3 Matchups that will make or break the Cleveland Browns in Week 4

It is only Week 4 and the Cleveland Browns are already finishing up their first leg of the blood and guts division for 2023. The Baltimore Ravens come to Cleveland licking their wounds from a home loss to the Colts in Week 3. With first place in the division on the line, the Browns are also looking to put a bow on the first quarter of the season before they head into their bye week.

It’s a battle of 2-1 teams looking to establish their identities in the AFC North. The Ravens are in the middle of revamping their passing attack under their new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. The Browns are transitioning their offensive approach as well in the wake of the Nick Chubb season ending injury.

If the same version of the Browns defense that has shown up the first three weeks of the season shows up on Sunday, this game could get ugly. If not, it could be a long bye week. Here are three matchups that need to go in the Browns favor to finish the first quarter of the season 3-1.

3 Pivotal matchups the Browns need to win against the Ravens

Matchup No. 3: Za’Darius Smith vs. Morgan Moses

In the wake of Myles Garrett reminding the football watching world that he is in fact ‘Him’, it could be Cleveland’s other elite edge defender that takes over the game on Sunday. With Garrett getting the vast majority of Baltimore’s attention, and deservedly so, Za’Darius Smith will be the beneficiary of the respect paid to his All-Pro teammate.

Ravens right tackle, Morgan Moses, will draw the assignment of blocking Smith while all their tight ends, and fullback Patrick Ricard, do their level best to get in Garrett’s way. While Smith has yet to notch any sacks on the young season, he's tied with Garrett winning 27 percent of his pass rush reps.

There's also the added fuel for Smith going up against the team that drafted him back in 2015. If Moses is truly left on an island with him this Sunday, Smith will get home on Jackson more than once.

Matchup No. 2: Dawand Jones vs. Jadeveon Clowney

This is the matchup that you didn't even know that you needed to see. Browns rookie Dawand Jones squaring off with former No. 1 overall pick and ex-Myles Garrett running mate, Jadeveon Clowney.

The first thing that jumps off the tape when watching Clowney this season is…. buddy looks weird wearing No. 24. Clowney also appears to be slimmer than he was during his two-year stint in Cleveland. But the third thing, and honestly the most important, is Clowney is playing great right now.

Clowney is playing with bad intentions so far this season, displaying violent hands and a relentless motor. Perhaps he heard the word that he mailed it in last season. But regardless of the reason for his resurgence, Clowney is once again playing like a top-10 edge rusher.

Enter Dawand Jones. While Clowney is more than a formidable edge rusher, he is without question a step below what Jones dealt with in his first NFL start when he drew the assignment of T.J. Watt. So, while Jones may not be overwhelmed with the thought of going up against Clowney, he will need to be prepared for the physicality that Clowney plays with.

Clowney isn't a bend around the corner and beat you with speed edge defender, he's a fire into you and then use his speed to knife towards the ball edge defender.

Jones will need to anchor against Clowney, something he has never had a problem with to this point in his career. If 60 minutes go by and Jones can keep Clowney off Deshaun Watson and from racking up any stop tackles in the run game, the weekly Brian Baldinger Dawand Jones clip should be a banger.

Matchup No. 1: Jim Schwartz vs. Lamar Jackson

Jim Schwartz was hired by the Browns not just because of his prowess as a defensive coordinator, but because he's a leader of men. The Browns had plenty of existing defensive talent already on their roster, but they needed someone who could get the most out of that talent and unlock their full potential. Check.

Three games into the Jim Schwartz experience and the returns have been phenomenal. The Browns are leading the league in almost every major defensive category and are setting historical landmarks along the way. This week Schwartz and his defense have a new challenge, disarm former MVP and constant pain in the Browns side, Lamar Jackson.

Jackson’s skillset provides a unique set of problems for opposing defenses. The Baltimore quarterback is the college equivalent of preparing to play Navy for a team in the Big 12. His style of play changes the rules of engagement and can cause a paralysis by analysis situation.

However, Schwartz, who has only faced Jackson once before as a defensive coordinator, remained steadfast in his approach to facing Jackson in his press conference this week. When asked how he was planning on dealing with Jackson, Schwartz replied, “We’re gonna try to take the fight to him”.

While it sounds like a bold strategy, it is just Schwartz being true to himself. This defense has done everything aggressively since Schwartz arrived in Cleveland. Schwartz calls his defense with an offensive minded approach, and he is not going to change that just because the other team has a quarterback with an unconventional play style.

Schwartz having an aggressive approach and mindset in this matchup should come as a surprise to no one. That is the Jim Schwartz way. All in, all the time.