Bernie Kosar, Earnest Byner, Kevin Mack, Frank Minnifield, and Hanford Dixon will not be walking onto the field in Seattle on Sunday. Dave Krieg, Joe Nash, Jeff Bryant, Steve Largent, and Curt Warner will not be lining up either. The memories will be flowing as the Seahawks don their throwback jerseys and the 80s-style game unfolds on Lumen Field.

The Cleveland Browns enter the Pacific Northwest as arguably the most physical team in football. Their defense is often overwhelming, and their offense is almost wholly dependent on their running game. Seattle, through a combination of necessity and talent, have become a defensive team as well.

Passing has been inconsistent, and increasingly risky, for the Seahawks. The offensive line has been decimated by injuries and Geno Smith has started to show signs of operating with less confidence in the pocket. There have been plays where he has broke from the pocket instead of hitting an open receiver or tried to spin away from pressure instead of stepping up or rushed a throw in anticipation of pressure that had yet to materialize.

Many fans and analysts are oversimplifying that as poor play from Smith. The reality is that quarterbacks adjust to their surroundings and situations. Their coaches do as well. You can be sure Smith has had coaches in his ear that he needs to help his inexperienced line by getting rid of the ball quickly.

There is little reason to expect any of the challenges impacting the Seahawks pass offense to improve. In fact, even if some players like center Evan Brown return from injury, the opposing defenses they face are going to be much tougher.

Myles Garrett is the Defensive Player of the Year to this point of the season. He has absolutely dominated. The Browns sport the best passing defense in the league, largely on the back of an unrelenting and unstoppable pass rush.

The only logical plan for Seattle in this game is to go old school: run the ball and play good defense. This is not a game where style points matter. There is no shame in winning 13-3.

Gardner Minshew and the Colts somehow managed to put up a ton of yards and points against the Browns despite four turnovers. The Browns put up a ton of points as well, some on defensive scores, and saw their practice squad quarterback engineer a game-winning drive.

Seattle’s path to victory in this game is much more about limiting mistakes than it is about making plays. The Browns lifeblood is sacks. They put teams behind schedule, which increases reliance on passing, which results in more sacks. Running is no easy task against them either.

This game, though, will not be about the Seahawks offense. It will come down to whether a strength of the Seattle defense can hold down the only functional part of the Cleveland offense. The Browns are highly one dimensional on offense.

The only game the Browns have won this year when not running for at least 150 yards was a game against the Titans when their defense allowed just 94 total yards.

Keep this Browns team under 100 yards rushing, and they should have trouble scoring any points. The only exception is if the offense turns the ball over. That is why this game is more about limiting mistakes on offense than making big plays.

Expect a lot of two and three tight ends. Expect a similar emphasis on mixing in the run game. Expect four yards to be a big gain.

This will be a slugfest. It will be a return to how this game used to be played. This is not a game the Seahawks could have hoped to win even a few weeks ago. They now have a defense that can suffocate opponents. They are the more complete team, even with their injury issues. Cleveland has what may be the most dominant unit in the NFL.

Seattle should win this one, but it won’t be easy.

The way this works: Each offense will be pitted against the opposing defense and compared on an array of key statistical attributes based on their respective rank in the NFL. The tables that follow show the rank of each unit for each of these categories. 

This series is sponsored by Sarah and Chris Rood, huge Seahawks fans and Hawk Blogger patrons. Please thank them by contacting them to work with them on your next home purchase or sale in the Seattle area. They will donate an additional $500 to Ben’s Fund for every closed transaction!

Seahawks Offense vs Browns Defense

Browns key advantages on defense

That pass rush against this offensive line is a game-changing advantage. Garrett has two sacks, two forced fumbles (one resulting in a touchdown), and a blocked field goal in his last game. He will hunt from anywhere along the line. You cannot target him with extra blockers because he will rarely be on the same side, and can come right up the middle.

He gets help from Za’Darius Smith, Maurice Hurst, and Dalvin Tomlinson to collapse the pocket. Old friend Shelby Harris makes an appearance as well.

This is an incredibly physical group, who did what seemed impossible, and outhit the 49ers a few weeks back. San Francisco saw multiple stars leave with injuries.

Seahawks key advantages on offense

Coverage is not great on this team, despite their gaudy numbers defending the pass. That is almost entirely about a dominant pass rush. Gardner Minshew put up 305 yards on just 23 attempts. He also was sacked four times and fumbled three times, which directly contributed to the loss. It is risky every time you drop back against this team. Seattle may have some chances on play action, and 1-2 big plays could be enough to win.

The Browns run defense is good, but not dominant. Only three teams have managed 250+ yards of offense against the Cleveland defense. The Browns are 1-2 in those games, with their only victory coming last week in the final minute.

Browns Offense vs Seahawks Defense

Browns key advantages on offense

The Browns lost Nick Chubb a few weeks back, but their run-centric identity remains. Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt take turns grinding out yards behind a decent offensive line, with former Seahawk Ethan Pocic in the middle. Rookie right tackle Dawand Jones has performed well after Jack Conklin went down with injury.

Tight end David Njoku is a common weapon and wide receiver Amari Cooper can still make the occasional play or two.

Seahawks key advantages on defense

The Browns quarterback position has been arguably the worst in the NFL. Deshaun Watson has been terrible when he has been on the field, and it is not clear if he will play this week due to an ongoing injury. PJ Walker has been starting from the practice squad, but would need to be signed to the active roster to start again this week. He has been terrible as well. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson got one start, and it was a disaster.

As well as the Seahawks defense has been playing, they have not created enough turnovers. This is a game where their secondary needs to capitalize on a weak opponent and make them pay. Seattle has been mostly great against the run, but did show a few spots of weakness against a running quarterback last week. They will need to shore that up this week, and will have to do so without edge defender Uchenna Nwosu.

Special Teams

Field position could be big in this one, and the Seahawks have an advantage in the punt game. Field goals will also likely be big, and the Browns have a huge advantage there.

Be sure to tune into Real Hawk Talk Wednesday night!

Thanks to Sarah and Chris Rood for sponsoring this series!