Things didn’t go great for Cleveland when Baltimore came to town in early October as they started Dorian Thompson-Robinson and lost 28-3. It was the first bad game the Browns defense had, and you could see Baltimore just wearing them out in the second half.
Now, fast forward to the second matchup and Baltimore looks like the best team in the NFL and the Browns seem to be finding themselves offensively. It is clear that the Ravens had a clear plan on how to attack the Browns’ run defense and they gashed them up and down the field. Jim Schwartz and his assistants have to find solutions and there’s no doubt players will want to redeem themselves after that nasty taste left in their mouths.
Deshaun Watson and the passing offense will need to take another step forward and show more improvement to win in Baltimore. Here are this week’s bold predictions as Cleveland is on the road in search of win number six.
1
Watson to Cooper chemistry builds with another 100-yard receiving game
It is clear that Watson and most of his receivers are still working on chemistry and timing but that’s not the case with Amari Cooper. Nothing can show that fact more than the duo drawing a play-up in the dirt that resulted in a massive gain on what might have been Watson’s best pass since coming to Cleveland.
Cooper has been the team’s best player on offense this season and it isn’t even close. He is just a model of consistency, and he understands how to create separation and attack the field on every level with success. Baltimore’s defense is really good and the team will need to lean on its best players to perform yet again.
2
Myles Garrett will get his fifth forced fumble of the year
It finally feels like the year that Myles Garrett could win Defensive Player of the Year if he continues the tear he’s on. Lamar Jackson can at times be reckless with the football in the pocket, as he has fumbled a total of 10 times through the team’s first nine games.
Garrett has been great this year at attacking the football more when rushing the passer to create more fumbles than he has in the past. He truly has taken it to another level this year and has at times just been unblockable. If he gets many one-on-one opportunities this week, he will cash in on them.
3
David Njoku will out-duel Mark Andrews
It has been a pretty good season for tight end David Njoku despite some of the worst quarterback play we have seen in the league this year. He has been one of the more productive yards-after-catch guys for the Browns and has really excelled in the screen game for some explosive plays.
You can see that Watson trusts Njoku and I expect more targets to come his way as the trust builds. This could be another week where Watson looks for the tight end in the red zone to create mismatch opportunities to score and another all-around productive game for Njoku.
