Pride of Detroit
Coming off a solid upset in Week 3, the Detroit Lions head back home on Sunday to play the Cleveland Browns. Detroit enters the game 2-1, with their recent win coming against the Baltimore Ravens on “Monday Night Football.” The Lions made a statement in front of the country that they aren’t the team you thought they were after Week 1. This team is a legit Super Bowl contender, and with more players returning to this roster, it’s going to get tougher for opponents to overcome this roster.
The Browns are coming off their own upset, defeating the Green Bay Packers 13-10 due to the defense and special teams coming in clutch in the end. Cleveland has an impressive defense that has had two good outings, and if they make just a few more stops, they could be 2-1 as well. For Detroit, they must respect Cleveland and not get in their own head about having a better record and being a better team overall. While their record is 1-2, Cleveland could surprise some people like it did against the Packers.
Let’s discuss the Browns and see what has changed for better or for worse, and what the Lions are getting into their Week 4 matchup.
Hopes were high in Cleveland after the 2023 season, when the Browns went 11-6 and made the playoffs. Their starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson, would return from his season-ending shoulder injury and struggle to do anything with the football. He threw for just over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions in the first seven games of the year, before he tore his Achilles, ending his season. With Watson out, Cleveland tried a few different quarterbacks out, from Jameis Winston to Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe; all combining for a 2-8 record compared to Watson’s 1-6 record.
While the quarterback position was a mess, there were a few bright spots on the offense. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy had a career year, getting 90 catches for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end David Njoku emerged as a top option as well through the air with 64 catches for 505 yards and was the team leader in receiving touchdowns (5). The running game saw back Jerome Ford do fair in his six starts, getting 565 yards and three touchdowns before Nick Chubb returned to the team and had 332 yards with three touchdowns before his season ended early once again, this time with a broken foot.
The defense was once again relying on edge defender Myles Garrett to do all the heavy lifting, as he led the team in sacks with 14. They had defensive end Za’Darius Smith for half the season as well, who had five sacks before they traded him to the Lions. They didn’t get much else pass rush outside...
