Delpit said teams typically throw quick passes rather than the ball deep in order to limit the impact of Cleveland's defensive line. The last three opponents and quarterbacks the Browns have faced – the Vikings, Steelers and Dolphins – have, on average, passed the ball in less than 2.67 seconds, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Aaron Rodgers and Tua Tagovailoa are all in the top five of the stat, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. In those three games, Cleveland's defense sacked the quarterback a combined seven times.
Maye's time to throw is 2.83 seconds, allowing slightly more time for the defensive line to sack him. For the secondary, that means guarding receivers for longer, which Maye has used to his advantage to complete passes. New England's quarterback has also utilized his offensive line to give him more time to throw, which gives his receivers more time to get separation.
For the defense to make life tough on Maye, the defensive line, linebackers and the secondary will need to work together to put Maye in trouble.
"That's just our whole mantra, rush and coverage work together," Ward said. "So, we just have to do a great job with the rush, causing some havoc up there and us staying tight in coverage, not making it easy for him, not getting easy access or reads on those throws, and being able to get our hands on the ball."
When Maye hasn't seen an open pass, he can scramble and pick up yards on the ground himself. He has 200 rushing yards, fifth among NFL quarterbacks, and two touchdowns on the ground.
"It always adds another facet that you have to be aware of on defense, and we obviously have a game plan for that," LB Carson Schwesinger said. "Then, it's just a matter of making sure that we're doing our job.