Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars bring QB questions into key AFC showdown
CLEVELAND — Two things have been constants for the Browns of late.
One is a level of uncertainty at the quarterback position, either because of injury or a refusal by coach Kevin Stefanski to tip his hand too early. The other is playoff stakes hanging on the outcome of their games.
It won't be any different for the Browns on Sunday when they return to the shores of Lake Erie for the first time since before Thanksgiving. They'll not only be playing a Jacksonville Jaguars team that leads the AFC South with an 8-4 record, but they'll be doing so with a chance to grab a massive win for their own chances of earning an AFC wild card spot.
The Browns (7-5) went into this week's games holding down the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff picture despite also being on a season-high two-game losing streak. They sat behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have already lost this week to the New England Patriots to fall to 7-6, and ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, another 7-5 team Cleveland has already beaten.
"Guys have been resilient this year," All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio said. "We wanted our team to be as healthy as possible and we had some unfortunate injuries to some very important pieces, but to guys' credit, they've stepped up. And we talked about playing good football in December allows you to keep playing in January, and that's really our goal.
"So we got an AFC battle this week with a team that's leading their division. It's a huge one. We have to try and find a way to go one another this week and keep that momentum going.”
The question is if the Browns are going to try to do so by building off the momentum they gained from Joe Flacco's first start last week against the Los Angeles Rams. Flacco went 23-of-44 passing for 253 yards with two touchdown, although he did have a back-breaking interception late in the game.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski refused to name a starting quarterback for Sunday, leaving it to a "game-time decision." It's between Flacco, the 16-year pro who's technically on the Browns' practice squad, and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who cleared concussion protocol this week.
Had Thompson-Robinson not cleared protocol, the decision would've been clear-cut. It would've been Flacco, who showed poise and confidence in his Browns debut in Los Angeles just two weeks after signing with the team.
However, Stefanski has elected to play coy with the decision with two healthy quarterbacks who have both started games in the last month. Thompson-Robinson started the Browns' Nov. 19 win over the Steelers and a Nov. 26 loss at the Denver Broncos, the game in which he was knocked out of with a concussion.
Flacco would still remain the favorite to be the starter. Not that Stefanski's going to give up that information anytime sooner than he has to do so.
"Both guys practiced this week," Stefanski said Friday. "Both guys practiced well. I got faith in both guys. But not going to name a starter."
The quarterback uncertainty isn't just Browns-related this week. Jacksonville's franchise quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, was listed as questionable after suffering a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of the Jaguars' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
Lawrence practiced on Thursday and Friday, and Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson said the former No. 1 overall pick will be monitored and is a game-time decision. It does seem to be trending toward him playing.
"Yeah, I think we're preparing for him, preparing for him to play," cornerback Denzel Ward said. "He's a great quarterback, great for that team. Their entire team brings a challenge to us, and we just got to be ready to face that."
Individual matchup of the game: Cleveland Browns LT Geron Christian vs. Jacksonville Jaguars OLB Josh Allen
It would be easy almost every week to go with Myles Garrett against whichever left tackle the Browns star is lined up against. This week, though, it's time to flip it around and take the Browns left tackle against another of the league's top young pass rushers. The "other" Josh Allen is tied for third in the league with 13.5 sacks, a half-sack ahead of Garrett. He's recorded 24 pressures, forced two fumbles, intercepted a pass and had 11 tackles for loss. While the entire Jaguars defensive front is feisty and mean, Allen is the one who makes the whole thing go. If Flacco — not exactly the most fleet of foot quarterback in the game — is the Browns' starting quarterback, Christian needs to keep the backside pressure away from him as much as possible.
Positional group matchup of the game: Cleveland Browns defensive line vs. Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line
One could say defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz laid down the challenge for his defensive linemen when he said on Thursday, "We expect our D-line to be the driving force of our defense. They are the engine that drives us. We get our energy from them, and regardless of a mobile quarterback or quarterback going quick we have to still be effective in pass rush. Sometimes it might look a little bit different, but we have to be effective in our pass rush." The Browns defensive line, which has been the tone-setter for much of the season for the defense, has been tamed a bit in the losses in Denver and Los Angeles. The Jaguars may very well start a gimpy quarterback behind an offensive line that is also battling multiple injuries, specifically at both tackle spots. If that's not the recipe for a defensive line to get things back on track, then there's something really wrong.
Coaching matchup of the game: Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz vs. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson
Yes, it's a third consecutive game in which Schwartz is part of this specific matchup. However, there's a reason for that this week. Pederson, who calls the Jaguars' offensive plays, coached the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 until 2020, winning a Super Bowl in the 2017 season. His defensive coordinator for those years was Schwartz. The Sunday chess matches between great offensive and defensive minds are always fascinating to watch unfold. When the two chess masters have an extensive history of working together, it takes it to another level.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns, Jaguars bring quarterback questions into key AFC showdown
