3 Daunting Challenges Detroit Lions Present, How Cleveland Browns Could Try to Answer

The Detroit Lions have proven to be a formidable team, but they specifically challenge the Cleveland Browns in three different ways, all of which could decide the game. Looking at the problems the Lions present and how the Browns could try to limit their impact.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

To this point, the Browns have faced wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They played Zay Flowers and this past week they went up against a group of receivers including Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. The Browns have fared well for the most part, including dominating performances against the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers.

However, Amon-Ra St. Brown might be the most challenging matchup because of where he tends to cause problems. St. Brown plays slightly more than half of this snaps from the slot, which is the defensive spot that has been the biggest question on what has been an incredible defense so far this season.

Myles Harden wasn’t a world beater against the Packers. He was called for defensive pass interference on the last drive of the game for the Packers. Had the Packers been able to kick their field goal, Harden likely would’ve gotten some share of the blame for the loss. Harden was effectively called for face guarding as he didn’t turn his head to look for the ball when he was in phase on the receiver.

Overall, Harden wasn’t tested all that much. He wasn’t exploited either. So he may well be the plan for the Browns moving forward in hopes that he can settle into that role.

It’s unlikely that Harden will see much action unless he’s playing dime this week. St. Brown is too important of a matchup and the Browns will likely dedicate one of their top corners to try to limit him. While some might think the natural move might be Denzel Ward. He simply shadows St. Brown wherever he goes, inside or outside. That’s possible but seems unlikely this week.

Yes, Ward can cover a player like St. Brown. However, the Browns have been hesitant with the idea of frequently exposing Ward to the slot. It also incentives an opponent like Detroit to force Ward into the slot and then run right at him.

It seems more likely if the Browns want to dedicate a corner to follow St. Brown, it would be Greg Newsome II. He’s a little bigger and he has the familiarity of playing in the slot, having done it the past few seasons. That would allow Newsome to follow St. Brown wherever he goes.

At that point, the main concern is the Lions trying to use rub concepts or otherwise force the secondary to trade responsibilities. For situations when Ward is on the outside of Newsome, trading responsibilities would fine. Ward could then pick up St. Brown in a position the Browns are comfortable. The concern is what happens in a situation where the Lions force a trade on the opposite side of the field. The Browns could potentially activate someone like Dom Jones to play on the outside this week. He might be a matchup the Browns are fine with against rookie Isaac Teslaa. They could also deploy Jarrick Bernard-Converse to play outside who isn’t as big but offers good athleticism.

If the Browns want to stick with matchups, they could then have Ward focus on Jameson Williams. Grant Delpit is going to be focused on trying to limit tight end Sam LaPorta. Motion and trading could prove effective for causing the secondary of the Browns problems, but it does take time. Time for the pass rush of the Browns to potentially get home rushing Jared Goff.

The Browns could come out with Harden in the slot, just to see how the Lions decide to attack their defense. However, if St. Brown is going to live in there, they will likely adjust quickly. Theoretically, Harden could just try to jam him off the line of scrimmage with safety help over the top. It seems more likely the Browns will want to keep their safeties free to focus on a more general approach.

Aidan Hutchinson

The Browns have what they are describing as a ‘fluid’ situation at right tackle. They hope Jack Conklin can be healthy enough to return to play this week and stabilize the unit. If he can’t go, it’s the best of several bad choices. KT Leveston was inserted into the lineup last week after Dawand Jones left the game against the Packers with what has been revealed to be a season-ending injury. Leveston is a talented run blocker but was miserable in pass protection.

The Browns had signed tackles Tyre Phillips and Jordan Miles to their practice squad last Tuesday. This week, when the Browns put Jones on injured reserve, they then signed Thayer Munford from the practice squad of the New England Patriots.

This is a bad place to be against any opponent. The Browns will be facing off against Aidan Hutchinson, who has been arguably the best left end in the league.

The Browns are already incentivized to run the ball as effectively as possible. Quinshon Judkins has been able to hit the ground running, generating explosive plays for the offense. Unfortunately, Hutchinson is an excellent run defender in addition to being an impact pass rusher. The Browns will try to run the ball, but will ultimately find themselves in positions where they have to pass.

The Browns cannot reasonably expect the right tackle to be named to singlehandedly block Hutchinson in that scenario. They will likely want to slide their protection to the right to try to aid against Hutchinson. The problem is that Al-Quadin Muhammad has been an effective edge rusher on the other side. That does create some issues, especially given the limited mobility quarterback Joe Flacco now offers.

As a result, the Browns will likely use tight ends, backs and receivers to try to chip Hutchinson, potentially both ends. That could be helpful for the tackles trying to block. It could also open up some play-action passing opportunities. The Browns could use chip release plays to try to get quick pass options in the flats. They might also hope to screen the Lions to slow down their rush.

This becomes far more viable if the Browns can have consistent success running the ball. That could then limit the ability of the Lions to get defenders to take away the flats. If the Lions follow how other teams have played, they will keep their safeties back to prevent the Browns from taking shots down the field. The result could be some opportunities at the intermediate levels of the field. The Browns had and missed several opportunities in that area of the field against the Packers. They need to be far better this week.

Penei Sewell

The Browns have faced some talented offensive linemen, but none on the level of Lions right tackle Penei Sewell. He’s a talented pass protector. The Browns have enough talent on their defensive line in order to generate pressure on Goff elsewhere. The problem with Sewell is just how impactful he is as a run blocker. The Browns have had the best run defense in the league, but Sewell is arguably the best run blocking offensive lineman in the NFL.

Along with rookie right guard Tate Ratledge, the Lions can run concepts like duo and effectively bulldoze the competition. The Browns defensive line has been great this year, but they aren’t all terribly big. Having two linemen who are at least 320 pounds coming off the ball quickly are a challenging matchup.

Mason Graham, as an example, has been a benefit to the interior of the Browns for run defense, but he has had trouble in situations where opponents can get on him quickly. Graham’s strength has been his ability to get off the ball quickly and generate momentum to maximize his power. Combined with effective hand usage and pad level, he’s been able to cause havoc for opponents. When Graham has had issues, it’s been in short yardage situations where opponents crowd the line of scrimmage, fire off the ball and lean on him.

Isaiah McGuire is a good run defender. Dating back to last season, he’s been one of the better edge defenders in this area of the game. That helps, but it’s still going to be a daunting challenge as he’s giving up over 50 pounds to the hulking Sewell. Pad level is going to be critical as the Browns try to short circuit the running game. They will likely employ slants. They could even try to cut Sewell.

More than anything, the Browns will be counting on their linebackers to take care of the situation and try to limit big plays. The defense will need to swarm when they diagnose the run and be precise on their angles to try to limit the impact of the backs running behind Sewell. The speed of Jahmyr Gibbs is the main threat, but David Montgomery showed against the Baltimore Ravens that he must be respected as a big play threat as well.

Lamar Jackson is a uniquely problematic player against the Browns defense because every so often he will just decide to be unbeatable. From a team perspective, the Detroit Lions might be the most daunting set of matchups they will face. If they can dominate this group, they should be able to play with anyone.

The offense is another story. Injuries haven’t helped, particularly as they get ready to face Aidan Hutchinson, but they have so much more to prove. Any one of these matchups could help the Lions win the game. It will be a tall order for the Browns to find the edge in all three, coming up with another improbable victory this week.