The Cleveland Browns are hitting the road in Week 5 to face the New York Jets, and the matchup carries real weight early in the 2026 NFL season. 

Cleveland heads into the game with a 3-1 record, while the Jets sit at 1-3. A win would give the Browns four straight victories and put them in a great position to make an unexpected run at making the playoffs.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Ahead of the game, here’s a look at the injury situations on both sides, and a final score prediction for Browns vs. Jets.

Jets could be without key offensive pieces

New York has two key players on offense who did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and both will be out on Sunday: wide receiver A.D. Mitchell and running back Breece Hall.

Missing Hall will be a big loss for a Jets team that already doesn’t run the ball well. The New York run game hasn’t been good to this point, and taking Hall out of it will only make things harder. Mitchell matters too. He’s the Jets’ second-leading wide receiver with 120 receiving yards, and not having him opposite Garrett Wilson will hurt the Geno Smith-led offense.

The Browns have their own injury concerns. Defensive tackles Mason Graham and Mike Hall Jr. both suffered injuries against the Pittsburgh Steelers last time out, and neither has practiced through two days. Neither injury is expected to be serious, but it’s an uphill climb for either player to suit up Sunday.

Still, Cleveland’s defensive tackle depth has stepped up. Adin Huntington filled in and played well, recording a sack last week. Maliek Collins is still there as a starter as well. It’s a spot where the Browns have built depth, and they should be able to stay competitive up front against the Jets.

Browns offense has a chance to lean on the run game

On offense, the Browns need to keep trying to find their rhythm on the ground. The Jets run defense isn’t very good, ranking 25th in the league at 123.5 rushing yards allowed per game. That’s a matchup Cleveland should look to attack.

Passing will be tougher. New York has a strong pass defense, allowing 193 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. If the Browns can find a balance between the run game and the passing offense, they’re going to have a good chance to come out on top.

Continuing to feature Denzel Boston as the top pass-catching threat should be good news for the Browns. Additionally, Cleveland needs quarterback Deshaun Watson to keep playing well. Watson has been fine this season, completing 80-of-115 passes for 855 yards with six touchdown passes and a pair of interceptions.

That’s much better than anything Watson put on tape in a Browns uniform before this season. However, there’s still another level he needs to reach if he wants to be a good quarterback for Cleveland.

Final score prediction for Browns vs. Jets

The Browns go into this game as slight underdogs on the road. Even so, I’m taking Cleveland to walk away with a 23-21 win over the Jets.

The Browns defense is still in good shape, even with Graham and Hall potentially out. On the flip side, the offense is showing signs of trying to find something. That was always going to be part of the process as the season began under Todd Monken and his system. 

It won’t be easy on the road, but Week 5 should be another step in the right direction for this Browns offense. Stacking a fourth straight win would make Cleveland a team to take seriously in the early playoff picture.