The Browns battle the Falcons in Week 4, and it will have several storylines that will matter if Cleveland wants to walk away with the victory
The Cleveland Browns got a bit of a mini-bye this weekend after their big win in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. They got back to the practice field on Monday as they prepare to take on the Atlanta Falcons down in Georgia on Sunday. Cleveland got back in the win column after suffering a late-game meltdown loss the previous week against the New York Jets. Getting the victory was a good way to get that bad taste out of their mouth.
Now, they play an inspired Falcons team coming off a road win out against the Seattle Seahawks. Atlanta has been struggling so far this season but got some good output by their offense and some better defensive play to get by a mediocre Seahawks team. They have a really good running back in Cordarrelle Patterson and two highly touted pass catchers in Kyle Pitts and new rookie Drake London so the Browns’ defense will have to be on high alert.
Let’s take a look at some big storylines that will likely have to play out to decide how the game turns out in the end.
3 big storylines for Browns in Week 4
No. 3: Myles Garrett suffers injuries in a car accident
The Browns defense made some progress in their recent win against the Steelers, especially in the second half of the game where their secondary made some stops and didn’t give Pittsburgh any big plays.
Cleveland, unfortunately, received word Monday that star defensive lineman Myles Garrett was injured in a single-car accident in the area and that has led to much speculation on his availability for the game Sunday. At this point, we don’t have enough information to know anything more about his status.
Beyond that situation, the team has a chance to continue to improve on defense by having better communication and playing as one unit. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods seemed to have more calls on defense giving his secondary more time in man-to-man coverage and that seemed to make a difference too.
Despite the Falcons’ struggles to this point, they did get a win over the Seahawks this past weekend and relied on a great running attack by Patterson, who went for 141 yards. Also, Pitts and London had nice games in the receiving department, combining for 141 yards and a touchdown, thus the Browns defense has to be ready for a tough game both on the ground and in the air.
No. 2: Offense is clicking on all cylinders
Jacoby Brissett, Amari Cooper, and Nick Chubb have all helped this offense get off to a fast start this season. They’re averaging 26 points a game as an offense and the team, including the defense, has led the Browns to lead the league in scoring so far with 85 points.
Brissett is currently ranked No. 9 overall in QBR rankings.
Chubb is leading the NFL in rushing yards with 341 and Cooper has now had back-to-back games going over 100 yards in receiving.
They also got some well-needed contributions from tight end David Njoku in this past game where he had nine catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Kareem Hunt continues to do the most with his time as he pounds forward for yards and catches those screen passes. He has 151 yards on the ground so far and 54 receiving yards.
The Browns play an Atlanta team that has been pretty poor in their defensive efforts so far this season. They are ranked at No. 6 in giving up the most passing yards and they’ve given up the third most touchdown passes. With the Brissett quickly making progress and having a group of reliable receivers in Cooper, Donovon Peoples-Jones, and David Bell, the team might have a very good passing attack come Sunday.
The run game of Chubb and Hunt will keep churning this week as well. The Falcons gave up 112 yards on the ground in their win against the Seahawks. The Browns, on the other hand, have been averaging 191 rushing yards this season. Sticking to your strengths would suggest that the Browns will be running a lot on Sunday.
No. 1: Jacoby Brissett’s early success is leading to questions about him playing out the season
The conversations are starting to take place amongst Browns fans as to if Brissett should play out the season if he continues to do well and just have Deshaun Watson sit out until next year. Watson was traded to the Browns this past offseason and signed a very lucrative deal for over $230 million. However, he’s been suspended and won’t be available to play in games until Week 13.
Obviously, things can change in a blink of an eye and Brissett could be injured or not be able to play for some other reason, but with him playing well now should we even be having this conversation?
Watson’s contract is likely the biggest reason to play him in Week 13. The Browns future schedule is also brutal. They play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins, just to name a few. But if Cleveland comes out of that with an 8-3 or 7-4 record does the team roll with Brissett?
Brissett is building chemistry with his team and that’s not something that can happen overnight. Watson coming into the season so late would prohibit him from building that same type of real game experience right away.
While Watson stepping in would seem to be the most likely outcome, the more Brissett shows great play, the more this hot topic will keep coming up in chats around the water cooler.
3 areas where Browns need to improve before Week 4
The Browns entered the mini-bye after their Thursday night victory. What are the key areas the Browns need to improve before heading to Atlanta?