It's been quite a Cinderella story for the Cleveland Browns. Nobody saw it coming that quarterback Deshaun Watson would lead this team to a No. 1 ranking in the AFC North in his first season really on the field with the Browns, but boy, it sure silenced those boos and turned them into cheers. Now, the Browns are higher in the AFC North than the Baltimore Ravens and Steelers. That's impressive.
But he may have some challenges when the team takes on the New York Jets in Week 5. Sure, the Jets are struggling again this season and have a 1-3 record. But the issue for Watson may be the defense giving up too many points.
ESPN points out a potential problem for the Browns' defense
On Friday, ESPN released its predictions for the NFL Week 5 slate of games, and in it, they note that the Browns' defense will be challenged this weekend. That could really mark it harder for Watson, but he's already proven that he's capable of this challenge.
"The resurgence of the Browns' defense has been at the center of Cleveland's three-game winning streak, but the unit could be shorthanded in the trenches Sunday," Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN notes. "DTs Mason Graham (MCL, ankle) and Mike Hall Jr. (ankle) are dealing with injuries that will likely sideline them."
He adds that "Graham and Hall have combined for five of Cleveland's 12 sacks, as well as nine pressures, through four games."
There's also some good news for the Jets, which is only bad for the Browns. New York "should have fresh legs on offense, considering they ran only 32 plays in last week's clunker against Chicago," Rich Cimini of ESPN notes, adding that offensive coordinator Frank Reich has said he's fixing the offensive line and that it will be why "we get it back on track."
