After the Jets beat the Browns in Week Two, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that the team’s defense wasn’t on the same page and that needed to change for the team to have more success.
The last two weeks have shown signs of improvement, but the Falcons were still able to make enough plays to beat them 23-20 last Sunday. Now they’re preparing to face Justin Herbert and the Chargers, which has safety John Johnson urging the team to make sure that they are fully dialed in because he thinks Herbert will tear them apart if they aren’t on the ball.
“They’re No. 1 in passing, so if there’s a game that you’ve got to get up for and be locked in for, it’s this one,” Johnson said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “That’s the emphasis for our room especially. We’ve had some flashes of good things, but I think each and every play we’ve got to be locked in or we’re going to get torched because they’ve been doing it to anybody dating back to last year too. If there’s a game that we need our best effort from the secondary, it’s this one.”
One thing that should help the defense is the expected return of defensive end Myles Garrett after he missed Week Four with biceps and shoulder injuries he suffered in a car crash. Any pressure he can provide on Herbert will make it easier for Johnson and the defensive backs to keep things under wrap on the back end.