ALLEN PARK -- While the Detroit Lions (0-8-1) have ended the 0-17 talk for the season, they still haven’t won in 13 games heading into this weekend’s matchup in Cleveland with uncertainty under center.
Jared Goff’s status for the weekend is unclear, with the Lions quarterback recovering from an oblique injury suffered in last week’s tie in Pittsburgh. He missed practice to open the week, with it sounding like the team will take the decision regarding his availability into the weekend. With the Browns quarterback saying this is the “most beat up” he’s been, Baker Mayfield isn’t looking much better. Mayfield has a torn labrum in his shoulder, knee contusion and sore foot heading into the weekend but expects to play.
“... it’s hard for me to say, ‘Hey, I can’t go,’ when I want to try to fight through it,” Goff said. “But, I also have to be honest with myself and by Friday or Saturday, whenever that comes around, and be able to make that decision.”
It’s about more than the quarterbacks, though, with the Browns rocking world-eater Myles Garrett on the edge. Garrett has 13 sacks on the year, getting credit for one in all but one game this season. The Lions? They have 14 team sacks on the season.
This post will run through team stats, looking at the series history, betting lines and spotlight players for the Browns:
2021 Team stats:
DVOA offensive ranking: Lions 31st | Browns 13th
DVOA defensive ranking: Lions 29th | Browns 26th
Net yards gained per passing attempt: Lions 5.3 (31st) | Browns 6.5 (15th)
Rushing yards per attempt: Lions 4.4 (13th) | Browns 5.3 (1st)
Points per game: Lions 16.7 (30th tied with Bears) | Browns 23.1 (18th)
Points allowed per game: Lions 28.9 (30th) | Browns 24.1 (20th)
Net yards allowed per passing attempt: Lions 7.7 (31st) | Browns 6.3 (16th)
Rushing yards allowed per attempt: Lions 4.4 (18th) | Browns 3.8 (4th)
Takeaways: Lions 10 | Browns 8
Spotlight players for Cleveland: It’s hard to figure out what the heck the Browns are going to do on offense, with Baker Mayfield, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb all dealing with something. Chubb landed on the COVID list last week and is considered day-to-day. Hunt has been ruled out for the weekend due to his calf injury. Peoples-Jones, who has taken a significant role after the departure of Odell Beckham Jr., recently tweaked his groin while Mayfield deals with multiple injuries.
Veteran Case Keenum is Cleveland’s backup quarterback, with D’Ernest Johnson handling duties out of the backfield with Hunt and Chubb down. Keenum started back in Week 7, completing 21 of 33 passes for 199 yards and one touchdown in Cleveland’s 17-14 win against the Broncos.
Chubb’s status is worth tracking, with the fourth-year back serving as the driving force behind this team’s top-ranked rushing attack. He has 721 yards and six touchdowns through six games, with his 35 forced missed tackles the third-most in the NFL.
“You look at how they run the ball. I think they’re first across the board,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “That tells you exactly who they are. I think they have, if not the best running back, one of them in Chubb. Again, we look forward to playing against teams like this. Because if they’re No. 1, we want to see exactly how we match up.”
The passing attack hit new lows last week, though, with Mayfield struggling to get anything moving while working through injuries. Austin Hooper and Jarvis Landry lead the passing attack, with Hooper’s 24 receptions the most on the team. Landry has been quiet, catching 23 passes for 219 yards and no scores while missing four games. Peoples-Jones had provided an explosive spark recently, rocking 330 yards and three scores on just 16 catches. His groin injury puts his status in question too.
On the defensive side of the ball? It’s hard to ignore what Myles Garrett brings to that group, standing as one of the most disruptive defenders in the league and not just among edge defenders. Garrett’s 50 pressures are the second-most around, trailing only Maxx Crosby of the Raiders. His 13 sacks are tops in the league, getting credit for one in all but one game this season. The former top pick is on a terrifying pace for his best season in the pros.
Jadeveon Clowney hasn’t been a slouch on the other side of the defense, posting 34 pressures and five sacks while missing only one game. Availability has been an issue for the talented pass rusher, but he’s been solid and on the field this year.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Lions approach this matchup, one week removed from pounding the rock while using their beefiest formations. Tackles Matt Nelson and Will Holden were used as extra blockers more times than not in last week’s tie, and with Garrett and Clowney, it’s hard to imagine Nelson not seeing time on the line.
“When you got multiple guys on the edges, it’s tough just to single out one guy, sometimes when there’s only one, you can slide your protection one way or the other,” Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley said. “More often or put some help over there. But the big hat falls on these two edge guys out here, you know in (Taylor) Decker and Penei (Sewell). Sometimes they’re going to be singled out, you just gotta be sound. And that’s, they make you play sound football, those guys out there. You gotta be sound in your sets. You gotta be patient and we got to take the fight to those guys. They’d like to take the fight to you, so we got to make sure where they’re across out there, run and pass, and every time we get a chance, lean on those guys and hit those guys. Definitely a challenge. Each week presents a tone, and this is the challenge they present this week along with the whole defense. They do a nice job.”
Betting line: The Lions (0-8-1) are between 11 and 11.5-point underdogs against the Browns (5-5), with the over/under total around 43.5 and 44 points. Detroit is 5-4 against the spread this season, while Cleveland is 5-5.
Series history: The Lions lead the all-time series 19-5, winning seven of their last eight meetings against the Browns. These two franchises have also met in four NFL championship games, with the Lions winning three of those meetings:
2017 -- Lions 38, Browns 24
2013 -- Lions 31, Browns 17
2009 -- Lions 38, Browns 37
2005 -- Lions 13, Browns 10
2001 -- Browns 24, Lions 14
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