Three key matchups to watch as Patriots travel to Cleveland
By Fran Brown
There’s still plenty of season left and the Patriots march to get back in the playoff hunt got off on the right foot last week against the Lions. After a tough opening four games, we knew the schedule would soften a bit and this week the Patriots will travel to Cleveland to take on the 2-3 Browns.
Despite their sub-.500 record and the fact that they start Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, the Browns are a dangerous team. It seems like the Patriots go up against a great rushing attack every week, but the Browns are actually the best team in the NFL when it comes to the running game.
Amari Cooper and David Njoku provide threats in the passing game while defensively, Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney can get after the quarterback as well as anyone else. Here are the key matchups to watch as the Patriots try to start their first winning streak of the season.
Key matchups for the Patriots in week six
Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn vs. Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney
It doesn’t matter if Bailey Zappe or Mac Jones is playing quarterback, they will be in for a long day if the tackles cannot contain the combination of Garrett and Clowney coming off the edge. Combined, Brown and Wynn have given up five of the nine sacks surrendered by the Patriots this year. Wynn, in particular, has had an awful start to a contract year as he has managed to get Brian Hoyer nearly killed, get benched for Marcus Cannon and lead the league with seven accepted penalties.
In the last two weeks, the Patriots have had to resort to either bringing in Cannon as a tackle eligible for extra support or keep a tight end in to block because Wynn has been that bad. If they utilize this tactic again, it won’t be anything new for Garrett:
Myles Garrett has faced the highest double-team rate of any edge rusher in the league to this point (36.5%) #Browns
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) October 13, 2022
While Garrett and Clowney have combined to miss three games this season, they have also combined for 4.5 sacks. Garrett in particular has been very good with 3.5 sacks and five quarterback hits in four games. They have both also had success in their careers against New England: Clowney has four sacks in five games plus a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown while Garrett has two sacks in two games. The Patriots will need to limit their production on Sunday to have a chance in the passing game.