Cleveland Browns vs Broncos: 3 Matchups to watch in Week 9
By Randy Gurzi
1. Odell Beckham, Jr. vs. Chris Harris, Jr.
Make no mistake about it, opposing teams know Odell Beckham, Jr. is capable of taking over a game. He hasn’t exactly lit the league on fire since joining Cleveland this offseason but that doesn’t mean his breakout game isn’t coming.
Denver cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. knows this and he doesn’t want anyone else covering OBJ. He has supreme confidence and wants to go against the guy he feels is the best on the team and wondered why he was even asked about his preference on Sunday when speaking with reporters ahead of the game.
"“I want Beckham. What do you mean?” Harris said in his press conference when asked who he wanted to face according to Jeff Risdon of Browns Wire, USA Today. “He’s the best receiver on their team.”"
Beckham went on to talk about Jarvis Landry and what he can bring but again reiterated that he wants to slow down No. 13, the Browns “big-play guy.”
"“Landry, he has a lot of catches and he’s been great in this league. No disrespect to him. I’ve had great battles with him too, but in their offense [Beckham] is their big-play guy.” — Harris via Risdon"
Harris is right that Landry has made a lot of catches and he continues to do so. He’s as reliable as they come but he’s not the one who can take a simple slant pass 89-yards to the house the way Beckham did in Week 2 against the Jets.
In that game, OBJ finished with 161 yards and scored his only touchdown of the season. Overall, he has 488 yards on 34 receptions but he’s nowhere near satisfied.
Beckham knows he’s capable of more and he says he expects more from himself going forward. Should he be able to turn it up a notch in Week 9, it could really tilt things into Cleveland’s favor. The better he plays, the more eyes are focused on him and the more space others — such as Landry — have to work with.
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Harris will be on him throughout the game as he tries to keep this from being the game Beckham gets back on track. This will be the most important, and possibly most entertaining matchup of the game.