CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my notebook as the Browns face Arizona.
1. No Nick Chubb. Coming off a game where the defense gave up 47 points – 26 in the fourth quarter. Facing the Arizona Cardinals and their high-octane, 30-point scoring offense. Arizona has had an COVID-19 outbreak with some coaches and others out. Yes Browns fans, this is a big game. I’d add this: A VERY BIG GAME.
2. If the Browns lose, they drop to 3-3. That doesn’t wreck the playoff chances in a 17-game season, but who wants to be 3-3 in a division where Baltimore (4-1) and Cincinnati (3-2) enter the weekend with winning records. I doubt anyone who follows the Browns expected them to be 3-3 after six games unless they were slammed with major injuries to Baker Mayfield and Myles Garrett.
3. A major story line will be Chubb out with a calf muscle injury. Kareem Hunt is a big time player. The Cardinals are awful against the run, ranking 31st allowing 5.4 yards per carry. The Browns also have D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton. The Cardinals point to the opening game of the season, a 38-13 victory vs. Tennessee when they held star Titans running back Derrick Henry to 58 yards and the team to 86 on the ground.
4. Hunt on no Chubb: “What he means to this team is crazy. … I love going out there and seeing Nick run and then doing my thing, too. … I feel like we should be able to hold it down until he gets back.”
5. Admiration and friendship between Chubb and Hunt is real. Both are genuine people. Chubb has been a major influence in terms of helping Hunt mature, and the Willoughby South product has responded. It rare to see a pair of talented players at the same position being so willing to share attention.
6. Every week, I get emails from fans who want Chubb and Hunt to play together. The Browns like keeping them separate to avoid injuries. It works. Chubb did miss four games with knee problems last season. Now, he has a calf problem. If they ever do use them at the same time, it will be at the end of the season in a playoff-type game.
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku celebrates after running for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
7. The Cardinals have had a good defense so far, holding teams to 19 points a game. They are very good vs. the pass: 214 yards per game and only seven TD passes. They’ve picked off five passes. But they are vulnerable to the run. I also think the Browns will attack the Cardinals with passes to the tight ends, especially David Njoku, who is taking a major step forward as an impact player.
8. The Browns may be down to Blake Hance and James Hudson III at the tackles. They did a solid job in Los Angeles, as the Chargers sacked Mayfield only once. They had no other QB hits and only four total pressures.
9. There are some skeptics about Arizona’s 5-0 record. The Cardinals have defeated teams with a combined 11-14 mark. Five losses belong to dismal Jacksonville. Arizona may not be a great team, but they are undefeated and they are good – especially on offense.
10. That’s why I’m worried about Cleveland’s defense, even with cornerbacks Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II and Greedy Williams expected to be back in action. None played in the fourth quarter of the 47-42 loss to the Chargers.
Illustration by Ted Crow. The Browns try to avoid playing Wile E. Coyote to Kyler Murray’s Road Runner.
11. If you like QB ratings, Arizona’s Kyler Murray is No. 4: In front are Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford. Murray is completing 75 percent of his passes, 10 TDs vs. 4 interceptions.
12. Woods on Murray: “A lot of people see him with their offense running the ball at times making big plays like that, but he can throw the ball. … He has the arm strength and he can make all of the throws. You see it on tape. … He moves. He gets back and there times you see him thread the needle from the pocket.”
13. The Cardinals have two experienced impact receivers in A.J. Green and DeAndre Hopkins. Rookie Rondale Moore is only 5-foot-7, but he’s quick and has caught 21 passes. They also use him on some sweeps. The defense will be challenged.
14. More Woods: “It’s like playing basketball on grass. You are going to have to defend the width of the field. … It is going to be our ability to make tackles out in space, 1-on-1. I believe in our guys. We have speed, too. That is really what it is going to come down to.”
15. The Browns need a big day from Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. Others can bring pressure, but Woods wants to keep Murray from bolting out of the pocket and creating plays with his athleticism. That falls to the defensive ends, and perhaps some formations with safeties and linebackers.
Myles Garrett has decorated his house for Halloween with tombstones of quarterbacks. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
16. Woods explained: “It’s a combination of really executing your pass-rush game to try to keep him in the pocket, but at the same time, you have to bring pressure. To ask four guys to try to bottle him up and keep him in the pocket is a tall task. It has to be a combination of what we do with our front, what we do from a pressure standpoint and then mixing up our coverages.”
17. You heard the words of Woods. You remember what happened vs. the Chargers, so adjustments must be made. This is a big challenge for him and the defensive coaches.
18. Finally, this from Garrett on Murray: “I have been playing this guy for years now. High school … played with him in college (Texas A&M) and against him in the pros. It is the same story. He is quick. He can throw. … Dude did not lose a game in high school.” (Murray won 43 consecutive games at Allen High in Texas and three state titles).
19. Kickers could decide this game. Chase McLaughlin in perfect on field goals and extra points this season. Arizona’s kicker is 37-year-old Matt Prater, who is 8-for-11 on field goals and perfect on 19 extra points. He replaced Zane Gonzalez (a former Brown), who is with Carolina.
20. My prediction: Browns 31, Arizona 30. My record is 4-1 this season. A last note, Arizona’s backup QB is … Colt McCoy.
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