The Cleveland Browns’ defense will look to get back on this track in Week 5 after giving up 34 points last week to the Detroit Lions. The Browns’ defense will face a Minnesota Vikings’ offense that has put up points with starting quarterback Carson Wentz; however, the opposing unit will be missing a few players across the offensive line.
On Friday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Vikings will not have rookie guard Donovan Jennings, center Brian Kelly, offensive tackle Brian O’Neill, and offensive lineman Michael Jurgens.
Without those players, the Vikings will be forced to shuffle their offensive line, which is fantastic news for the Browns’ defense. Minnesota will have to lean on Blake Brandel, who will be playing center for the first time in a game. They’ll also start an undrafted free agent at left guard, and will have a new right tackle in place of O’Neill.
Browns’ Defense Facing Injury-Ravaged Vikings’ Offensive Line in Week 5
Based on all those changes, there’s no excuse for why the Browns’ defense can’t make life hard on Wentz on Sunday. Last week, we saw the Steelers’ defense get after Wentz, sacking him six times and forcing him into two interceptions.
In Wentz’s first start in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, he didn’t have a turnover, but was sacked three times. This is the perfect time for Jim Schwartz to lean on this defensive line, but also bring extra players on a blitz if necessary.
Heading into this weekend’s game, the Browns boast one of the better run defenses in the NFL, only giving up 70.3 yards per game. Last week, the Vikings struggled to run the ball against the Steelers (70 yards). If the Browns’ defense can win at the point of attack and make the Vikings’ offense one-dimensional, that will bode well for Cleveland’s chances.
This season, the Browns’ defense is ranked eighth in sacks (11), quarterback hits (24), and tackles for loss (23). And they’re doing this without even blitzing a ton (26.1%), which shows how talented they are on the front seven. They also rank as follows when it comes to Pro Football Focus grades:
- Overall defense: 87.3 (1st)
- Run defense: 86.9 (1st)
- Tackling: 70.2 (4th)
- Pass rush: 90.5 (1st)
- Coverage: 68.7 (6th)
The Vikings will likely try to double-team Garrett, who has four sacks (team-high) and eight QB hits (NFL-high), but that could open up things in the middle for Maliek Collins, who has five QB pressures, or rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who has been brought on a blitz 18 times through the first month of the regular season.
With the Browns starting a rookie quarterback on Sunday, Cleveland’s defense will need to force Wentz and the Vikings into tough situations and hopefully get a turnover, which could give them the edge to pull off the upset.