep an eye on for the rest of this young 2018 NFL season.

1. Cleveland Browns’ Defensive Line vs Los Angeles Chargers Offensive Line

The Chargers are making a case for a top 10 offensive line so far this season. They are averaging a little over five and a half yards per carry and have only allowed five sacks so far on the year.

While Myles Garrett and company didn’t have the best day against the Ravens in week five, they have been a force all year, who will be looking to make up for last week and make life hard for Philip Rivers.

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2. Cleveland Browns’ Pass Defense vs Pittsburgh Steelers Pass Offense

You can always count on a passionate game between these long rivals, and add to that the bad taste of a week one tie, and we should have a great contest in week eight. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ offensive seem to be picking things up and will be in mid-season form and likely look different than we saw in week one.

However, the Browns’ secondary has been full of big-time playmakers headlined by rookie cornerback Denzel Ward who has three interceptions in the first five weeks. If Cleveland’s linebackers and safeties can keep everything in front of them and not let Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster burn them, we can expect another great game.

3. Cleveland Brown’s Defense vs Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes has been putting on a clinic this year, throwing for 1,513 yards and 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions. This is pretty simple, the Browns need to slow him down to beat this high powered Chief’s offense. Should be fun to watch.

4. Baker Mayfield vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pass Defense

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the worst ranking pass defense in the league averaging 358 passing yards allowed per game. Baker Mayfield just put up 342 yards on the league’s fifth-best pass defense in the Baltimore Ravens. I look for Mayfield and Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley to draw up a lot of passing plays to attack this Buccaneers defense.

5. Cleveland Browns’ Running Backs vs Cincinnati Bengals Rushing Defense

Cincinnati has a top 10 rushing defense this year and has surprised a lot of people with a 4-1 record to start the 2018 campaign. The Brown’s have depth at running back with the workhorse Carlos Hyde, the explosive rookie Nick Chubb and the multi-tool of the offense, Duke Johnson Jr.

This match-up interests me because not only is it a divisional opponent and in-state opponent, but the Bengals are off to a great start and Cleveland will see them twice within the span of five weeks late in the season.

Next. Studs and duds from Week 5 win. dark

I look for the division to be up for grabs and teams fighting for Wild Card spots. This makes the running game so important to take pressure off of rookie signal caller Baker Mayfield.

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