With nearly a quarter of the 2024 NFL regular season in the books, the Cleveland Browns have their work cut out for them to make a return trip to the postseason.
Cleveland sits at 1-3, and analysts predicted coming into the season that this opening stretch of games would be the team’s easiest.
That was before the 2024 No. 2 overall pick – Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels – entered the picture.
Since debuting this season, Daniels has been near perfect.
The quarterback is completing a league-best 82.1 percent of his passes for 897 yards and three touchdowns through the air while the speedy dual-threat runner has also accumulated 218 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Stopping – or slowing down, at the least – this signal-caller is the team’s top priority heading into their matchup this weekend.
Analyst Spencer German shared Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s thoughts on the matter on X as Schwartz revealed the keys to defending Daniels.
“We gotta stay in our gaps, play tight coverage and tackle well,” Spencer wrote of Schwartz’s thoughts.
#Browns DC Jim Schwartz on defending Jayden Daniels: Been very efficient with the ball. Understands the RPO, zone read system. Converted somewhere in the range of 40% of their third downs with his legs. We gotta stay in our gaps, play tight coverage and tackle well.
— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) October 3, 2024
Additionally, Schwartz shared his admiration for Daniels’ understanding of the run-pass option attack and his ability to execute in the zone read system.
Daniels has converted roughly 40 percent of the team’s third downs by running the ball, Schwartz noted.
Outside of an opening-game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Commanders have been efficiently moving the ball against all competition.
For four consecutive weeks, the Browns have increased their offensive scoring efforts – a streak that Cleveland will have to end for the team to earn its second victory of the season.
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