The Atlanta Falcons are 1-2 after three games, but they’re still looking for their first home win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Cleveland Browns will come to town in Week 4 with a 2-1 record, despite playing without suspended QB Deshaun Watson.
Ahead of this Sunday’s matchup, we’ve examined the rosters of both teams and put together the best combined starting lineup.
QB: Jacoby Brissett (Browns)
Jacoby Brissett has bounced around in the NFL over the course of his career. The Browns are his fourth team since 2016 as he starts in place of Watson, who chose the Browns over the Falcons during a chaotic offseason for both teams. Brissett gets the nod over Mariota simply because he has played more favorably thus far.
RB: Nick Chubb (Browns)
This is an obvious choice. Nick Chubb may be the best running back in the league, even if he doesn’t get the recognition of some other top running backs. Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson has been playing out of his mind this season (302 rushing yards), and Chubb is still outperforming him (341 rushing yards).
WR: Drake London (Falcons), Amari Cooper (Browns)
The two obvious choices here are Drake London of the Falcons Amari Cooper of the Browns. Both former first-round picks hit the ground running when they came into the league. Through the first three weeks of the 2022 NFL season, these two wideouts have remarkably similar statistics. London has 16 catches for 214 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Cooper has 19 catches for 219 receiving yards and two touchdowns. During Cooper’s rookie year in 2015, he finished with 72 catches for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns.
TE: Kyle Pitts (Falcons)
David Njoku is a former first-round pick, but unlike Kyle Pitts, he has yet to live up to the hype. After a 638-yard campaign in 2018, Njoku has failed to top 500 receiving yards in a season since. Pitts has gotten off to a slow start this season, but he’s already established himself with a 1,000-yard rookie season. Both tight ends could be highly involved on Sunday.
Offensive line
The Falcons have seen improvement along the offensive line, but considering how bad they were a year ago, that’s not saying much. The Browns have a more cohesive unit, and in our combined offensive line, Chris Lindstrom — Atlanta’s best offensive lineman — is left out in favor of Wyatt Teller.
- LT Jake Matthews
- LG Joel Bitonio
- C Ethan Pocic
- RG Wyatt Teller
- RT Jack Conklin.
Interior defensive line
The Browns and Falcons’ schemes wouldn’t mesh perfectly, but Grady Jarrett is easily the most talented interior lineman on either roster. Ta’Quon Graham is also having a very good season for Atlanta. In this theoretical scenario, Jarrett would finally have some elite help off the edge.
EDGE: Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney (Browns)
Don’t let the Browns’ lack of interior force fool you, Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney are among the best in the league. Their presence on the field is more than enough to make up for what they lack inside. In fact, there is a reality where Clowney comes to the Falcons if Deshaun Watson chooses Atlanta over Cleveland, according to Clowney himself.
LB: Mykal Walker (Falcons), Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Browns)
Both Walker and Owusu-Koramoah were taken by their respective teams in the 2021 NFL draft. However, their rookie seasons went in two different trajectories as Koramoah was a consistent starter while Walker struggled to see the field. Now that Foye Oluokun is gone and Deion Jones is on the injured reserve, Walker has taken a massive step forward this year. How Walker fares against Browns RB Chubb will be a big test.
CB: A.J. Terrell (Falcons), Denzel Ward (Browns)
Browns CB Denzel Ward may not have had the start of the season as he has wanted, but this early-season slump isn’t enough to drop him over the Falcons’ Casey Hayward. Pairing Ward with A.J. Terrell, who has also struggled early this season, would make for an elite one-two punch at cornerback.
Safety: Richie Grant (Falcons), John Johnson III (Browns)
Richie Grant has been one of the league’s best young safeties this season. Not only has Grant been solid in the passing game, he has also been stout against the run with 17 tackles. John Johnson would start opposite Grant. The Browns safety has 14 tackles, two passes defended and a forced fumble.
