Cleveland Browns vs. Washington Commanders NFL Week 5 Preview and Prediction

Cleveland faces a hot team as they look to break out of their slump.

This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns take on the Washington Commanders, one of the hottest teams in football. Below, we analyze a few advantages, disadvantages, or general thoughts about the two teams before getting to our predictions for the game.

Game Analysis

Kudos to the Opposition

• I usually begin this previews by making my pitch for why the Browns have a chance to be better this week, or what they need to work on. This week, though, I have to start by heaping praise toward our opposition.

• I’d go as far as to say that the Washington Commanders are the most intriguing offense in football for me. As our Commanders affiliate pointed out, they have the 3rd-highest run rate in the NFL. They started things simple with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but he has picked things up very well. In his last three games, he has completed 70-of-82 passes (85%) for 713 yards and 3 touchdowns. That level of efficiency is off-the-charts.

• On the ground, Daniels also has 46 rushes for 218 yards and 4 touchdowns. Their offensive line is run blocking well. Daniels has been sacked 9 times, but he had a clean sheet last week.

• One factor we always try to consider, though, is what type of defenses has the opposition faced so far? They’ve played the Buccaneers (18th), Giants (12th), Bengals (15th), and Cardinals (28th). Cleveland would be the best defense they’ve faced, but it’s not like they’ve been facing complete trash. The thing that worries me is this: teams are getting smarter about knowing how to beat the Browns’ aggressive defense by running plays to the edge and the boundary. That doesn’t mean the defense is getting smoked every drive, but with the offense struggling, that means the other team is getting a few key drives that allow the team to grab the lead.

Browns’ Positives

• I am still baffled by how under Deshaun Watson’s watch, the Browns just cannot score that many points. It is insane how many times we see the offense score once early, and then I blink, and it feels like the fourth quarter is here and I don’t even remember any memorable plays, drives, or scores (that’s because they aren’t happening).
• It was good to see Watson put together his best game of the season last week. It was the first one in which, after the game, there was no way I could say, “We lost that game because of Watson.” I’m not chalking up victories, though, because it was against the 31st-ranked defense in the NFL, and a team that was missing their best pass rusher in Maxx Crosby. This week, Washington ranks 27th defensively and 23rd in sacks. At some point, even if it’s just dumb luck, you have to score more offensively, so hopefully we see that this week to give the team...