The Cleveland Browns might not have everything figured out, but Jim Swartz certainly has his defense locked into the conversation as one of the league’s best defenses.
Of course, on the other side of this Sunday’s matchup is the Detroit Lions’ offense. Even without Ben Johnson, early this season, things are humming with John Morton in charge of the operation.
We’ve seen Detroit against one of the other contenders for best defense in the league, the Green Bay Packers. That ultimately didn’t end well for the Lions, but that was Week 1, and after a little less than a month to learn from that outcome, Detroit could be poised for an emphatic response against the Browns’ defense.
Jared Goff has the chance to end Cleveland Browns' run of dominance in the passing game
No one said it would be easy, though. The Browns are currently riding a 31-game streak of preventing 300+ yard passers, easily the longest active streak in the NFL. But Jared Goff could be the one to break it.
Before anyone scoffs at the idea, the last quarterback to throw for 300+ against Cleveland was Bailey Zappe with the New England Patriots in 2022. Cleveland’s defense was dominant then, too, that particular game taking place in Week 6. The unit finished with the No. 5 passing defense in the league that year. They come into this weekend's game ranked No. 4 against the pass.
When it comes to Goff, few teams have enjoyed the consistency at the position like Detroit. Since 2023, Goff is tops in the NFL in passing yards and passing yards per game. Last season, Goff threw for 300+ six times and another three times were within 20 yards of the mark. Only Joe Burrow had more with seven, and Goff technically tied that mark in the playoffs.
READ MORE: Jared Goff is set to reach an important Lions milestone on Sunday
So far this season, Goff is eighth in the NFL with 253.7 yards per game. He threw for 334 against the Chicago Bears and got just over the 200+ yard mark against the Packers and Ravens.
Streaks like Cleveland’s are made to be broken, though. Considering the next best mark is Baltimore with 16, it’s high time this one comes to an end in Detroit.
While all it takes is a few splash plays through the air to break the streak, certainly keeping Goff upright in the face of the Browns’ impressive pass rush is priority number one. If Goff has the time to process the defense in front of him, though, Detroit fans know he can carve up the best of defenses.