The Cleveland Browns take on the New York Jets this Sunday. Even though the Browns are 3-1 and the Jets are 1-3, with New York being at home and having a decent defense, some are picking Cleveland to come back to earth for at least a week.
Here is what the national media is saying about the Week 5 game between the Browns and Jets:
NFL.com (Various)
Why Bobby picked the Browns: It’s time to admit the Browns might have something cooking. They’ve now won three straight after an embarrassing loss to the Jaguars to begin
the season. Two of the three opponents that have fallen to them, the Buccaneers and Steelers, have some big question marks, but Cleveland is the only team thus far to have silenced the Panthers’ offense in any way. Plus, bad teams don’t typically rattle off three victories in a row, no matter how the schedule looks. Deshaun Watson has completed at least 72 percent of his passes in three of four contests, buoyed by a trio of young pass catchers who have helped change the offense’s trajectory: Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion and Harold Fannin Jr. The Mason Graham injury absolutely hurts Cleveland’s defensive outlook, but the unit is performing well enough to contain the Jets, who just played one of the most confounding games in recent memory. The 23-12 scoreline of New York’s Week 4 loss to the Bears doesn’t come close to telling the full story. Gang Green lost the time-of-possession battle 17:15 to 42:45 and managed only seven first downs to Chicago’s 34 — notably two more first downs than the amount of plays (32) the Jets even ran. Kudos to the Bears, but it’s difficult to back a team coming off a performance like that and mired in a three-game losing streak. Count on the Browns to move to 4-1 for the first time since 2020.
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) – Jets 20, Browns 16
The Browns are 3-1 and have won three straight, while the Jets have lost three straight. But they are back home after two on the road. That matters. Look for a better showing here from their offense as they upset the Browns.
CBS Sports (John Breech) – Browns 20, Jets 17
Sporting News (Vinnie Iyer) – Jets 23, Browns 20
The Browns will be much more dangerous in the Dawg Pound with Deshaun Watson and the defense. The Jets are playing their own brand of inspired ball with higher energy for Aaron Glenn’s defense. Cleveland comes down to earth while New York gets on the board in another winnable game.
Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Browns 21, Jets 19
This is only the second time New York has been favored under second-year coach Aaron Glenn. The Browns have been the better team up to this point around improved play from Deshaun Watson. Rookie Denzel Boston averages 21.8 yards per catch. This is a deal-with-success-spot for Cleveland and first-year coach Todd Monken, and Quinshon Judkins could have a huge game on the road.
Below are our Week 5 NFL staff picks:
