BEREA, Ohio — The Browns head to the nation’s capital, where the NFL’s hottest offense will be waiting for them in Week 5.
Cleveland (1-3) is coming off of two straight losses to the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. The Washington Commanders, meanwhile, have gotten three straight wins over the Giants, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals.
Who will be victorious in their 1 p.m. ET matchup on Sunday?
Will Cleveland be able to flip the script and end both of these streaks? Here are several of the most notable storylines ahead of the game, as well as predictions for each:
The Browns will try to contain Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on Sunday.AP
Jayden Daniels the poised rookie
Years from now, perhaps we will be talking about Jayden Daniels as the best QB in the 2024 draft class.
He’s off to an impressive start through his first four games, having led Washington on 23 scoring drives while throwing only 19 incompletions. His 82.1 completion percentage leads the league. It also puts Daniels above Tom Brady for the highest completion percentage by a player in his team’s first four games of the season (79.2%, 2007).
So can the Browns rattle Daniels and cause some inefficiency?
Prediction: Cleveland is a different defense than the Commanders have seen yet this year — especially with the pressure the Browns can bring.
Daniels has been sacked nine times total this year, so if the Browns can get to him, they can alter the game.
The only problem is, Cleveland is coming off a week in which it got ran over by the Raiders, the league’s worst rushing team, as Vegas put up 152 rushing yards.
I predict Daniels will show some poise, but rely on the strong ground game the Commanders also have — after all, he’s run in four touchdowns, and only thrown for three — in order to cause some damage.
Can the Browns improve the run defense struggles they had against the Raiders? John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Will the Browns’ run defense be better?
Speaking of that poor defensive performance in Week 4 …
Giving up 152 rushing yards to the Raiders last week was especially disappointing, considering that Las Vegas had just 153 total rushing yards combined through their first three games.
Las Vegas beat Cleveland by using speed to get to the outside of the defense.
It was a fairly solid blueprint for other teams across the league on how to avoid the Browns’ pass rush, and it worked for another team who was at 1-2 entering last week and really struggling on the ground.
This week, it will be an even tougher assignment. Washington has the third-ranked rushing offense, averaging 169.3 yards per game through four weeks.
Prediction: This is going to be a tough matchup for the Browns, especially if they continue to miss tackles, something they’ve done at a fairly alarming rate over the last two weeks.
I’m not confident it’s an issue the Browns will have fixed in just a week, and if Washington can capitalize, don’t be surprised if it’s another week where an opposing team gets 150-plus rushing yards.
Can Deshaun Watson and the Browns offense be better on third downs? John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Something giving on third downs
The Browns have the worst third down offense in the league.
The Commanders, coincidentally, have the worst third down defense in the league.
Something’s gotta give.
Cleveland’s offense is converting their third down attempts at just a rate of 20.8% (11 of 53). Against the Raiders last week, they converted their first three attempts on their first scripted drive and went 0-for-7 the rest of the way.
Washington is allowing opponents to convert on 54.76% of attempts.
Prediction: I’m going with the Browns being the team to benefit.
Cleveland will be helped immensely if Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku plays, considering he plays a key role creating yards after the catch and helping the Browns avoid third-and-long scenarios. He’s questionable heading into the game, working his way back from the ankle injury he suffered in Week 1.
The Commanders also struggle in the red zone, and are tied for 27th in red zone defense (71.43%).
When the Browns get in the red zone, they’ve been great, scoring 83.3% of the time. The only problem is, they’ve gotten there just six times through four games.
If Cleveland’s going to win, this has to be an area they exploit.
