The Cleveland Browns are heading into a do-or-die point of the season at 1-4 and are not far away from this season getting completely away from them.
With a tough Week 6 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles coming up, the Browns have to figure out how to get this offense out of the mud and start building some positive momentum to carry them into November and December, and one analyst listed five key matchups to look out for in order to pull off a win and get that momentum going.
Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks posted five key matchups on X, including Jeff Stoutland vs. Myles Garrett, Devonta Smith vs. Martin Emerson, Jalen Hurts vs. Jim Schwartz, Cooper DeJean vs. Elijah Moore, and Josh Sweat vs. Jedrick Wills Jr.
As the team’s most game-breaking talent, Garrett is always a key matchup for a Browns opponent, but Shorr-Parks pointed out how this will somehow be his first career matchup against the Eagles.
Grant Delpit and Denzel Ward could both be out in Cleveland’s secondary and Shorr-Parks noted how Emerson is ranked dead last out of 110 corners by PFF, meaning this is a matchup Smith can potentially dominate.
As for the other matchups, the Browns like to blitz a lot, which is something Hurts can struggle with at times, while Eagles nickel Cooper DeJean is in line for his first career start and might be a target for this Browns offense.
Wills also has to step up and stop the Eagles’ best pass rusher so far this season in Josh Sweat because Deshaun Watson getting sacked 26 times already is completely unacceptable.
