The New York Jets (1-3) return home in Week 5 to face the Cleveland Browns (3-1) at MetLife Stadium. The Jets played their worst game of the season in last week’s 23-12 loss to the Chicago Bears. They’ve lost three-straight since winning their season opener and the pressure for a victory is on head coach Aaron Glenn to deliver.
The Browns have been a very surprising team early in the season. They’ve won three straight and are tied for first place in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens.
After a rough start to the year, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has played well, throwing five touchdowns and only one interception over his last three games.
Here are Jets Wire’s three Key Matchups for Week 5:
Garrett Wilson vs. Denzel Ward
Wilson is having a terrific season through his first four games and you really see his impact more when he has a competent quarterback throwing him the football. He already has two touchdowns and a 100 yard receiving game this season. While he wasn’t particularly effective last week against the Bears (three receptions, 27 yards), the offense as a whole struggled and Wilson didn’t see many targets in the game, which was very surprising.
GW is back at home and will face off with one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Ward. His PFF coverage grade is 90.4, tops among all cornerbacks. Opposing quarterbacks have a combined passer rating of only 75.1 against Ward and he has one interception on the season. The Jets are still banged up at wide receiver and it’s looking like another game without either Adonai Mitchell or Omar Cooper Jr. Wilson’s production is vital to the team’s offense so expect Frank Reich to line him up not only out wide but also in the slot. Iron sharpens iron and both Wilson and Ward will have their work cut out for themselves against each other on Sunday.
Aaron Glenn vs. Jets Nation
After three weeks of watching the team play tough but only managing one win, their terrible performance against the Bears in Week 4 was a punch to the stomach of all Jets fans. It felt like too many games last season in Glenn’s first year coaching the team. No game plan on offense, no adjustments in the second half and too many self-inflicted wounds that cost them dearly. Any goodwill Glenn may have earned back with the Jets fan went out the window and Jets nation is very nervous that the season is falling apart.
It’s imperative that Glenn flip the script after that awful performance against Chicago. They need to start fast and pressure Deshaun Watson all afternoon. Yes, the Browns are 3-1 and Todd Monken has done a great job to start the season. But, Cleveland is not invincible and can be beaten. It’s very rare to call a Week 5 game a must-win. But, Glenn needs this victory more than ever. While a loss won’t necessarily mean Glenn’s termination, he’ll be a dead man walking among Jets Nation.
Jordan Meredith vs. Maliek Collins
The Browns could be without their best defensive lineman for this game as Mason Graham is doubtful with a sprained MCL. Adin Huntington stepped in and delivered against the Steelers with a sack, four hurries and two quarterback hits on Aaron Rodgers. Graham already has four sacks on the season and if he can’t go on Sunday, the burden will be left to Huntington and Maliek Collins. Collins struggles against the run as he ranks 72nd out of 129 defensive linemen with a PFF grade of 52.1. He does grade out better against the pass and will line up against Meredith, who stepped in for Dylan Parham after he was injured during the Jets loss to Detroit.
Parham is week-to-week with a knee injury and it’s highly unlikely he’ll play on Sunday. If he can’t go, Meredith will most likely get his second start of the season. He was terrible against the Bears in Week 4 allowing five pressures and a sack. The Browns figure to attack Meredith as the weak link on the Jets offensive line. But, Cleveland’s defensive line is vulnerable without Graham and the Jets badly need Meredith to play better to take advantage of a potential major weakness on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets vs. Browns: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 5