Eagles vs Browns: 5 key matchups to watch in Sunday’s clash

The Eagles had the earliest BYE week this season along with three other teams and it came after an ugly loss at Tampa Bay. The team has had the extra week to reset, get healthy, and prepare for the journey that is 13 weeks long before the regular season culminates.

There are positives to take away from this week off in terms of health. As Mrs. Doubtfire famously said, “Help is on the way, dear!”

The Eagles certainly need that help. Reports earlier this week indicate that wide receivers A.J. Brown (hamstring), DeVonta Smith (concussion), and right tackle Lane Johnson (concussion) are all expected to be ready to go when the Cleveland Browns (1-4) come to town this Sunday.

It would be the first game back for Brown since Week 1 against Green Bay in Brazil while Smith and Johnson missed just the Tampa Bay game. Being at full strength gives the Eagles a considerable advantage over the lowly Browns who were crushed by Washington in a 34-13 loss in Week 5.

Here are five key matchups to watch in the 51st all-time meeting between the two teams.

Eagles’ Offense vs. Browns’ Defense

Pretty simple, right? Well, the Eagles’ offense has not performed to its potential aside from the Week 1 win in Brazil against Green Bay where they scored a season-high 34 points to hold off the Packers. Since then, the offense has combined to score 52 points over the last three games, scoring 20 points in just one of those three games which comes out to an average of 17.3 points per contest during the three-game stretch.

The Eagles and the coaching staff just saw this Browns defense get lit up like a way too-early display Christmas tree at Costco by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. Daniels, who is off to a historic start as a rookie, and the Commanders’ offense has become a respectable unit with Daniels’ dual-threat ability and precision passing, but not nearly the same caliber as what this Eagles offense should be with the likes of Hurts, Barkley, Brown, Smith, Godert and a top-five offensive line in the league.

Philadelphia will need to attack the Browns defense similarly to the way the Commanders did. Washington had a nice mix of run and pass (34 rush attempts/28 pass attempts) to rack up 434 yards of offense. Now, Daniels had 11 carries for 82 yards and used his legs to avoid some pass rush, and Jalen Hurts will need to do something similar to keep the offense moving against a Jim Schwartz defense that will send the pressure.

Cleveland is tied with Dallas, giving up the 9th-most points per game after their poor performance last week, surrendering 24.2 points per contest while yielding 326 yards of total offense per game which is 13th in the NFL.

Jordan Mailata vs. Myles Garrett

One of the keys to victory for the Commanders against the Browns was neutralizing one of the game’s best pass rushers in Garrett. The star defensive end did not register a tackle while playing 78% of the snaps in the Browns loss against the duo of Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Coleman, a 10th year veteran and rookie respectively.

The Eagles have one of the best left tackles in the game in Mailata.

The former rugby player turned All-Pro tackle will need to be on his ‘A’ game this week to prohibit Garrett from being the disruptive force he typically is certainly coming into South Philly with more vengeance after being shut down last week. Garrett currently sits 10th in the NFL with his four sacks on the season and closing in on being in the Top 50 all-time in the sacks department since the stat became official in 1982.

Eagles’ Secondary vs. DeShaun Watson

The struggles of the defense to this point have been well documented. From missed tackles, lack of turnovers forced, to barely playing press coverage, both the secondary and the entire defense have been under a microscope. Well, it’s about to be magnified even more if the Eagles struggle against Watson and this lackluster Browns’ passing attack.

Watson, who might go down as one of the worst trade/signings in the history of the league with his off-field issues and lack of performance, has struggled mightily this season. The Browns average the third-fewest passing yards a game with 142.8. Only the Chargers and Patriots have fewer per contest.

Cleveland ranks dead last in the NFL in yards per completion at 6.2 and Watson has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game this season, with his season-high being 196 in a Week 3 loss to the New York Giants. He managed just 125 yards through the air and one touchdown in the loss against a porous Washington defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in key metrics through the first four weeks of the season.

This is a get-right game for the Eagles’ secondary. It’s just that simple.

Jalen Hurts vs. His Own Turnovers

Protecting the football is key to winning at any level in the sport of football. Miraculously, the Eagles are a .500 team despite being -6 in the turnover battle. One of the reasons why they are in the negative aside from the defense not creating opportunities to take the ball away is the play of Hurts.

The Eagles’ QB has had at least one turnover in every game this season, totaling seven so far this year, and has coughed up the football either through the air or on the ground in nine consecutive games dating back to last season. Since the start of last season, he has 27 turnovers.

In 2022, he had just eight turnovers. That’s the Hurts that the Eagles need and paid $255 million.

The Browns average one takeaway per game and come in with six total on the season with three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. A clean and efficient game from Hurts can go a long way moving forward.

Saquon Barkley vs. Browns’ Rush Defense

It was befuddling the lack of usage of Barkley by the Eagles to start the game against Tampa Bay while being down Brown and Smith and rolling out the likes of practice squad veteran wideouts Parris Campbell and John Ross to go along with Jahan Dotson. That’s in the rearview mirror.

The Eagles should feed Barkley in this game. Cleveland’s rush defense has been bottom barrel in the NFL, ranking 25th in rushing yards allowed, giving up a healthy 141.6 yards per contest, and getting gouged for five yards a carry which is tied for fourth-most, with Philadelphia.

Cleveland has yet to face a premiere running back like Barkley taking on the Cowboys, Giants, Jaguars, Raiders, and Commanders. Brian Robinson Jr. was arguably the best running back the Browns have faced to this point, but he only mustered 18 yards on seven carries, but did find the end zone twice in short-yardage red zone chances. The Browns were gouged by Daniels who ran 11 times for 82 yards, highlighting a 215-yard performance on the ground as a team.

The fact of the matter is this Browns defense has not faced a runner like Barkley who entered the BYE week leading the NFL in rushing. He currently sits third with 435 rushing yards, behind only San Francisco’s Jordan Mason and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry. He should be involved early and often in this one.

The Eagles host the Browns at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images