The Browns are hoping to move to 8-3 for the first time in decades but to do that they need to do these three things against the Jaguars.
The Cleveland Browns are edging more and more near a playoff birth for the first time in nearly 20 years. Not since 2002 have the Browns been able to call themselves a legitimate playoff team. That’s what the Browns are looking to achieve in 2020 but to do that they need to get past the Jacksonville Jaguars and move to 8-3 on the season.
The Jaguars are not a great team but they aren’t a pushover either. Their 1-9 record is a misdirect, as they could easily be a .500 team had a few plays in a few games gone a little different. The big saving grace for the Jaguars this week though is the mounting bodies on defense that may be out. Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, potentially Ronnie Harrison, and possibly Porter Gustin are out due to injuries and COVID-19.
The good part for the Browns? The Jaguars are one of the worst pass-blocking teams in the league and one of the worst pressure generating defenses in the league as well. They’re near the top in sacks allowed and in the bottom in sacks generated. If there was one team that you wanted to face this banged up, it’s the Jaguars.
So here are the three ways to go about getting the win.
Establish the run
The Browns have had a rough go of it lately with regards to scoring points. The Browns went 4-1 to start the season and each of those four wins saw the team run up 30 points per game. Since that streak ended though, the Browns have broken 20 points just twice, and only once hit 30. It’s They’ve also scored under 20 points three times, amassing a record of 1-2 in that five-game stretch where they fail to break 20 points. More so, even their latest game against the Eagles saw them only amass only 16 points on defense.
Now yes, the weather has been terrible, so relying on Baker Mayfield to blow open the game as he had earlier in the year wasn’t realistic. Though, with the return of Wyatt Teller and Nick Chubb, you’d think the Browns would be better moving the chains. Chubb hasn’t looked the same since returning from injury and if it wasn’t for two big runs of 50+ yards, would have had horrible games against the Eagles and Texans. The Browns may need to get creative, or at the very least will want to try and force it up the middle between Teller and J.C. Tretter, which was a big area of success for the Browns before the injuries.
Get pressure
The Jaguars might have the worst offense the Browns will face all year but that’s because they’ll be starting Mike Glennon at quarterback and not Gardner Minshew. Minshew is still beaten up and the Jaguars are weighing his health against the rest of the quarterbacks. That’s going to be a good thing for the Browns who are going into the game with four of their best defensive players unable to play, and two of their better defensive linemen.
With Myles Garrett and Porter Gustin out of the game, and Olivier Vernon and Adrian Clayborn being extremely inconsistent throughout the year, the onus of getting pressure on the quarterback will be obvious. They’ll blitz some, but the pressure will have to come up the middle from Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson. The thing that’s going to help the line is that the Jaguars offensive line is awful. They’ll get depth but will they be able to get to Glennon or will they be just chasing ghosts all day?
Glennon isn’t a great quarterback and despite having opportunities upon opportunities, has really never stepped up and delivered. The Browns have seen their luck break in their favor all year and it looks like it’ll do that once again. This is the perfect team for the Browns to come in down talent because the Jaguars are just abysmal at generating or defending against pressure.
Air it out
It’s going to be wet on Sunday but the Browns are fortunately in a position where they can possibly deal with that. The wind won’t be much of a factor, as it has been in Cleveland and there won’t be any snow to slip on. While damp, it should be a far more ideal situation than what Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense has dealt with over the last few weeks.
Frankly, the way Mayfield played in three of the worst weather-affected games in years is actually causing some optimism. Mayfield didn’t have ideal conditions (or ideal targets) but still was able to help move the ball, and get the team in position to make plays. So while it’s expected to be a bit wet in Jacksonville on Sunday, Mayfield should have the ability to air out some passes to his receivers.
Khadarel Hodge and Rashard Higgins aren’t the ideal targets that Browns fans want to be throwing to, but if Hodge can run his routes correctly and Higgins can avoid some drops, they might each be able to have big-play opportunities.
Why? That’s because unless the Browns offensive line completely falls apart, Mayfield could have four, five, six, or even nine seconds in the pocket to throw. When you have that much time to make passes, the offense will always win.