The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Browns, Falcons look to ‘mash’ it up behind RBS
Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith knows what to expect from a Cleveland Browns offense that revolves around Nick Chubb’s powerful runs.
“They’re coming to mash you,” Smith said.
Smith wants Atlanta’s rushing attack led by Cordarrelle Patterson to mash back.
Chubb, the NFL’S leading rusher, and Patterson, who ranks third, will be in the spotlight in what Smith expects to be a “heavyweight fight” of running games today. Patterson is listed as questionable with a knee injury. He had limited participation in Friday’s practice after resting his knee on Wednesday and Thursday.
This will be Chubb’s first NFL game played in his home state. The Cedartown native previously played at Mercedes-benz Stadium during his college career at Georgia.
Chubb says Cleveland’s run-first offense wears down defenses.
“Things start to open up,” Chubb said. “I can’t really see them getting tired, but at the end of the game things do start opening up a lot easier.”
Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett says the Browns’ running game is no secret.
“I mean, yeah, teams know we’re going to run the ball and we still run the ball,” Brissett said.
The Browns and Falcons are the league’s only teams to score at least 26 points in every game.
“Everybody sees the tape; it’s going to be a really physical game on Sunday,” Smith said. “They’re going to try to run Nick Chubb 500 times and we got to stop him, and we’re going to try to run the ball and play our game, too.”
Brissett has disproved doubters who believed the Browns couldn’t win until quarterback Deshaun Watson returns in December from his 11-game suspension for alleged sexual misconduct. Brissett threw two touchdown passes in Cleveland’s 29-17 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 22.
Patterson, formerly a wide receiver and return specialist, has set career rushing highs in two of Atlanta’s first three games, including his 141 yards in last week’s 2723 win at Seattle.
Browns All-pro defensive end Myles Garrett will miss the game after suffering a sprained shoulder, strained biceps, cuts and bruises when he lost control and flipped his Porsche in a one-car crash after practice Monday.
JAGUARS AT EAGLES
Philadelphia’s offense has looked impressive, with QB Jalen Hurts averaging 9.3 yards per pass. They’ve managed to join the Miami Dolphins as the only undefeated teams in the league after three weeks. The Jaguars, however, are the only team in the NFL ranked top-five in both offense and defense. They’ve let Trevor Lawrence get sacked only twice all season, and last week Jacksonville won its first road game in nearly three years.
BILLS AT RAVENS
The Bills lost to Miami straight up as big favorites despite Josh Allen’s throwing for 400 yards. This week, they get put to the test all over again, taking on the NFL’S highest scoring offense. Lamar Jackson has thrown three or more touchdown passes in each of his starts and last week ran for more than 100 yards for the second consecutive game. These are two of the best teams in the league, and they should score a lot of points. Still, the outcome should be close.
VIKINGS VS. SAINTS
This one’s set for London. The Vikings stole a game against the Detroit Lions last week but lost running back Dalvin Cook, who dislocated his shoulder and is listed as day-to-day. Defenses are playing the Vikings’ star receiver Justin Jefferson tough, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown in Minnesota’s past two games. The Saints lost to a bad Carolina Panthers team last week, but New Orleans’ flop appeared to have had more to do with penalties, turnovers and poor quarterback protection by the offensive line than with Jameis Winston’s back injury.
TITANS AT COLTS
The Titans and Colts aren’t just AFC South Division rivals, the teams also feature two of the best running backs in the NFL. Derrick Henry was the league rushing champ in 2019 and 2020, then missed the back half of Tennessee’s 2021 season, when Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor claimed the title. After the confounding choice not to feed Taylor in a shutout loss to the Jaguars in Week 2, the Colts returned to what works, handing him 21 carries in a shocking win over Kansas City. In that game, rookie tight end Jelani Woods emerged for two touchdown catches. Henry had to be not only the Titans’ best rusher but, catching five passes for 58 yards last week, also the team’s second-best receiver.
CHIEFS AT BUCCANEERS
Tonight’s prime-time game is a rematch of the 2020 season’s Super Bowl, which was the last time these two teams faced each other. Kansas City and Tampa Bay are both coming off losses, but Tom Brady looks to get a boost from the return of receiver Mike Evans and, potentially, Julio Jones’ first start of the season. Brady had just three touchdown passes in as many games playing without his top three receivers. The Buccaneers treaded water behind one of the best defenses in the NFL and now the offense might finally find its spark.
COMMANDERS AT COWBOYS
This very well might be Cooper Rush’s last game as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback now that Dak Prescott has indicated that he plans to be back on the field by Week 5. Winning his two starts, Rush proved he can manage the offensive game plan. Washington looked terrible last week, giving up nine sacks of Carson Wentz and face the NFL’S sack leaders. But the Commanders still rank higher than Dallas in nearly every offensive statistical category.
SEAHAWKS AT LIONS
The Lions face some key injuries to starters, including those of receiver Amon-ra St. Brown, running back D’andre Swift and safety Tracy Walker. Walker’s absence in the secondary will matter: Last week, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith put up 325 yards of offense against a battered Falcons defense.
CHARGERS AT TEXANS
There were concerns last week about Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s rib injury; now, there are concerns about the whole team. Los Angeles added eight players to the injury report after Sunday’s blowout loss to the Jaguars, including tackle Rashawn Slater (out for the season with a torn biceps) and linebacker Joey Bosa (out for surgery to repair a groin injury).
BEARS AT GIANTS
The Giants’ two-game win streak came to an abrupt halt, met by the Cowboys’ defense that pressured Daniel Jones a record 23 times and collected five sacks. Adding injury to insult, Giants receiver Sterling Shepard tore his anterior cruciate ligament on the offense’s last play of the game. The Bears are coming off a win despite a poor Week 3 performance from quarterback Justin Fields, who threw two interceptions against the Texans and has not thrown a touchdown pass since the season opener. He should be able to hand the ball off with ease to Khalil Herbert or David Montgomery against the Giants, who give up 5.3 rushing yards per attempt, fifthmost in the league.
JETS AT STEELERS
The Jets put left tackle George Fant on injured reserve, where he joined two of the team’s other offensive lineman. The timing couldn’t be worse as quarterback Zach Wilson is expected to return to the lineup this week after getting knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in training camp. Pittsburgh struggled against the Browns last week, and fans’ calls have grown louder for coach Mike Tomlin to bench quarterback Mitch Trubisky in favor of rookie Kenny Pickett. Tomlin is benching veteran nose tackle Tyson Alualu for Montravius Adams, probably a reaction to Nick Chubb’s running for 113 yards on the Steelers last Thursday night.
CARDINALS AT PANTHERS
The Cardinals’ best weapon is their quarterback, Kyler Murray, who is one of the best rushing quarterbacks in the NFL. For some reason, the team hasn’t been letting him scramble and run. His rush attempts are down from 6.3 per game to 4. Carolina is coming off its first win of the season, but its defense still let a banged-up Jameis Winston throw for 353 yards.
PATRIOTS AT PACKERS
Mac Jones looked tough last week in New England’s loss to the Ravens, but he sprained his ankle in the fourth quarter after the game was all but lost. Brian Hoyer, a 14-year NFL veteran, will replace him. Hoyer is 1-12as a starter since the 2016 season.
BRONCOS AT RAIDERS
The Raiders sneaked into the playoffs last season but, after spending to add Davante Adams and Chandler Jones before this season, are the only 0-3 team in the league. This may be a good week to get their first win. Las Vegas hosts the Broncos, who got a second win last week by beating the 49ers by one point in an unimpressive effort in which Denver punted 10 times. The Broncos might be the worst 2-1 team in the NFL.