The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets are two franchises that share more similarities than their fans would probably like to admit.
Consider that:
- Since the start of the 1999 season, the Browns have won just 143 games, while the Jets have won slightly more, with 182 wins.
- The Browns have finished last in the AFC North Division 17 times, and the Jets have hit the bottom of the AFC East Division nine times.
- The Browns have finished with double-digit losses 18 times, while the Jets have done so 13 times.
- The Jets have the edge in playoff seasons, six to three, but have not made the playoffs since 2010.
- The Browns are on their 10th head coach, while the Jets are on their ninth.
- Both franchises are still on a seemingly never-ending search for a franchise quarterback. The Browns have been looking since the Bernie Kosar days of the late 1980s, while the Jets have been trying since the glory days of Joe Namath.
The teams meet on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in a game that
will have implications on the 2026 NFL Draft order, as both the Browns and Jets have a pair of first-round selections to use in their latest attempts to fix the quarterback issue.
Here are two matchups to watch during the game.
CB Denzel Ward vs. WR Garrett Wilson
It has been a bit of a down year for both Ward and Wilson, at least by their standards. Wilson has missed the past two games after suffering a hyperextended knee injury in Week 6, while Ward has been mostly quiet as the leader of Cleveland’s secondary.
In a game that might be low scoring, the Browns are averaging 15.8 points per game, and the Jets are at 21 points per game, Ward vs. Wilson could be a difference maker, according to Pro Football Focus:
The Jets reportedly considered receiver Garrett Wilson (72.8 grade; 33rd) untouchable in trade talks. After missing the last two weeks through injury, Wilson is back at practice and should be ready to go vs. the Browns.
Wilson has caught 36 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns, and will face off against Browns’ CB Denzel Ward (50.4 grade; 95th) on Sunday. Ward’s 52.9 PFF coverage grade is the lowest of his career, but he’s still allowed just 230 yards in coverage. This battle could be a bright spot in an ugly game.
DE Myles Garrett vs. OTs Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou
Myles Garrett comes into Sunday’s game fresh off a five-sack performance against the New England Patriots. That big day put Garrett’s sack total for the season at 10, which is the eighth consecutive season of double-digit sacks for the game’s best defensive player.
As always, Garrett is putting up big numbers despite the best efforts of opposing defenses to slow him down, as ESPN highlights:
Garrett is second in the NFL with 10 sacks, trailing only Brian Burns of the Giants, who has had 32 more pass-rush opportunities. He is running a sack rate of 5%, the best mark among pass rushers with 150 opportunities or more. Garrett is also turning 29.4% of his pressures into sacks, which is third behind Burns and Byron Young, who has been having an excellent season for the Rams.
All that’s happening while teams desperately try to find a solution to take Garrett out of the game. He’s being chipped on 29.5% of his pass-rush snaps and double-teamed 13.4% of the time. Again, adding those up, teams are offering extra help to linemen trying to block Garrett just under 43% of the time. The only player who has faced a second blocker more often is Watt, who has seen way more chips (37.5%) than double-teams (8.8%).
With defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz not shy about moving Garrett around to gain an edge, both second-year left tackle Olu Fashanu and rookie right tackle Armand Membou will be in for a long day of work.
Fashanu has a pass-blocking grade of 69.3 from Pro Football Focus, ranking 35th out of 76 ranked offensive tackles. And while he is coming off a game where he did not allow a sack or a hurry against the Cincinnati Bengals, Fashanu did give up a sack in each of the previous two games.
Membou has a pass-blocking grade of 70 from PFF, ranking 32nd out of 76 offensive tackles. He also had a clean sheet against the Bengals, but, like Fashanu, gave up a sack in each of the previous two games.
Membou made headlines in Week 1 when he completely shut down T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Garrett is on another level, so if Membou sees No. 95 lined up across from him on Sunday, he could be in for a much different experience.
