Cleveland Browns: 3 Stat predictions for Week 1 vs. Ravens

Denzel will limit the damage of Marquise Brown

While the strongest position on the Ravens’ roster may be their cornerbacks, their weakest can be found on the offensive side of the ball with their wide receivers. Outside of 2019 NFL Draft first round pick, the Ravens are starting former Brown Willie Snead Jr., Miles Boykin, Chris Moore, and two rookies in Devin Duvernay and James Proche.

Depending on Woods’ defensive scheme he has cooked up to contain Jackson, the Browns may stick Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward on Brown the whole game given the lack of experience and production from the rest of their receivers. Ward has already proven to be a threat and lockdown cornerback for the Browns, both as a rookie and after returning from an injured groin a year ago.

Ward in on track to take the next step towards being a lockdown cornerback, and that next step may include following the top receiver of the opposing team on a week-to-week basis. While Brown has bulked up this summer, there is still a curve to his game that prohibits him from beating press coverage off the line of scrimmage with consistency.

If the Browns want to have a big season, the back end of the defense will have to hold up their end of the bargain, and that starts with Ward. Look for Ward to press Brown on Sunday and to limit the damage the former Oklahoma Sooner can do to the Cleveland defense.