An Insider’s Look at “Browns vs Jets”

by AST1N | 8 years ago | 2 Comments

I was fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be able to play both of these teams in consecutive weeks this season, with both outcomes surprisingly similar. Moji and his Jets beat me 27-13, while Adel and the dog pound beat me 28-12. However, scores don’t always tell you everything.

JETS – The run game was atrocious on his end this game. He had 19 carries for 45 yards. He also struggled this game to stop the run, giving up 136 yards rushing. Not something you want to see playing against a team whose new motto is “DIVE DIVE DIVE!” The game also would have been much closer had I known that my kick meter would be broken playing online, which forced my punter to appear to be kicking with his non-dominant leg (3 punts, 32 yard average). This gave Moji and the Jets (DIBS ON THAT BAND NAME!) some great field position throughout the game.

One thing that they did do well was pass the ball, and do it effectively. Stafford completed 78% of his passes and threw for 3 TDs. 7 of his 18 completions went to different receivers, so he does not lock down on just one guy (this is not the other New York team….). My strategy going into the game was that I was not going to let him run the ball and hope that my pass defense would bail me out, but it appears that that strategy did not work out the way I had hoped.

BROWNS – If you look at the stat sheet, you would see they gave up 151 yards on 28 carries. That could worry some teams, but what you may over look is the long run of 70 yards by Asa Goda on one carry (which I don’t know how a hole that big opened up). Take that out and he held me to 81 yards on 27 carries (3.0 YPC). If he plays that same kind of defense and does not slip up on a big play, he should hold the Jets to under 70 total rushing yards. This game went back and forth with both defenses stepping it up. There were a combined 14 punts in the game. Both offenses really struggled to get anything going. Russell Wilson had very little time in the pocket and was getting hurried all game with a zone-blitzing gameplan, which forced 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 1 fumble.

Offensively, there really isn’t a whole lot that stands out that they excelled at. Their run game was fairly consistant between Crowell and CJ Anderson, but they lack the home run threat with those guys. Adel’s strategy seemed to be more based around wearing teams down and playing great defense.

**FUN FACT** No team has scored more than 20 points against the Browns this season.

As I look back on both of my games against these two, I feel that both teams are pretty close in ability, but each has their own strategy on how to win. For the Browns to win, they must stop the aerial attack. For the Jets, they just need to make a few big plays and try and limit how much the Browns can chip away. You have to score, and this is against the #1 scoring defense.

I have gone back and forth on who I thought will win this matchup. I was about to change my mind and pick the Jets, until I remembered the Browns statement win against the Rams. That win alone solidifies my decision that they can not only hang with some the best, but also destroy it.  

My prediction? NY Jets 23, Browns 31