Cleveland Browns to miss key pass rusher on Sunday

The Cleveland Browns continue to be snake-bitten with injuries and will now be without Takkarist McKinley on Sunday when they take on New England

Early Saturday morning, the Cleveland Browns released their final injury report for Sundays game against the Patriots. To nobody’s surprise, running backs Nick Chubb and Demetric Felton are set to miss Sundays game due to COVID-19. The surprise inactive on the list? Pass rusher Takk McKinley.

McKinley has been a very pleasant and productive surprise for the Browns so far this season, after many question marks surrounded him when the Browns signed him. While the sack number (1.5) doesn’t pop out at anyone, McKinley has been in the backfield a lot more than the stats show for, while also being a solid piece for the Browns run defense in the middle.

McKinley missed the Browns Week 8 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers and went into last weekend’s blowout win in Cincinnati listed as questionable with a groin injury, as he ended up only playing limited snaps.

While the final release on McKinley did not give an explanation to his absence, you’d imagine he re-aggravated the injury last week or in practice this week, leading him to miss the game.

As it always seems to be for the Browns, it will be next man up once again come Sunday. Running back D’Ernest Johnson stepped up big time in the absence of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, will he be able to do it again? Who will step up and produce for the missing pash rusher in McKinley?

Answers to these questions are coming soon, in a game that they must come out on top.