The Cleveland Browns are hoping to move to 8-3 after this week’s game in Jacksonville, where they take on the 1-9 Jaguars.
The Cleveland Browns are attempting to secure their first non-losing record since 2007 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team so bad that no one is giving them a chance against a game-Browns team. The only problem is the Browns are coming into this game without Denzel Ward, on top of already being without Myles Garrett. That’s a problem as the Jaguars are no slouches offensively.
Of their eight straight losses, four of them have been by eight or fewer points. This is a team that could conceivably be 5-5 at this point in their season if a few things break the other way. That’s not to say the Browns still wouldn’t be the favorites, it’s just saying that this is a Jaguars team that is plenty capable of beating the Browns.
so let’s take a look at the three players who could lead the way to an upset win.
James Robinson
James Robinson is crazy good. In fact, the Jacksonville Jaguars offensively, with a healthy Gardener Minshew, is wickedly underappreciated. Granted, Minshew’s been out the last three games and the passing attack has hurt this team but if he’s healthy this entire team is going to be hard to stop. Look no further than Robinson, the Jaguars new running back and a player who already has over 1,000 total yards on the season (762 rushing, 249 receiving) and seven total touchdowns.
While his 4.4. yards per carry may seem pedestrian by Browns’ standards, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t having a great year. Behind a “meh” offensive line, and with very limited talent around him, Robinson continues to be a force to be reckoned with, having passed the 100-yard mark three times this year alone, and a fourth that nearly broke it, falling short at 99 yards.
He’s not going to be Marshall Faulk out there, carrying his team to an MVP win or anything, but against a Browns defense that has needed the weather to help slow offenses down, Robinson could be a force.
DJ Chark
DJ Chark is a Pro Bowl wide receiver. Yup, the young man that barely broke 1,000 career yards at LSU, and whose name sounds like a children’s DJ who only plays Baby Shark, is a Pro Bowl receiver. Let that sink in. If Gardner Minshew is back in the lineup, then Chark is going to be someone to worry about. He’s as tall as most tight ends (6’4”), and apparently runs a 4.34, 40-yard dash.
Oh, and Denzel Ward is expected to miss a few weeks due to a calve issue. Talk about the wrong time to have one of your two best defensive players get hurt. At this point, Chark will be matched up against Terrence Mitchell and will be able to wreck him all game. Mitchell’s been picked on all year, and that doesn’t look to change against the Jaguars. Especially if Chark is the one lined up against him.
Through this year, Chark has 41 catches, for 534 yards, four touchdowns, and 28 first-down catches. His 13-yards per reception is already going to be a problem with a healthy Ward, but now things are just going to get ugly. The only hope is that the Jaguars line falls apart under constant pressure from the Browns front four, otherwise Chark could really do some damage.
Thankfully the Jaguars are 6th in the league in most sacks allowed, so expect the Browns to gorge on the Jaguars, just like they did on the Eagles.
Joe Schobert
This one hurts to write about because he should be the anchor in our defense. Instead, he’s putting in Pro Bowl work for a team that’s going nowhere very, very slowly. Joe Schobert is the only defensive player on the Jaguars to start and play all ten games, and in doing so has led the team in tackles since the jump. He has 85 tackles on the year, which is good enough for 8th in the NFL through Week 11.
The problem with the Jaguars’ defense is that they’re basically all rookies and replacements for Pro Bowl talent. So even though Schobert is going to rack up the tackles, the problem lies with the fact the Jaguars are the worst team in the NFL in generating pressure. They have just nine sacks all year, but they’re in the top-10 in QB hits after the pass. This is a team that does get depth but not fast enough.
Meaning that Schobert will often times be left out on an island in the middle of the field as the Jaguars attempt different packages to try and get to the quarterback. That could prove to be a problem for the Browns because if Schobert is roaming the middle of the field, that will make any attempt to go across the middle of the field all that much more difficult. He’s still a great coverage guy, and if you were hoping that a few drag routes or some type of crossing stunt across the middle of the field will work, rethink that idea. Stick to the rollouts and force Schobert to chase down receivers and tight ends. That’s the best way to avoid him altogether.