Dolphins Opponent Breakdown: Cleveland Browns
The Miami Dolphins will look to make it four in a row and improve to 7-3 on the season when they face the Cleveland Browns at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Dolphins will complete their run of AFC North opponents after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 and Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7, and losing against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.
The Browns will go into the game with a 3-5 record, but are coming off an impressive Monday night victory against the Bengals before their Week 9 bye.
To get some answers on five major questions related to the Browns, we turned to Publisher Pete Smith of SI Fan Nation sister site Browns Digest.
1. We have to start off with old friend Jacoby Brissett, who was the Dolphins backup last year before signing with the Browns and becoming the starter until Deshaun Watson returns from his suspension. How would you assess Brissett's performance so far this season?
PS: Going into the season, any notion of a postseason berth for the Browns revolved around Jacoby Brissett having a career year. Eight games into the season, Brissett is doing his part while the defense and especially special teams have let this team down. Having a strong running game led by Nick Chubb and a great offensive line helps, but when Brissett has time in the pocket, he tends to make good decisions and will occasionally surprise with a spectacular play, often with his legs. Under pressure whether due to the opposing pass rush or in crunch time, he tends to display tunnel vision and is more prone to costly mistakes. Brissett has done reasonably well and he's been great in the locker room, but a good backup is still a backup.
2. What are the expectations for Watson and the Browns offense once he makes his return to the NFL in Week 12 against — who else? — his old team, the Houston Texans?
PS: The Browns will say they don't expect him to perform miracles and most people will roll their eyes because the Browns gave up six draft picks and guaranteed him $230 million to do just that. But the reason they are able to say that is because the Browns are getting so much production out of the running game while wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end David Njoku are playing great. Donovan Peoples-Jones has also become a very solid third option. So if Watson does nothing else than what Brissett was doing, but better because he's more talented than Brissett, the Browns are going to be in good shape. That should allow him to find comfort relatively quickly. Once that happens, he can start making franchise quarterback type plays.
The X-factor with Watson is how he deals with being hated. He has never been a villain and now he will be the villain of the entire NFL, a title he's worked hard to earn. It's not just going into a difficult road environment with people booing. Opposing fans beginning with Houston will be seething with hatred for him. No one will know how he will react to that until it actually happens. Some people can embrace that role. Some can't. Adding to that element, the Browns home schedule was front loaded. The Browns are on the road for six of their remaining nine regular season games and four of the six Watson is scheduled to start.
3. What makes Nick Chubb such a productive running back?
PS: Chubb has impressive strength and speed, but plenty of NFL running backs do. What sets Chubb apart are three key factors — balance, vision and film study. Chubb's balance is outstanding and he's routinely one of the top backs in yards after contact. The Browns run a wide zone scheme that affords Chubb the freedom to pick his path. He picks the right lane at a remarkably high rate and that leads into his film study. There are carries where Chubb appears to have eyes in the back of his head, anticipating where a defender is coming from and how to address it. Some of that will be chalked up to instincts, but Chubb processes information quickly and can anticipate where defenders and pivot points are because he puts in the work watching tape. He has a great sense of where defenders are going to be as well as pivot points because he understands the blocking scheme and where opponents are usually going to be. Not only does it allow him to make opponents miss or shed tacklers, but it helps him avoid taking the opponent's best shot.
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4. What kind of season is defensive end Myles Garrett, and where would you rank him among NFL pass rushers?
PS: Myles Garrett is the best pass rusher in the NFL. Period. People can criticize him about his run defense at times and his pursuit on occasion, but no one is better when it comes to attacking the opposing quarterback. He faces more extra attention than anyone else in the league and continues to thrive. The shoulder injury that he suffered in a car wreck has lingered and caused him a significant amount of pain, but he still has 7.5 sacks in the seven games he's played this season. Offenses are trying to move their quarterbacks away from him, shifting their protections to try to account for him due to the lack of pass-rushing threats the Browns have overall. Yet, he's still able to terrorize the opponent with the potential to wreck any game he's playing.
5. The Browns went into their bye with a 3-5 record but off an impressive Monday night win against Cincinnati. What are realistic expectations for this team for the rest of 2022?
PS: The Browns should be optimistic based on the play of the defense against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. If they can carry that momentum into Miami coming out of the bye, these are the type of opponents they should be excited about playing. If they're serious about being a contender, they need to be able to play with the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, the team they face the following week. The playoffs were a long shot the second Watson was suspended. Adding to that, the Browns spit the bit in a few games they could have won. The Browns cannot expect Watson to go 6-0 even if the schedule when he returns looks manageable. The next three games are going to determine how realistic the postseason is. Dolphins and Bills on the road followed by a beleaguered Tampa Bay Buccaneers team at home. Fans may be unhappy if the Browns don't make the postseason, but this year was really about development for 2023 when Watson will be full go and they'd like to believe they are ready to make a push for a championship. Improving, playing good football and maybe getting a big win or few in these next nine games is what's important for this team.
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