Cleveland Browns vs Dallas Cowboys Week 1: The Battle of the pass rushers

After a long offseason, the Cleveland Browns are finally taking the field Sunday as they kick off the regular season vs the Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 pm at Huntington Bank Field.

This is a great matchup as Dallas finished first in their division and achieved a playoff berth last year. Although Cleveland is favored in this game, the Cowboys can't be overlooked. They have a top Quarterback/Wide receiver duo with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, but what is really concerning is their talented defense. Especially their defensive front featuring elite edge rusher Micah Parsons.

The Browns have an equally talented if not better edge rusher, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. To put it simply, whoever rushes the passer and protects the quarterback better will win this matchup

Like Cleveland, Dallas' entire defense revolves around their elite pass rusher. Parsons led the entire NFL with 103 quarterback pressures, was second in the league in pass rush win rate, and ranked fourth in QB hits. His impact for the Cowboys is monstrous considering they were 8-2 in games last year when Parsons recorded one or more sacks.

Now while the Cowboys weren't top 10 in sacks last year, you did see the effect the pass rush had in the stat sheet. Overall, the Cowboy's defense was fifth in pass yards allowed, fourth in percentage of drives ending in a turnover, and fourth in first downs allowed.

The good news is Cleveland will have two of their starting offensive tackles available on Sunday, Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin. Although left tackle Jed Wills admitted in a recent interview that he won't be ready to go this week, Conklin has stepped up and said he is ready to play left tackle. Yes, Conklin only has played on the right side for most of his NFL career, but he primarily played left tackle in college.

If you compare the recent stats between Wills and Conklin one can even make the argument Conklin at left tackle is an upgrade. In the 17 games Conklin played in 2022 he gave up fewer pressures and sacks (13 pressures, 2 sacks) than Wills did in the 8 games he played in 2023 (29 pressures, 3 sacks).

On the other side of the ball, Garrett has an opportunity to take over the game for the Browns. The Cowboys starting offensive tackles are first-round draft pick out of Oklahoma rookie Tyler Guyton and fifth-year veteran Terence Steele. Not to say Guyton isn't ready for Week 1but Garrett is miles above any talent he faced in college.

Steele on the other hand struggled last year starting at right tackle for Dallas. Among all NFL offensive tackles in 2023, he was third in most pressures allowed (54) and was tied for eighth most sacks allowed (8). Just like Parsons, the Browns are statistically when Garrett gets to the quarterback, last year the Browns were 7-2 in games when he recorded one sack or more.

It's safe to assume both teams are preparing a game plan around pass rushing and protecting their quarterbacks. This isn't something both teams haven't seen before. Cleveland has to face the very productive pass rushers in Baltimore and Pittsburgh twice a year, and Dallas has seen dangerous fronts playing Philadelphia.

This game will come down to who wins the battle of rushing the passer. Cleveland does have the edge playing at home, as home-field advantage always favors a team's defense. With the matchup scheduled at 4:25, this is a primetime game with the entire NFL fanbase watching.

The Browns have a chance to make a statement and start the season off on a great note.

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