Browns and Jets are going to be hurting due to injury losses in the Week 5 NFL battle
Both the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets got some tough injury news for the Week 5 game with some players set to miss.
The Cleveland Browns are 3-1 heading into their Week 5 matchup with the New York Jets, while New York sits at 1-3. Still, the Jets are a slight favorite at home in a quarterback battle between Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and Jets quarterback Geno Smith.
Injuries are going to be a big storyline going into this one. Both Cleveland and New York will be missing starters on Sunday, with Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham and Jets running back Breece Hall among the names on the sidelines.
Jets will be without Breece Hall and A.D. Mitchell
New York is set to be without Hall and wide receiver A.D. Mitchell. Hall is the Jets’ leading rusher with 163 rushing yards and one touchdown. He also has 10 receptions for 102 yards.
That’s a multi-dimensional back the Jets are losing with Hall. New York’s rushing attack hasn’t been good this season, and without its top guy, it’s going to hurt a lot more in that department.
Mitchell is the No. 2 receiver behind Garrett Wilson in the Jets offense. He has nine receptions for 123 yards, so that’s one less weapon the Browns will have to deal with on Sunday.
Browns will be thin along the defensive line
On the flip side, Cleveland will be without defensive tackles Mason Graham and Mike Hall Jr. Neither player practiced at all this week after both suffered injuries against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football last week. Additionally, quarterback Dillon Gabriel, offensive lineman Teven Jenkins, wide reciever Tylan Wallace, tight end Carsen Ryan, and defensive tackle Kalia Davis will not play.
Graham went down early in that game with a knee injury that looked like it could be serious at the time. However, testing revealed it wasn’t a serious injury, and it’s more of a week-to-week situation. Graham could be back as soon as Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens. Cleveland is going to miss him in the middle, as he’s off to a breakout season with four sacks through the first four games.
Hall played through his ankle injury against the Steelers, but he’ll miss this game against the Jets. That forces the Browns to rely on their depth a bit more.
Expect Adin Huntington to start beside Maliek Collins against New York. Huntington had a sack against the Steelers last time out. He’s also put together good tape on the Browns defense in limited action over the last couple of seasons.
Getting after Geno Smith is going to be key
The Browns being thin up front lines up with the Jets having a lesser rushing attack on Sunday. Without Hall in the backfield, expect New York to try to win this game through the air on Smith’s arm if it can.
That’s where Cleveland’s pass rush comes into play. Getting after the passer with players like Jared Verse, Derek Barnett, Sam Williams, and Collins is going to be key.
Both teams are going to feel the impact of these injuries, and this is a game that could go either way in Week 5.
