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Cleveland Browns: 3 matchups to watch in Week 5

By Casey Kinnamon

Sep 17, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) runs with the ball during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) runs with the ball during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Browns. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

The Browns interior offensive line vs DeForest Buckner

One matchup to keep your eye on when the Colts come to FirstEnergy Stadium is the Browns interior offensive line vs DeForest Buckner. This is a classic strength on strength matchup. Cleveland boasts two of the best offensive guards in all of the NFL and Buckner is perhaps the best three-technique defensive tackle in the league.

Buckner is not a household name because he is not a statistic magnet. What Buckner does at an elite level does not show up on stat sheets. Buckner is a real estate magnate along the line of scrimmage. He eats double teams in the run game and collapses pockets in the passing game. It doesn’t hurt that Buckner is a mountain of a man, listed at 6-foot-7 and 300lbs.

The Colts knew what they were getting when they traded the 13th overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for Buckner. Colts’ defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus had to be ecstatic to have a defensive tackle of Buckner’s pedigree gifted to him. Buckner is a perfect fit for the Indy defense. His presence allows the Colts athletic linebackers to run free and clean up tackles.

Buckner will line up over left guard Joel Bitonio the majority of the time on Sunday. The Colts will occasionally move Buckner around to create mismatches. However, there are no easy meals on the Browns interior offensive line. Right guard Wyatt Teller is playing at an elite level, and center J.C. Tretter is a top-five center as well. No matter where Buckner lines up, he is going to find himself in a serious dawgfight.

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