Three key matchups to watch as Patriots travel to Cleveland

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:

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.

Key matchups for the Patriots in week six

Jalen Mills/Jack Jones vs. Amari Cooper

While Cleveland leads the NFL in rushing, it’s not like they avoid throwing the ball. In fact, they have one of the better receivers in the game in Amari Cooper who is off to a good start in his first season as a Brown. Through five games, Cooper has caught 27 balls for 304 yards and three touchdowns. He’s seen a team-high 28% of targets from Brissett and has registered seven or more receptions in three of the last four games, including seven last week against old-friend J.C. Jackson.

It seems that Mills, Jones or a combination of the two will be matched up against Cooper on Sunday. Mills has been dealing with a hamstring injury the past two weeks (he was limited in practice on Wednesday) which has allowed Jones to come on. Jones has registered interceptions in each of the last two games and has shown the ability to read the quarterback very well in pass coverage. Opposing quarterback have only completed 50% of their passes (9/18) when targeting Jones with two interceptions for a 35.4 rating.

Meanwhile, Mills has allowed the opposition to complete 15/22 passes and a touchdown, resulting in a 97.5 rating. The Patriots will need to figure out a good mix of Mills and Jones to take care of Cooper.

Key matchups for the Patriots in week six

Davon Godchaux/Christian Barmore/Carl Davis vs. Ethan Pocic/Wyatt Teller/Joel Bitonio

The big question here for the Patriots is if Lawrence Guy will be able to go after missing the past two games with an injury suffered against the Ravens. Without Guy in the lineup, the Patriots run defense has struggled but showed signs of improvement against the Lions, albeit without De’Andre Swift. As the Browns have the best rushing game (192.4 yards per game), stopping the duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt is going to be the biggest focus for the Patriots defense.

Stopping the run means winning the battle at the line of scrimmage against a very good interior line from the Cleveland Browns. Bitonio, Teller, and Pocic anchor what is PFF’s second-best offensive line and have been a huge reason why the Browns are able to run the ball. This is game is a good opportunity for Davon Godchaux to prove he was worth a contract extension and the Patriots will need much more from Barmore, who has been less than stellar against the run.