The Cleveland Browns are looking to bounce back from an ugly loss to the New York Giants in Week 3 as they will go on the road to play the Las Vegas Raiders. This is a must-win game for the Browns as they can ill-afford to be 1-3 after four games.
Heading into this weekend’s matchup, all the attention was on the Browns’ injury situation as they will be missing three starting offensive linemen. That isn’t great news for Deshaun Watson, who was sacked eight times against the New York Giants.
However, Watson and the rest of the Browns will not have to worry about Raiders standout pass rusher Maxx Crosby and a couple of other Vegas players. According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said wide receiver Davante Adams, tight end Michael Mayer, and Crosby will all be out.
#Raiders WR Davante Adams (hamstring) and DE Maxx Crosby (ankle) and TE Michael Mayer will all be OUT, says coach Antonio Pierce:
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 27, 2024
Cleveland is a still on-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook based on this latest injury report from the Raiders. It shows that the oddsmakers still don’t trust this Browns team. However, this is a prime spot for Cleveland to show they will be a threat in the AFC North.
With Crosby sidelined, the Browns’ offensive line and Watson should be significantly better than last week. Watson’s play has been horrible this season as he’s completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 551 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.
At the same time, it doesn’t help when your offensive line is struggling in pass protection. As for the Browns’ defense, they should be able to slow down the Raiders’ passing game sans Adams and Mayer.
The Raiders’ top two pass-catching threats are Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers, which should help Gardner Minshew. However, the Browns have the better defensive players to take over and dominate.
