Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns are finishing up preparations and walkthroughs for their Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend at Huntington Bank Field.
Though there will be lots of fun and exciting positional battles throughout the game, the offensive line/defensive line bouts could be the most important for either team on Sunday.
Let’s dive into a couple of specific trench matchups for this weekend:
One of the most important matchups of the day will be between Browns LT Dawand Jones and Bengals star DE Trey Hendrickson.
Hendrickson has been a deadly pass rusher for Cincinnati over the past four years, totalling 57 sacks since the 2021 season. His ability to consistently convert speed into power makes him hard to game-plan against for opposing offensive tackles each week. He’s a better athlete than he looks, and has above-average “wiggle” for being 6’4”, 265 pounds.
If Dawand Jones can find a way to limit Hendrickson’s effectiveness on Sunday in pass protection, it’ll make a world of difference for Joe Flacco and Co. throughout the entirety of the game.
The interior of Cincinnati’s offensive line is pretty underwhelming to say the least heading into this weekend. According to the Bengals’ current projected depth chart for Week 1, their starting LG will be rookie 3rd-round pick Dylan Fairchild. Though he’s an incredibly gifted and strong athlete, he’s very raw right now. Ted Karras is decent at center for them, but RG Lucas Patrick has been below-average as a pass blocker.
Cleveland defensive tackles Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, Shelby Harris, and Adin Huntington “should” have a field day against this underwhelming interior for Cincinnati on Sunday. The Browns’ revamped interior defensive line has an endless supply of elite pass-rushing potential, and it just so happens to be the area where the Bengals struggle trying to stop.
Both of these personnel matchups figure to be a big factor in determining the winner of this weekend’s in-state battle.
What are some of your other keys to the game for Cleveland? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.
