Sunday | 4:05 ET
The Browns will pay the Seahawks a visit on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field in Seattle. Both teams come in at 4-2 and off of a win. Cleveland’s defense has been the best in the NFL in 2023. It will be tasked with stopping a dangerous Seattle offense that is loaded with weapons.
The Seahawks offense has been good this year, sitting at 8th in offensive PFF grade. It has been able to both run and pass the ball well. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba lock down the wide receiver position. Metcalf was out last week and is iffy to play this week, but would be a big boost back into this offense. Running back Kenneth Walker III already has six touchdowns on the year, and is coming off of a 105 yard rushing performance in Week 7.
Yards will be tougher to come by this week, however, against the daunting Cleveland defense. Even coming off of its worst performance by far- giving up 38 points to a Gardner Minchew-led Colts team- this unit has given up the least yards in the NFL by a wide margin. Edge rusher Myles Garrett currently has the best odds to win Defensive Player of Year, and he is a one-man wrecking crew. He is third in the NFL in sacks with 7.5, and even blocked a kick last week in an insanely athletic play. Cleveland’s pash rush ranks first in PFF grading in 2023; it is the strength of the defense.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will have to be decisive with the ball and find receivers quickly. Seattle is 24th in average depth of target (ADOT), so they haven’t been relying on the long ball this year. This works in their favor, but they’ll still face a big challenge on Sunday.
On the other side of the ball, the Browns have struggled offensively. However, they are coming off of their most impressive performance of the year putting up 39 points against Indianapolis. Ever since star RB Nick Chubb got injured, the unit has appeared a bit lost. Now, with QB Deshaun Watson re-injuring himself last week, Cleveland really is in a tough spot. To make matters more difficult, the Seahawks have some beasts on defense. Linebacker Bobby Wagner has been stellar this year, particularly against the run. 2023 5th overall pick Devon Witherspoon has been fantastic as well, ranking 1st out of 115 qualified cornerbacks in PFF grade. Only seven games into his career, he already has two sacks and one pick-six to his name. Backup QB PJ Walker will have a tough time moving the ball against this stout defense.
Ultimately, I see the Seahawks winning this game. The Browns defense is phenomenal, but showed a bit of weakness last week. However, the pick is based on the other matchup. I know the Browns scored 38 last week, but I can’t see Walker doing this again, especially against a good defense in a raucous environment.