CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – On a day in which the Browns will pay tribute to Joe Thomas, they look to make some expansion era history with a victory.
Not since 1993 have they started a season 2-0.
The Jets fly into town coming off a Week 1 loss to the Ravens that saw Baltimore dominate for much of the day.
According to the NFL, since 1990, teams that start 2-0 make the playoffs 63% of the time with 40.5% going on to win their divisions.
What to watch for – After drilling a 58-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to beat the Panthers, Cade York has already reached rock star status in Cleveland as local t-shirt companies race to put out their most creative designs in his honor. The fourth-round pick was perfect in Week 1 making all four of his field goals and two PATs to earn Special teams Player of the Week honors for the AFC.
In Week 1 Browns backs Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb dominated, combining for 188 of Cleveland’s 217 rushing yards but they’ll face a Jets run defense that allowed just 54 yards on the ground in a loss to the Ravens last week. Chubb finished with 141 yards and averaged 6.4 per carry on the ground while Hunt scored a pair of touchdowns – a 24-yard run and 1-yard reception coming out of the backfield.
Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett only threw for 147 yards last week in Charlotte but helped position them for a game-winning 58-yard field goal in the final minute. Brissett struggled early to find his receivers, including Amari Cooper who was limited to three catches for 17 yards but drew a pass interference penalty on a deep ball to set up a touchdown.
Donovan Peoples-Jones was Brissett’s top target against the Panthers. He caught six passes for 60 yards with every reception being tightly contested and likely earned plenty of targets this week.
Browns All Pro defensive end Myles Garrett recorded a pair of sacks against the Panthers last week bringing him within 1.5 sacks of tying Clay Matthews Jr.’s official club record of 62. Pro Football Reference credits Matthews with 75 career sacks upon review of his career game film, but the NFL didn’t recognize the statistic until 1982, shorting Matthews 13 sacks in the official record books.
With Zach Wilson on the mend, Joe Flacco has been called into service. The scoreboard forced Flacco to throw it 59 times last week and he tied a career-high with 37 completions while throwing for 307 yards and a score. Flacco is 17-3 in his career against the Browns and thrown 27 TDs against them but he’s not the same player and he doesn’t have the same supporting cast he had in Baltimore.
Five Jets receivers caught at least five passes last week, but Flacco prioritized his running backs as they played from behind all day. Running back Michael Carter had seven and totaled 100 scrimmage yards for the fourth time in his career. Fellow back Breece Hall had six receptions out of the backfield.
The Browns had two key breakdowns against the Panthers that cost them 14 points, but Pro Bowler Denzel Ward broke up a pass as did safety Grant Delpit, who also had an interception. Safety John Johnson III led the team with seven tackles and had half a sack.
Browns rookie defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey is in the doghouse and was not allowed to practice Friday. The team elevated Rodrick Perry from the practice squad to potentially take his spot in the rotation. Winfrey played five snaps last week while starters Taven Bryan and Jordan Elliott played 44 and 41 snaps last week respectively.
Last week – Jets lost to the Ravens 24-9; Browns beat the Panthers 26-24
Last Time – December 27, 2020: Jets 23, Browns 16
Series – Browns lead all-time series 14-13
Rankings – Points scored: Jets 29 (9.0), Browns T-7 (26.0)
Yards: Jets 14 (378.0), Browns 16 (355.0)
Rushing: Jets 21 (83.0), Browns 2 (217.0)
Passing: Jets 6 (295), Browns 31 (138.0)
Points allowed: Jets T-22 (24.0), Browns T-22 (24.0)
Yards allowed: Jets 8 (274.0), Browns 5 (261.0)
Rushing yards allowed: Jets 2 (54.0), Browns 3 (63.0)
Passing yards allowed: Jets 14 (211.0), Browns 13 (207.0)
Turnover ratio: Jets T-18 (-1), Browns T-6 (+1)
Projected starters for Browns – Offense: WR Amari Cooper, LT Jedrick Wills Jr., LG Joel Bitonio, C Ethan Pocic, RG Wyatt Teller, RT Jack Conklin (gametime decision), TE David Njoku, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Nick Chubb, TE Harrison Bryant
Defense: DE Myles Garrett, DT Jordan Elliott, DT Taven Bryan, DE Jadeveon Clowney, MIKE Anthony Walker Jr., WILL Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, CB Denzel Ward, CB Greg Newsome II, SS Grant Delpit, FS John Johnson III, S Ronnie Harrison
Injury report – OUT: OT Chris Hubbard (elbow/illness); QUESTIONABLE: RT Jack Conklin (knee/rest); EXPECTED TO PLAY: TE David Njoku (Non injury related-personal), WR Amari Cooper (rest), WR Michael Woods II (illness), DE Isaiah Thomas (hand)
Uniforms – Brown jerseys, white pants
Broadcast – Radio: 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX and the University Hospitals Cleveland Browns radio network. TV: WOIO TV-19 (CBS)
Kickoff – 1:03 p.m. FirstEnergy Stadium – Cleveland, Ohio
Prediction – Browns 27, Jets 16
Our record – 1-0
