Despite a rough outing against the Detroit Lions, the Cleveland Browns have new hope, now led by rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The team heads into a very winnable game against an ailing Minnesota Vikings team, so here are three key matchups to watch in order for the Browns to take advantage and get their second victory of the season.
Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright Vs. Justin Skule
Right tackle Brian O'Neill, one of the league's best, will likely miss the game due to injury, forcing Justin Skule back into the lineup. He's played 156 snaps this season between filling in for O'Neill and Christian Darrisaw, and has allowed a 10% pressure rate. Carson Wentz's Pro Football Focus passing grade plummets a whole 40 points when under pressure, so making him uncomfortable will be a key to winning this game.
Myles Garrett will get his runs in against Skule, but he plays the vast majority of his snaps on the right side of the line. Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright typically man the left side, so they'll be battling Skule for most of the game. McGuire had a fantastic Week 1, but since then he hasn't been nearly as effective. He didn't log a pressure against the Lions, and wasn't even credited with a pass-rush win. He was facing off against Penei Sewell, so that's not too far-fetched, but over the past three games, McGuire ranks 66th in the league in win rate at just 11.1%. He needs to make a bigger impact as a pass-rusher in this game, taking advantage of a matchup against a backup.
The same goes for Alex Wright, who's been consistently avoiding negative reps, but has yet to break out and impact a game in the way that he is physically capable of. The duo of Wright and McGuire needs to show up in a big way if the Browns defense wants to get the Vikings off the field.