Cleveland Browns: 5 matchups to watch in week 4

The Cleveland Browns head to Minneapolis on a two-game winning streak to take on a dangerous Vikings team. Here are five matchups to watch for against Minnesota.

The Cleveland Browns come into their week four matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on a two-game winning streak. In order to extend the streak, the Browns will need to keep pace with a potent Vikings offense led by Kirk Cousins. The Browns defense came to life in Week 3, but Minnesota will provide a much stiffer test than the Bears did.

These two teams mirror each other in numerous ways, from their personnel to the offensive scheme they both employ. The Browns will represent the most complete team that the Vikings have faced up to this point in the season.

Here are five matchups that will prove to be critical if the Browns are to leave the land of lakes with their third straight victory.

Cleveland BrownsMatchup No. 5: Troy Hill vs  K.J. Osborn

When it comes to the Minnesota Vikings passing game, all the attention goes to the starting wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and rightly so. However, the Vikings have another receiver that can do a ton of damage if left unchecked, K.J. Osborn. After an unheralded rookie season, Osborn had an amazing training camp and has taken that momentum into his sophomore season.

Through three games, Osborn has hauled in 14 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. Seven of Osborn’s 14 receptions have resulted in first downs. Those are pretty substantial numbers when you consider that Osborn is the third option in the passing game.

This is a prime situation for Browns free agent Troy Hill to cement himself as Cleveland’s nickel corner. The Browns brought Hill into the fold for these exact situations. With Greg Newsome out this week with a calf injury, Greedy Williams will draw the assignment opposite of Denzel Ward on the outside. That leaves Hill to do what he excelled at last season, go one on one in the slot, where Osborn will line up the majority of the time.

If Hill can take the slot away as an option for Cousins, it will make the Vikings more predictable. While it is not a primetime matchup, it is a matchup that could very well decide how effective of a day the Vikings have on offense.