Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns: How to watch and 3 things to watch in the Week 4 matchup
● What: Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns
● When: Sunday, Sept. 28, 1 p.m.
● Where: Ford Field, Detroit
● How to watch: FOX (Albert/Vilma/Olivi)
● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.
● Line: Lions -10
● Injury report: The Lions ruled out three players for Sunday’s game — running back Sione Vaki (groin), safety Daniel Thomas (forearm) and linebacker Zach Cunningham (hamstring).
Additionally, offensive tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder) and defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad (knee) are questionable.
● Officiating assignment: Shawn Smith’s crew. In his eighth season as a lead official, he hasn’t had a Lions game since Week 10 of the 2023 season, when the Lions topped the Chargers in a shootout, 41-38.
● Last meeting: The Browns won a sloppy 13-10 game in Nov. 2021. The Lions started Tim Boyle at quarterback in place of an injured Jared Goff and mustered just 77 passing yards in the contest.
Three things worth watching
● The Browns defense, led by former Lions coach Jim Schwartz, is undeniably formidable. It starts with the unit’s effectiveness against the run. Through three games, including one against the Ravens — a team that set a Super Bowl era record by averaging 5.8 yards per carry a year ago — the Browns are allowing just 57.3 yards per game and 2.4 yards per carry, both league bests.
Digging into those numbers a little further, the longest run Cleveland has surrendered this season is 11 yards, and they’ve allowed just nine first downs on the ground. Those figures are also the best in the NFL.
Lions offensive coordinator John Morton, a man who says little publicly, isn’t rattled by the challenge the opposition presents. During his Thursday press conference, he noted the Browns have yet to face a run game like Detroit’s this season.
The Lions certainly present a daunting challenge for most defenses. Since signing David Montgomery and drafting Jahmyr Gibbs, they’ve been held under 100 rushing yards just five times in 37 games. Still, as Green Bay proved in the season opener, it’s possible to shut it down, limiting the Lions to 46 yards on 22 carries.
Detroit has gotten on track since that dud, including 224 yards against Baltimore last Monday. It’s shaping up to be a classic strength-on-strength matchup, one that could dictate the tone of the game. If the Browns continue their dominance, they should be able to keep it close in their search for a second straight upset over an NFC Super Bowl contender.
● Sticking with Cleveland’s front, with all due respect to hard-charging Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett remains the gold standard for NFL edge rushers. A first-team All-Pro four of the past five seasons, Garrett has averaged more than 14 sacks and 77 QB pressures during that stretch.
After demanding a trade this offseason before settling for a market-resetting extension, Garrett is back at it again. He’s already racked up 4.0 sacks through three games. Among the 67 players in NFL history with 100 sacks, he tops the leaderboard, averaging 0.888 per game.
Rushing primarily from the right side of Cleveland’s formation, Garrett was held without a sack by Taylor Decker in that 2021 matchup. Still, the defender had an impact, generating four pressures and hitting Boyle twice in that contest.
Decker told me this week that the league’s best pass rushers are usually hyper athletic or great technicians. Garrett is one of the few who are both.
Detroit’s left tackle has been battling a shoulder injury all season, significantly limiting his practice participation. Despite the discomfort, the nagging injury hindered Decker too much on game days, with no sacks or hits allowed in 61 pass-blocking snaps. That’s part of two consecutive sack-free games for Goff.
If the Lions are going to secure a third consecutive game without allowing a sack, something they’ve never done in franchise history during a single season, it will start with Decker and Garrett.
● For as much of a challenge as Cleveland’s defense poses, the offense is one of the league’s more anemic units. Through three games, they’re averaging 15.3 points and have yet to top 17.
The Browns have managed to rack up more than 200 passing yards per game with 40-year-old Joe Flacco at the helm. However, with more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (two), his 65.9 passer rating is the lowest among qualifying quarterbacks.
If there’s a ray of hope for the Browns, it’s Quinshon Judkins, the second-round pick out of Ohio State. The rookie running back’s NFL career got off to an inauspicious start after a domestic violence allegation prevented him from being with the team through training camp and the preseason. However, he signed in early September, after it was announced there would be no criminal charges.
It’s possible Judkins still draws a suspension from the league relating to the incident. However, he’ll be active until that comes down. In the meantime, he’s quickly become a focal point of the team’s offense, drawing 18 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over Green Bay.
Bottling up the speedy 221-pounder should be Detroit’s top defensive priority on Sunday.
I don't see the Browns running that well against Detroit. We usually try and focus on stopping the run first. I don't see the Browns being able to use ball control to keep Detroit's offense on the bench. We should get plenty of opportunities to score points.
Cleveland might be on cloud nine after beating a listless Packer team, but I don't think Detroit will overlook this contest by feeling overly smug about their thrashing of the Ravens. If Detroit is going to make a serious SB run, this is a game you do not surrender on the home field.
They should send Vilma to the injury tent every time he says something stupid during the broadcast.