Cowboys Offense a Nightmare Matchup For Browns Defense
Between a lack of cohesion, a shortage of talent and a surplus of injuries with their linebackers and secondary, it's difficult to find a worse matchup for the Cleveland Browns defense than the Dallas Cowboys.
Dak Prescott is the best passer the Browns will have faced up to this point and he has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to weapons. Four talented receivers and a tight end that can make plays and that's before mentioning Ezekiel Elliott at running back.
Zeke isn't even playing as well as he's capable, only averaging 3.8 yards per carry, but he's still dangerous and forces the defense to stay honest to contain him.
Prescott faced awful defenses in back to back weeks in the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, both bottom six in yards per play. He threw for a combined 922 yards in those two games.
The triumvirate of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Ceedee Lamb all have at least 230 yards receiving through three games, averaging 247.6 yards per game as a group, dispelling any notion that a team can't find ways to feed everyone.
Dalton Schultz may not be a great tight end, but he's thriving in this offense. Cedrick Wilson is a terrific athlete as the fourth receiver and is coming off a five reception, 107 yard, two touchdown performance against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Browns need all hands on deck on defense. Getting Kevin Johnson back against Washington was important, but when Denzel Ward went out, he had to cover the boundary. They need Johnson to be able to play in the slot with a healthy Ward and Terrance Mitchell covering on the boundaries.
Even better would be a healthy Greedy Williams that allows Mitchell to potentially move to the other slot when they transition to dime with Williams playing the boundary on the defense's right. It would at least give them some matchup options with M.J. Stewart and Tavierre Thomas as their other slot defenders.
At safety, Karl Joseph played better against Washington, but the safeties and linebackers on this team are currently a liability and maybe that gets better over the course of this season, but it likely won't happen by this Sunday.
For whatever reason, the Browns trust Andrew Sendejo more than Ronnie Harrison or Sheldrick Redwine at this point and while they might be an upgrade, particularly from an athletic standpoint, neither is likely some panacea that magically fixes those issues.
One thing to keep an eye on from the Cowboys standpoint is their offensive line. They've had multiple injuries that have has allowed opponents to slow down the running game and put pressure on Prescott.
La'El Collins is on injured reserve, which has forced the Cowboys to play Terrence Steele at right tackle, who is mediocre on his best day. Tyron Smith's status is week to week, but when he's been unable to go, they've been using Brandon Knight at left tackle. He's a good pass protector, offering little against the run, which gives the Cowboys one more reason to keep throwing the ball.
Neither Connor Williams nor Joe Looney has played particularly well to this point. How much of that is caused by the shuffling on the line and how much is simply lack of performance is unclear, but the Cowboys line has been equal parts underwhelming and injured.
Zack Martin continues to be a stud, but if he's all they have to offer against the Browns defensive line, it at least provides an avenue to try to cover up for the issues on the back end of the defense.
Here again, the Browns could stand to be significantly healthier. Olivier Vernon has missed the past two games with an abdominal injury while Adrian Clayborn is battling a strained hip and only played 16 snaps against Washington. The unknown with Clayborn is if he's steadily working towards being healthy or if this is going to be the reality for the rest of the year. The bye week could provide a respite for him.
The Cowboys are the most dangerous offense the Browns will face this season. It's a huge test for the back seven of their defense and increases the necessity for the defensive line to make a huge impact. The Cowboys are going to find success on offense and put up points. It's entirely a question of how many stops the Browns defense can generate to give the offense the opportunity to outscore them.
