Picking the Perfect Matchup For the Cleveland Browns
Nov 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
As we head into the final week of the NFL season, there is no better pleasure than saying the game doesn’t matter for the Cleveland Browns. While it is unfortunate that the Baltimore Ravens locked up the No. 1 seed and the AFC North, the first Wild Card position isn’t a horrible place to be for the Browns.
There is no doubt that this team is beat up, so being able to rest starters this week against a Cincinnati Bengals team already eliminated from contention will be a great benefit. I’m still not sure if they’ll get any players back for the playoffs. There was talk that Grant Delpit may be able to return, but other than that it would just be much-needed rest for the remainder of the squad.
Don’t expect any snaps for guys like Myles Garrett, Joe Flacco, Amari Cooper, Denzel Ward, or even Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah next week as the Browns prepare to try and make a deep playoff run. Here is a deeper look at their possible opponent.
The Likely Opponent
At this point, it’s hard to believe that the Browns won’t have a rematch against the Jaguars in Jacksonville. The Browns took care of them in a crucial game this regular season, but that was in Cleveland and Trevor Lawrence was far from healthy at the time.
There’s no chance to Browns look past Jacksonville to the next round, yet still the fact that Cleveland beat them earlier in the season is only a negative in my opinion.
The Jags will travel to Nashville to play the Titans in Week 18, and it’s hard to believe they won’t be able to take care of business. The Titans have had a carousel at quarterback, and their defense has not been as good in years past. There is a possibility that Derrick Henry runs wild and sends the Jaguars packing, but I wouldn’t count on it.
The Jags aren’t a horrendous matchup for the Browns. They’re weak in the secondary, falter in pass protection, and have struggled to beat good teams this season. The two things that scare me are their pass rush and Travis Etienne’s ability to run and catch the football out of the backfield.
Lawrence is a quarterback who can make huge plays, but he is also known to make mistakes. Without Christian Kirk available, I think the Browns’ secondary can lock down these receivers.
The Other Two Options
Although we don’t know the AFC South opponent heading into the weekend, we do know that Cleveland will play on the road. Even though the Browns will have a superior record, their opponent will be the division winner.
The other big game of the weekend will be the Houston Texans matching up against the Colts in Indianapolis. The Browns have also beaten both teams already this season, but if the Jags lose, the winner of this game will host the Browns on Wild Card weekend.
Houston is the scariest of the three options. With C.J. Stroud back and healthy, the Texans’ offense is dangerous again, even with Tank Dell injured. The Browns were in Houston just a few weeks ago and dominated, but that was against a backup quarterback. I can assure you that if the Browns must travel back to Houston, this team will want to make up for the beatdown.
Probably the best matchup for Cleveland would be the Colts. It was a struggle to win their showdown early in the season when P.J. Walker was the quarterback for most of the game, but the Colts don’t have anything that truly scares me other than their ability to run the football.
The Colts’ defense doesn’t rush the quarterback at an elite level — one thing that gives the Browns fits — and Gardner Minshew has shown to be streaky at best as a starting NFL quarterback. The Browns certainly saw him at his best in their earlier matchup, and I feel confident he would take a step back in a rematch.
Surprisingly enough, the Colts are favored in this game early in the week, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see that change throughout the week. If the Texans can find a way to stop the Colts’ rushing attack, I don’t think Indianapolis has a chance of slowing down Stroud and the Texans’ offense.
Not only are the Colts the best matchup for the Browns, that would make for a short drive for many Ohioans looking attend only the third playoff game in 25 seasons since the team returned in 1999.
Any way the puzzle falls together, the Browns have nothing to hang their heads about in 2023. They’ll finish the season with their fourth quarterback, fourth and fifth offensive tackle, fourth and fifth safeties, and without All-Pro running back Nick Chubb. They have faced adversity, and they have overcome it.
The Browns have a tremendous chance to beat any of these three teams, and if Flacco and the defense continue to play like they have the last four weeks, they legitimately can beat any team they face in the playoffs.
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