This matchup is interesting with one of the league's worst defenses in Washington playing against one of the worst offenses in Cleveland. A more enjoyable collision to witness in this game is Myles Garrett and the Dawg Pound defense versus the Commanders' offense commanded by rookie sensation Jayden Daniels.
The Commanders against the Cardinals scored the highest points in a game since 2016 with 42, and Jayden Daniels set an NFL record for the highest completion percentage through the first four games of a season with 82.1%. The Cleveland Browns that same Sunday evening was in Las Vegas playing the Raiders with the same ole football sins they have yet to clean up. Their depleted offensive line again left Deshaun Watson hanging in the backfield like a piece of chicken as he was sacked 2 times against the Raiders.
Game Information
Date: Sunday, October 6th
Start Times: 1:00 PM EDT
Location: Landover, MD
Stadium: Northwest Stadium
TV Info: FOX
Betting Information
Point Spread: Washington -3 (-120) | Cleveland +3 (Even)
Moneyline: Washington -170 | Cleveland +145
Over/Under: O 43.5 (-115) | U 43.5 (-105)
Washington Commanders
Offense
The third-highest-scoring offense in the NFL has just gone through two straight games without having to punt. The connection between Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin is finally connecting on all cylinders with 2 touchdowns, 11 completions, and 152 yards through the air for the past two games combined. Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, and Jeremy McNichols have Washington's rushing attack ranked the third-best rushing offense in the NFL.
Coming up is the first test for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders' offense. One of the most elite defenses in the NFL will visit their house and will serve as the first true test for them. Jim Schwartz has this Browns' defense ranked eleventh in the league in total defense and tenth in the league in pass defense. Their pass rush and secondary will do their best to make life miserable for Jayden Daniels.
Defense
The Commanders' defense is just coming off their best defensive performance of the season with four sacks on Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray last Sunday. Washington also had one fumble recovery by linebacker Frankie Luvu. They held the dynamic duo of Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. to under 50 yards receiving, despite allowing the connection one touchdown.
However, they allowed James Conner to rush for 108 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. It's up to future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner and the rest of Washington's defense to buckle down for an even bigger challenge. The anticipated return of superstar running-back Nick Chubb is perhaps having their defensive squad spending extra time in the film room.
Cleveland Browns
Offense
Nick Chubb and David Njoku are scheduled to return from their injuries this Sunday for this game. Their presence should open up the offense. But, like every offense in the NFL, you can't do anything with a bad offensive line. What used to be one of the best offensive lines is now the worst in the NFL this season. Deshaun Watson has yet to throw 200 yards in a game and has produced a quarterback rating of 23.9 (31st in the NFL). His average yards per pass attempt of 4.9 is way below the league's average at 11.5 and his completion percentage of 61.5 is barely above the league's average at 60 percent.
They are the NFL's leader in sacks allowed this season with 19. The entire Browns' offense stands as the 31st-rated overall offense in the NFL and rated 27th in scoring. They have yet to reach 20 points in a game this season. Tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin are expected to miss another game along with center Ethan Pocic and guard Wyatt Teller. While Amari Cooper has been having problems catching the ball with his league-leading 6 dropped passes, Jerry Jeudy has been their most productive wideout, leading the team in receiving yards, catches, and yards per catch. The only problem is that he hasn't been targeted more than nine times in the first four games.
Defense
Jim Schwartz's mission this week is to cool off the blazing start by Jayden Daniels, which starts by taking Terry McLaurin out of the game. The Daniels-McLaurin connection is beginning to look like one of pro football's most productive tandems. Denzel Ward and the rest of the secondary will have their hands full with this passing combo this Sunday. Myles Garrett comes off a 2-sack day against the Raiders. The Commanders are coming off a clean day for Jayden Daniels as their pass protection allowed no sacks to the Cardinals last Sunday and has allowed only 9 sacks so far this season. But their offensive line hasn't faced a pass rush comparable to the Cleveland Browns nor faced a pass rusher that can be compared to Myles Garrett.
Jayden's dual-threat skills resemble Lamar Jackson's game, which should give the Browns a good idea of how to contain Jayden Daniels. It's not the same offensive scheme as the Baltimore Ravens, but their running-back committee plus Jayden Daniels' mobility makes it similar to Todd Monken's system. Kliff Kingsbury will mix it up as much as he can to confuse and tire out the defense. The Browns are currently ranked 19th-ranked rushing defense in the NFL.
Prediction
How the Browns defend Jayden Daniels and the Commanders' offense will be based on how they usually defend the Baltimore Ravens' offense during the past few years under Lamar Jackson. It hasn't fair so well for Cleveland as they are 4-7 against the Ravens under Lamar Jackson and allowed him to have a passer rating of 96.7 with a 14:11 touchdown-to-interception ratio in those eleven games combined.
The Commanders are already building momentum from their most impressive defensive performance of the season so far. That momentum could keep going for another week against an offense with a depleted offensive line. Dan Quinn has created a new monster in the NFL in this Washington squad and it looks like they aren't going to stop feeding anytime soon.
Final Score: Cleveland Browns 17, Washington Commanders 27
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