Narrow losses have highlighted the Browns’ season through five weeks, and this forgettable moment in Wednesday’s practice should bode well for the Patriots to help continue Cleveland’s struggles.
After falling short due to a missed 54-yard field goal from Cade York against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Browns welcome New England to FirstEnergy Stadium. Cleveland is surprisingly one of the more efficient offenses in the NFL after five games. The Jacoby Brissett-led offense is third in expected points added per play, but the team is led by a running game that ranks first in EPA per play. The Patriots are ranked second behind the play of Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson.
The Browns always lean on Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to lead the way, and they may have to after watching teammate Anthony Schwartz struggle to get by a tackling machine during practice, per video from Cleveland.com’s Hayden Grove.
Luckily for Cleveland, Schwartz isn’t a major contributor to its offense. The second-year wide receiver only played seven snaps in Week 5 and only received one target, per Pro Football Focus.
Brissett will likely put his focus on Amari Cooper and David Njoku, who both shared praise or garnered praise ahead of their matchup against the Patriots.
In a week where both teams did nothing but spread compliments to one another, it is slightly refreshing to see a lowlight where New England’s defense can take advantage, especially with Matthew Judon playing at an All-Pro level to start the season.
