The Cleveland Browns travel across the country to take on the Seattle Seahawks in a matchup of 4-2 teams in Week 8. While both teams enter the contest in a good spot, neither can afford to lose ground as they are both looking up at their respective division leaders.
Cleveland will once again be without their franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson. Making his second start in the last three games will be P.J. Walker. With a full week of reps in practice and a game plan formulated for him, Walker will be tasked with leading the Browns offense against a Seattle defense that is allowing only 19.7 points per game.
However, the Browns defense is 19.2 points per game, despite allowing 38 points to the Colts in week seven. Jim Schwartz defense will need to stay stingy as they take on a Seahawks offense comes into week eight averaging 24 points per game. On paper this is as tightly a contested matchup as any you will find on this week’s NFL slate.
Here are three matchups the Browns must win to advance to 5-2
Matchup No. 3: Juan Thornhill vs Geno Smith
One of the biggest differences that Jim Schwartz has brought to the Browns defense is the uptick in man-to-man coverage. There are multiple reasons for that, chief among those reasons is that man coverage suits the skill sets of their cornerbacks. However, a much less talked about reason for Cleveland's success in man coverage is Juan Thornhill’s ability to take away the middle of the field.
Seattle has a good stable of wide receivers, and they will test the Browns ability to stay sticky in man coverage. And due to the level of wide receivers that he has to throw to, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will take chances that most quarterbacks cannot afford to.
However, the Browns possess a lethal pass rush that should speed up Smith’s urgency to get the football out of his hands. That combination should give Thornhill the opportunity to utilize his range and make some plays on the ball this week. Cleveland has to find a way to win the turnover battle, and Thornhill is a prime candidate this week to snag a pick from Smith.
Matchup No. 2: Amari Cooper vs Riq Woolen
Last week, Amari Cooper had his first ‘off week’ of the season, where the wide receiver didn't appear to be involved in the Browns gameplan early in the game and when he did get opportunities late, Cooper wasn't able to capitalize. It is hard to envision a scenario where Cooper is not the focal point of the team's passing attack two weeks in a row, especially considering how much Walker leaned on Cooper in his first start against San Francisco.
But Cooper and Walker will be looking to connect while facing one of the more impressive cornerback duos this season in Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. While both Seattle cornerbacks are young, Woolen is in year two and Witherspoon is a rookie, the duo provides plenty of problems to opposing wide receivers.
The thing that jumps off the tape is the physicality of the Seahawks young corners. Woolen is 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds and plays like it, while Witherspoon is slightly undersized but hits like a strong safety. Cooper will most likely see Woolen the majority of the time based on their previous alignment tendencies.
However, regardless of how well Seattle is playing at the corner position, the Browns cannot afford to shy away from throwing the ball in Cooper’s direction. There must be a concerted effort by Kevin Stefanski and P.J. Walker to get Cooper involved early and often to get the passing game into full gear.
Matchup No. 1: Myles Garrett vs Charles Cross
Myles Garrett is coming off perhaps his best game as a pro from a production standpoint. While that is a crazy statement, considering everything that Garrett has accomplished during his time in the league, when you strip sack the quarterback twice and then jump over the line of scrimmage to block a field goal, it sets the bar pretty high.
complete domination every time @flash_garrett steps out on the field 😤 pic.twitter.com/tomxJ9W0ij
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 25, 2023
The Browns must take advantage of their relentless pass rush and put pressure on Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. And while they have multiple players that can put pressure on quarterbacks, Garrett is the Alpha and Omega of the Browns pass rush. This week, Garrett will square off with Seattle left tackle Charles Cross.
Cross isn't a world-beater by any means, but he's an upgrade over the left tackle that Garrett dominated in week seven in Bernhard Raimann. As usual, Garrett will also have to deal with a myriad of tight ends doubling him and chip blocks from running backs. But when you have a bullseye on your back in the way that Garrett does, it is just another day at the office.
The Browns need Garrett to go into the phonebooth and put his cape on once again this week. On second thought, you can take the phonebooth part away but leave the cape.