Packers vs. Browns Matchups: Who Has Edge?

The Green Bay Packers will play at the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Packers are 2-0 and the Browns are 0-2. Here is a deep look at the matchups and who has the advantage.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett celebrates after sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Sept. 7. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When the Green Bay Packers play at the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, it will be a matchup between teams with opposite starts to the season.

Green Bay is 2-0 after dominant wins against a divisional opponent and another NFC contender. Cleveland is 0-2 following a close loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It will be Green Bay’s first road game of the season and its first road trip since the Aug. 16 preseason game against the Colts.

Here’s our look at the matchups, and which the Packers may lean into in order to get to 3-0.

Browns Pass Offense vs. Packers Pass Defense

Joe Flacco is Cleveland’s quarterback. For now, at least.

Flacco exited Sunday’s 41-17 loss to the Ravens in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. Flacco threw for 199 yards and had two turnovers before giving way to Gabriel in garbage time.

Cleveland’s passing offense is ranked 10th in the NFL, though that’s quantity rather than quality with Flacco leading the NFL in passing attempts.

Green Bay’s pass rush has been excellent and Cleveland’s offensive line is banged up. Right tackle Jack Conklin missed Sunday’s game with an elbow injury. Left tackle Dawand Jones struggled through two games and was replaced briefly against the Ravens.

As they’re either injured or struggling, they’re set to face off against Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary and Devonte Wyatt. Parsons has done damage in his first two games with the Packers and should be closer to handling a full workload in Sunday’s game. He had eight pressures against Jayden Daniels in Thursday’s win over the Washington Commanders.

Parsons has been everything the Packers could have hoped for and more through two games, and that includes making his teammates better. Gary has been one of the beneficiaries, with 1.5 sacks against Detroit and another against Washington. Wyatt leads all interior defensive linemen in pressures, according to PFF.

In the secondary, Keisean Nixon is coming off his best game as a professional. He had five pass breakups against Washington. The Packers have a chance to be better in the secondary this week. Nate Hobbs, one of the team’s prized free-agent signings, made his debut on Thursday, albeit in limited fashion. He should be able to play a full game this week.

Cornerback Carrington Valentine, nickel Javon Bullard and safety Evan Williams have played well early in the season. In the deep part of the field, there’s Xavier McKinney, who claimed he was “bored” since teams have been unable or unwilling to test him down the field. Despite the lack of interception numbers he had a year ago at this time, he has been excellent, as well.

Of all the advantages in this week’s game, this matchup is likely the biggest in favor of Green Bay.

Advantage: Packers

Browns Rush Offense vs. Packers Run Defense

Cleveland’s running game got a big boost last week with the debut of second-round pick Quinshon Judkins, who finally signed last week following a July arrest for a domestic-violence charge that was dropped.

Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Judkins’ first day at the office was a good one. He ran for 61 yards on just 10 carries and could be in line for a heavier workload this week. Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson help flank Judkins in a three-headed backfield.

Apart from Judkins, the Browns’ backfield has had trouble finding its footing. Ford ran for 31 yards on six carries last week as their run game was phased out because of the deficit they faced against the Ravens. Sampson is averaging only 2.2 yards per carry.

Green Bay’s run defense, its supposed Achilles heel after the trade for Micah Parsons, has been a strength early in the year. Running backs against Green Bay are averaging just 2.43 yards per carry. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery ran 20 times for 44 yards and Washington’s backfield carried the ball 12 times for 34 yards.

The emergence of defensive tackles Devonte Wyatt and Colby Wooden has been helpful, and linebackers Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper have both taken steps as players.

If the Packers are able to slow down Cleveland’s run game, they’ll be able to unleash their pass rush against the immobile Joe Flacco.

Advantage: Packers

Browns Pass Defense vs. Packers Passing Offense

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Hundley runs withe ball away from Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett in 2017. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Micah Parsons is one of the top pass rushers in football. Cleveland has one of the few players who can stake a claim as someone who compares to Parsons. In fact, Myles Garrett is more accomplished at this stage of his career. He’s likely to be fitted for a gold jacket at the end of his career.

Garrett has had at least 10 sacks every year since his second season in 2018. He’s had 14 each of the last two years and is off to a good start with 3.5 sacks in two games. He has not lost a step, despite being in his ninth season as a pro.

The four-time first-team All-Pro and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year is priority No. 1 for the Packers this week.

In the secondary, the Browns have Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome as their primary cornerbacks. Ward, a first-round pick in 2018, is coming off his fourth Pro Bowl season. He led the team with 19 passes defensed last season. Newsome was the subject of trade rumors this offseason but remains in Cleveland.

While it allowed only 338 passing yards against Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, it yielded five passing touchdowns.

Green Bay’s passing game has been feast or famine through the first two games. At times, they look unbeatable. Jordan Love is throwing the ball down the field even more this year. After averaging an NFL-high 8.84 air yards per attempt last season, according to league data, his 12.47-yard average this year is almost 3 yards greater than any other quarterback.

With four touchdowns and zero interceptions, his passer rating has been over 110 in each of the first two games.

The pressure point is going to be on the offensive line. The Packers could be missing two starters again. Left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Tom were inactive last week and neither practiced on Monday.

Rookie second-round pick Anthony Belton started for Tom last week and got better through his first start, and Darian Kinnard has performed admirably in spot duty, but this defensive front is a different animal than what they’ve faced in the first two weeks. While Garrett usually lines up against the left tackle, he is versatile enough to take on whoever lines up at right tackle.

The Packers likely will be using a lot of their two-tight-end sets as a means to protect Love.

The edge here is slight because of how well Love is playing, but the Browns’ defense gets the nod due to Green Bay’s injuries up front and to receiver Jayden Reed.

Advantage: Browns

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Browns Rush Defense vs. Green Bay’s Rush Offense

While Myles Garrett garners all the headlines, and deservedly so, Cleveland’s best asset early in the season has been its ability to defend the run.

Garrett is a good run defender, and he’s flanked by fifth overall pick Mason Graham on a stout front that limited the immortal Derrick Henry to 23 yards on 11 carries in the team’s 41-17 loss to the Ravens. They kept Lamar Jackson under wraps, as well, in the run game.

Green Bay’s run game has not picked up where it left off last season. While Josh Jacobs is eighth in the league in rushing, he has had a tough time finding running lanes. His longest run of the season was 15 yards in their season-opening win over Detroit.

Matt LaFleur did dig into his back of tricks in Thursday’s win with the use of Savion Williams. Williams carried the ball twice and broke off a 16-yard run out of a wildcat formation in which he took a direct snap from Elgton Jenkins. Those tricks may be necessary again this week against a stout Cleveland unit.

Even if LaFleur is able to come in with some creative concepts, this feels like a week the Packers are going to have to win through the air.

Advantage: Browns

Special Teams

If there was one issue coming out of Green Bay’s win over the Commanders, it was that its special teams played poorly.

Deebo Samuel had a 50-yard kickoff return, Jaylin Lane had a 24-yard punt return, there were two penalties on returns and Matthew Golden looked shaky fielding punts. Even Brandon McManus, who has been nearly perfect during his Green Bay tenure, missed a field goal at the end of the first half.

The return game has potential to be even shakier with an injury to Jayden Reed. Reed may not have been a great returner, but there was at least some solace in the fact that he never seemed to make a poor decision when fielding a punt.

Cleveland’s special teams is finding its way, as well.

Old friend Corey Bojorquez is the team’s punter. He averaged more than 49 yards per punt the last two seasons. He’s been in Cleveland since leaving Green Bay following the team’s disastrous showing on special teams in 2021. This season, he had one punt blocked and is last in the league in net average.

Andre Szmyt is Cleveland’s kicker, replacing Dustin Hopkins. He was perfect during the preseason but missed one field goal and one extra point in the opener against Cincinnati, costing the team four points in a one-point loss.  

Both units are struggling, so this week is an opportunity for both teams to prove something.

Advantage: Push