The Green Bay Packers head to Cleveland for their first road game of the season, a week 3 matchup with the Bowns. Green Bay enters this week’s game with a 2-0 mark while the Browns are 0-2. The Packers are fresh off a convincing 27-19 win over the Commanders. The Browns fell to the Ravens last week in Baltimore 41-17. Here are the keys to victory for the Packers in their Week 3 matchup with the Cleveland Browns.
The Packers lead the all-time series between these two teams 13-7-0 in the regular season. The two teams first met in 1953 after the Browns joined the NFL from the AAFC. The Packers won the only postseason meeting between the teams in the 1965 NFL Championship Game.
Here are the keys to victory for Sunday’s game at Cleveland:
Packers Keys to Victory vs Browns, Number One: Contain Myles Garrett
The Browns are not a great team, but their defense is very good. The biggest reason for this is the play of Myles Garrett. The former Texas A&M star leads the league with 3.5 sacks after two games and has five quarterback hits. He also leads the league with six tackles for loss.
Garrett gives offenses fits with his quickness and strength. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All Pro. He was also voted the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
The Packers offensive line will face an even bigger challenge because of injuries. Both right tackle Zach Tom and left guard Aaron Banks missed last week’s game and were limited in practice this week. Even if they play, they probably won’t be at full strength. If they can’t play, Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton are the primary replacements.
The Browns will move Garrett around the formation to take advantage of matchups. The Packers need to keep Garrett, and the Browns pass rush off of Jordan Love. If Love has a clean pocket, he should be able to gain steady yardage against the Cleveland secondary. This will be the biggest challenge for the Green Bay offense this week.
Number Two: Pressure Joe Flacco
While the Browns have Garrett, the Packers have their own elite pass rusher in Micah Parsons. The Browns offensive line will have a difficult time protecting quarterback Joe Flacco who is not exactly known for his mobility at this stage of his career.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will continue to move Parsons around the formation to create mismatches. The Packers can also get strong pressure with Rashan Gary, Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness.
The Browns offensive line has allowed four sacks in their first two games but will now face a bigger challenge against the Green Bay pass rush.
If the Packers can get pressure on Flacco, they can prevent the Browns from throwing downfield and force mistakes.
Packers Keys to Victory vs Browns, Number Three: Get Josh Jacobs On Track
The Packers offensive line struggled to block for the run in the first two games. Josh Jacobs has yet to have a breakout game this season. He has gained almost all of his yardage after first contact which is a testament to his ability to break tackles and make something out of nothing.
With the offensive line dealing with injuries, the blocking may not be much better this week. The Cleveland run defense ranks first in the NFL and has allowed just 45.5 yards per game.
The Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur cannot abandon the running game. They must get Jacobs the ball and keep the Browns defense honest. Giving Chris Brooks and Emanuel Wilson some more carries would also help mix things up.
Green Bay doesn’t need to dominate on the ground, but they need to run often enough and effective enough to slow down the Browns pass rush and keep control of the game.
Number Four: Keep the Browns Offense One-Dimensional
The Browns activated rookie running back Quinshon Junkins last week and the second round pick out of Ohio State gained 61 yards on 10 carries. That included a 31-yard dash that showed his breakaway ability.
The Browns have struggled to run the football in their first two games, and the Packers need to keep it that way. The Green Bay run defense has been strong thus far. They are ranked second in the league in rushing defense and allowed just 48.5 yards per game on the ground. Colby Wooden has done a good job in the middle of the defense against the run.
If the Packers can keep the Cleveland’s offense one-dimensional, they can shut down the inconsistent Browns attack. Stopping the run would go a long way towards doing that. The Pack cannot allow the Cleveland running attack to get going on Sunday.
Packers Keys to Victory vs Browns, Number Five: Spread the Ball Around
The Packers passing game focused on tight end Tucker Kraft last week. Unfortunately, Kraft suffered a knee injury in practice Thursday and his status for the game this week remains uncertain. This may give Luke Musgrave a chance to see more targets against Cleveland.
The Packers are also without Jayden Reed who had surgery to repair a broken collarbone earlier this week.
The Packers still have plenty of quality receivers to throw to. Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, and Malik Heath have all contributed to the offense.
The Browns play more man coverage than most teams, so look for Wicks and Golden to be targeted more when Cleveland plays man.
Love likes to take his shots downfield, but he should start the game by throwing shorter and quicker passes to slow down the Browns pass rush. Look for Love to spread the ball around against a strong Browns secondary.
Number Six: Don’t Turn the Ball Over
The Packers are the better team on paper. If they take care of the ball and don’t lose the turnover battle badly, they should emerge as the winner. Love has yet to throw an interception this season, and the Browns have yet to pick off a pass in their first two games.
If the Packers are a minus-two or worse in the turnover battle, this could be a tough game. If not, the Packers should be in the driver’s seat.
Prediction:
While on paper this seems like an easy game, it won’t be. The Packers cannot have an emotional letdown after opening the season against two tough opponents. The Browns are at home, and they will also be desperate after getting off to an 0-2 start.
The Packers are the better team. If they want to be a Super Bowl contender this season, they have to take care of business against non-contending opponents. This won’t be a blowout, but the Packers should win it.
Packers 24, Browns 10
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