The Cleveland Browns are looking for a bounceback win against the Los Angeles Rams in this Week 13 matchup. They saw their playoff odds take a massive drop after the loss to the Denver Broncos a week ago, and the Browns will continue to have their work cut out for them. Their best player Myles Garrett is banged up, and it is trending toward a Joe Flacco start under center.
Somehow sitting at 7-4 on the season despite all of the key injuries this season, can the Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski pull out another shorthanded win in Los Angeles? The defensive side of the ball will need to rebound as well but will do so with a hurt Garrett and potentially without Denzel Ward.
The team stayed out west this week, practicing at UCLA and taking in the team bonding opportunities. Let’s hope that helped.
Here are five things to watch as the Browns hunt out their eighth win against the Rams on Sunday.
Browns can become the first team since 2015 to win with four different quarterbacks
The Browns can find themselves in a category that no team has ever found themselves in since 2015. The Houston Texans nearly a decade ago were the last team to find a way to win with four different quarterbacks in the same season.
Starting Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Brandon Weeden, and T.J. Yates in the same season, the Texans managed to win nine games that season. They also snuck into the playoffs before losing in the wildcard round. The Browns are looking for the same fortune this season given the circumstances.
While rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson has not been ruled out officially, he has not practiced this week. This leads to Joe Flacco’s likelihood of being under center on Sunday. If Stefanski and the Browns can find a way to pull this off, their odds of making the playoffs will take a massive rise.
Game planning on a week-to-week basis is not easy. Doing it for four different players is nearly impossible. The Browns have done the impossible before this season, however.
What impact will a hurt Myles Garrett have?
Myles Garrett, despite the lack of practice this week, is determined to play through a shoulder injury that left him in a sling a week ago. On pace to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, what impact will an injured Garrett have on this game, however?
The offensive line for the Rams is not a good one. They start Alaric Jackson at left tackle, who has been a massive liability for the Rams on the season. Even an injured Garrett should find ways to get after the quarterback in this matchup. Center and right guard are also suboptimal matchups for the Rams as the Browns love to move Garrett inside as well.
The issue, however, is that teams are chipping and double-teaming Garrett at a high rate. Stafford is also excellent at getting the ball out of his hand quickly. This will neutralize Garrett as well on Sunday. He is top-five in both Time to Throw and Pressure to Sack rates as he tends to play well even when his protection does not hold up.
If the Browns want to allow Garrett to get home, they will have to win on first down with frequency to force the Rams into second and third-and-longs.
Which Matthew Stafford will the Browns get on Sunday?
Matthew Stafford turned back the clock against the Arizona Cardinals a week ago, picking them apart at every level of the field. However, his season-long numbers have not been overwhelming in 2023. His Expected Points Added per play over his last five has been just average, and his Completion Percentage Over Expected has been below average.
This begs the question: which Stafford will the Browns see on Sunday?
Cleveland’s secondary proved to take a step back without cornerback Denzel Ward, and they are trending toward being without him again. It did not help that they could not stop the run in Denver either. The Rams also have a positive EPA per play on the ground over their last five. This must be the emphasis on Sunday.
This will be harder said than done, however, if vintage Stafford makes another appearance.
How will the Browns attack the subpar Rams defense?
While their offense has been trending in a positive direction, the Los Angeles defense has been subpar both over their last five games, and with a full-season sample size. Both through the air and on the ground, the Browns should find holes to poke in the Rams’s defense.
However, likely starting their fourth quarterback and a 38-year-old veteran at that, the Browns must show more commitment to running back Jerome Ford. While they found success on the ground against the Broncos a week ago, they frequently took the ball away from their run game, then had to after giving up a 14-point swing early in the fourth quarter.
If the Browns can find a way to bully the Rams on the ground, similar to how they did in the disappointing loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8, the Browns will give Flacco holes to pick apart. This is the recipe for success on the path toward an eighth win on the season.
Pass catchers must stop dropping passes
Not only did Thompson-Robinson find a bit of a stride on Sunday, but he has done so over the past two weeks despite numerous amounts of drops from his pass catchers. Over the past two weeks, the Browns have been charted with a massive nine drops offensively.
As the Browns look to rebound, those targeted in the passing game must step up more largely than they have in recent weeks.
The Los Angeles secondary is not good. The Browns’ receivers, highlighted by rookie Cedric Tillman off of a mini-breakout game and veteran Amari Cooper, will find their ways to take advantage of them. However, when they get open, they have to secure the football.
If the Browns start Flacco, he can be counted on to get his eyes to the right spot and get the ball out on time. This is the bare minimum of what the Browns need from their quarterback. However, receivers need to do their part.
