Previewing Week 5: Browns at Chargers

The Cleveland Browns are now 3-1 after their victory over the Minnesota Vikings last weekend. Cleveland won in another dominant defensive performance. Up next, the Browns travel to Los Angeles to face off against the 3-1 Los Angeles Chargers. So, what can we expect from this big-time matchup of 3-1 teams? Well, let’s take a gander at the Browns versus Chargers.

Chargers Offensive Overview

The Chargers offense is a pass-first unit with one of the better young quarterbacks leading the way. Quarterback Justin Herbert has thrown the fourth-most pass attempts in the league. Los Angeles has a passing game centered on short to immediate passes. The offense does not have a blazer, but they do have absolute giants all across their skill positions. The best target is four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. The next two most frequented targeted players are receiver Mike Williams and tight end Jared Cook. These three are huge targets with Allen being the smallest of the three, but still standing at 6-foot-2. Williams is 6-foot-4 and Cook is 6-foot-5. This is why the passing game is centered on short to intermediate throws. It allows the big targets to use their size to overmatch defenders on crossing routes, comeback routes, sideline fade routes, and slant routes. The unique wrinkle in the passing game is running back Austin Ekeler. He is the opposite of those three, with a small bowling ball frame. Ekeler is the fourth most targeted player in the offense, just behind the tight end. He is a safety net underneath, but he also runs a lot of wheel routes. Overall, the passing game won’t kill you a lot of deep shots, but it will tire out a defense with these quick passes to these talented pass catchers.

The run game is pretty much set up by the pass. With the attention to defending Herbert and the pass, the run game is given a bit more space to operate. It is led by Ekeler, one of the better running backs in the league over the last few seasons. The run game utilizes two other backs with Larry Rountree III getting the second most carries and Justin Jackson getting some carries as the third back on the depth chart. The run game won’t produce a lot of huge players, but it is one with a talented back who the defense must not underrate.

The offense is a very unique one overall with an ascending young quarterback, basketball players on the outside, and a versatile running back in the backfield. Defenses must play aggressive versus this offense because their playmakers will eat them up if given space. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is a talented play-caller, who has been able to scheme players open and create mismatches. It is a tough unit to defend.

Key Chargers Offensive Players

QB Justin Herbert

Herbert has started the season really well, putting his name near the top of the list of the best young signal-callers in the league. He has shown good accuracy to all levels of the field, along with solid pocket presence. He is a quarterback who can create plays with legs either gaining more time to throw or to gain yards. The quarterback has also done well in limiting the turnover worthy throws.

RB Austin Ekeler

Ekeler may be the most versatile running back in the NFL. He has been one of the more consistent running backs in the league over the last several seasons. He is a small, but well-built back with the balance, power, and agility to make defenders miss. What makes him unique and a true playmaker is his ability as a receiver. He has the skills of a receiver out of the backfield and can be truly a mismatch for defenders to cover.

WR Keenan Allen

Allen has been a stalwart for the Chargers offense over the past many years. He is one of the better route runners in the NFL and that is more impressive given that he stands at 6-foot-2. He is a reliable catcher and does most of his damage in the short to intermediate parts of the field.

WR Mike Williams

Williams is a basketball player at the wide receiver position. He is a huge target at 6-foot-4, which makes him a great red-zone target for the quarterback. He also does his work in the short to intermediate areas of the field.

TE Jared Cook

Cook has been one of the better receiving tight ends over the course of the last several years. Now with Los Angeles, Cook gives this offense another huge receiving target, standing at 6-foot-5. He is a mismatch in the middle of the field and another nice red-zone target for the offense.

Chargers Defensive Overview

The Chargers’ defense got a huge boost this offseason with the hiring of head coach Brandon Staley. So far this season, the unit has played well, giving up just 18.5 points a game, the seventh-best mark in the league. The defense is a modern-day defense that is designed to stop the opposing offense’s passing game. The unit plays almost primarily with a two-high safety look. It does not utilize a lot of blitzing, but it changes its looks and coverages quite often. They show multiple fronts throughout the game and can really create confusion with their scheme.

The defensive line is one centered on rushing the passer and penetrating into the backfield. It is led by one of the top edge rushers in the league, Joey Bosa. He is joined by Kyler Fackrell and Uchenna Nwosu on the edge. Inside, Los Angeles uses a rotation of primarily Jerry Tillery, Christian Covington, and Linval Joseph. Joseph is the veteran of the group.

The secondary and linebacker corps have some really talented players, especially at safety. The linebackers rotate three players with Kyzir White, Kenneth Murray, and Drue Tranquill manning the middle. At cornerback, Asante Samuel Jr. has come in as a rookie and played well starting on the outside along with Michael Davis. Tevaughn Campbell is the slot corner with veteran Chris Harris Jr. being the fourth corner. At safety, Derwin James is the do-it-all defender who is moved all over the field to perform multiple roles for the defense. Nasir Adderley is starting free safety. The defense also utilizes a third safety often with Alohi Gilman being that man.

The defense is a talented group, but it clearly struggles in one area, defending the run. It is a versatile unit that has a ton of defenders versed in coverage, but that has led to it being a bit vulnerable versus the run. They want to force teams in passing plays, so it can really show off its stuff.

Key Chargers Defensive Players

ED Joey Bosa

Bosa has been a consistent top-tier edge rusher for the Chargers every since he was drafted. He can win with power, speed, and technique. His bend paired with his power is very hard to deal with on the edge. He is the heart and soul of their defensive line and a true game-changer up front for the team.

IDL Jerry Tillery

Tillery is a penetrating interior defensive lineman who is built more like an edge rusher than an actual defensive tackle. He is at his best rushing the passer, but for the Chargers, he is being asked to be a full-time interior defensive lineman.

CB Asante Samuel Jr.

Samuel was one of the better cornerbacks to come out of this past offseason’s NFL Draft. He is an athletic corner who plays with a lot of physicality. He is a defender who will make plays in both pass coverage and run defense.

S Derwin James

James is Mr. Everything for this defense. He plays the slot, in the box, and as a free safety depending on what role the defense needs. He excels in coverage. He has the mirror skills of a cornerback, but the size of a safety. There is not much this man cannot do on the football field.

S Nasir Adderley

Adderley is  in the back half of the defense covering as the free safety the majority of the time. He also has a versatile skill set, which helps him do well in both coverage and run defending. He forms a really nice young safety duo with James.

Important Injury News

Chargers: Los Angeles is relatively healthy for the most part. The only injury question is with backup running back Justin Jackson, but the team has two other backs ahead of him on the depth chart anyway.

Browns: Cleveland on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of health. The team has listed 15 players on the injury report, but there are a few injury statuses to watch. At left tackle, both Jedrick Wills and Chris Hubbard did not practice on Thursday. Left tackle is a huge question mark on who will actually line up there on Sunday. Greg Newsome is also out again this week, meaning Greedy Williams will once again start at the outside corner spot opposite Denzel Ward. There are a bunch of others on the list, including Jadeveon Clowney, David Njoku, Malcolm Smith, and Denzel Ward. And not listed on the report is Baker Mayfield who we now know has a partially torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder.

Biggest Matchup between Browns offense and Chargers defense

RT Jack Conklin vs ED Joey Bosa

Bosa has played the majority of his snaps this season from the left side of the defensive line, so that puts him in a matchup with right tackle Jack Conklin. Conklin has excelled as a run blocker but has been far from perfect as a pass blocker. He needs to step up his game this week because he is facing Bosa, one of the best edge rushers in the league. If Conklin can help keep Bosa from the backfield, it will be a huge hit to the Chargers pass rush because Bosa is the engine of the rush.

Biggest Matchup between Browns defense and Chargers offense

Browns coverage team vs Chargers pass-catchers

This is a really fun matchup to watch. The Chargers have a bunch of basketball players at wide receiver and tight end. The Browns have a lot of talented corners, linebackers, and safeties, but they do not have the size to match the Chargers (Most teams do not). Cleveland will have to be aggressive and not give these big targets room to move. I believe Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Malcolm Smith, Grant Delpit, John Johnson, and Ronnie Harrison will be huge factors. They are in charge of the middle of the field and short to intermediate areas of the field. They must play aggressively against these big targets. Plus, many of these guys can match the size and athleticism of the Chargers pass catchers.

Browns 3 Keys to Victory

1. Run the ball early and often

The Chargers’ defense struggles to defend the run and the Browns excel in that area. So, Cleveland must do what they do best, run the ball. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt should get their heaviest workload of the season. They need to wear out the smaller and versatile Los Angeles defense with this powerful run game. This also will take attention away from the struggling quarterback.

2. Get Baker back on track

The Browns must get the good Baker Mayfield back and so they need to get him back on track. Go back to what brought him here. Use the play-action pass, screen game, and quick read plays. Get him confident and going in the right direction early on. The run game can help alleviate the pressure on Mayfield, but Cleveland will need the quarterback to step up and return to his late 2020 form. They will need him to help win them the game. So, getting back on track early on in the game will be key.

3. Play aggressive on defense

Cleveland must continue to play aggressively as a unit. The pass rush must continue to dominate and win their matchup versus the Chargers’ offensive line. The secondary and linebackers must be aggressive in coverage. They cannot be afraid of getting beat downfield because that is simply not what the Chargers passing game does. Los Angeles wants to attack the short and intermediate areas of the field with their big targets. Cleveland cannot give them easy throws to those areas. Continue the aggressiveness of the last two games.

Who has the edge?

Quarterback

Chargers

Right now, Herbert is a better quarterback over Mayfield. The Charger quarterback has played at a high level this season, while Mayfield has struggled, especially over the last couple of games. I believe they both are some of the better young quarterbacks in the league, but currently, Herbert has the edge.

Running Back

Browns

Ekeler is a really talented running back, but he is no match for the two-headed monster of Chubb and Hunt. These two form the best running back duo in the game and are part of the best run game in the NFL.

Offensive Line

Browns

This is a much tighter matchup due to the uncertainty at left tackle for Cleveland, but still, I would take the Browns offensive line in this matchup. The Chargers have a clear weak link at right tackle in Storm Norton, but a handful of the other linemen on the line struggle in pass protection, too. Though Cleveland does not know who will play at left tackle, the rest of the line has zero question marks.

Tight End

Browns

This is a closer matchup than the previous few weeks, but I still give Cleveland the edge at tight end this week. Cook is a really talented receiver and Donald Parham has played well this season, but the three-headed monster of David Njoku, Austin Hooper, and Harrison Bryant are all playing well and are instrumental to the Browns offense.

Wide Receiver

Chargers

With Jarvis Landry out, this battle goes to Los Angeles Chargers. Allen and Williams are extremely talented. Odell Beckham Jr. looked really good last week even though he didn’t get on the stat sheet in a big way. Beyond Beckham, Rashard Higgins has been the most consistent guy over the last several weeks. Allen and Williams have been better than what the Browns receivers have done this year.

Defensive Line

Browns

This is a big win to the Browns. Besides Joey Bosa, Los Angeles really does not have another game-changer or scary threat. Cleveland has three just at edge rusher and then a really talented duo in the middle. The Cleveland defensive line is playing at an elite level and as the best defensive line in the league.

Linebacker

Browns

The Browns linebacker corps is also playing at an all-time high right now. The combination of Malcolm Smith and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah have been excellent in the last two games. Plus, the Browns are likely getting Anthony Walker back in the lineup. The Chargers cannot match that.

Cornerback

Browns

Cleveland’s overall cornerback group is better than the Chargers, even with Greg Newsome out this week. Denzel Ward is the best corner of either team. Greedy Williams has played well in his time on the field and Troy Hill is a strong slot corner for Cleveland. The Chargers have Asante Samuel Jr., but their other starter, Michael Davis is struggling. There are more holes in Los Angeles’ corner depth chart than Cleveland’s.

Safety

Toss-Up

Man, this is a tough matchup to decipher. Derwin James is probably the best safety for either team, but I think I like the Browns’ other three safeties before I get to the next Charger safety. Cleveland’s three safeties of John Johnson, Grant Delpit, and Ronnie Harrison are a versatile group. I give it a toss-up because of how well the Chargers’ safeties have played and the fact I can’t really put a loss on a unit that has a player like James. So, I am hedging this as a toss-up.

Special Teams

Browns

Chase McLaughlin is easily the better kicker over Tristan Vizcaino. Ty Long and Jamie Gillan are probably a push or maybe a slight edge to Long. The Browns win the returner matchup with the talents of Demetric Felton. Cleveland gets the edge here.

Game Prediction

21-17 Browns

I think this will be a really great game and one that comes down to the wire. I believe the Browns defense plays better than the Chargers defense and Mayfield does just enough to help pull out the victory.