The Browns will travel to Philadelphia for Week 6 to face an Eagles defense led by a defensive coordinator who has left his mark on the defensive landscape of the NFL.
Vic Fangio began coaching in the NFL in 1986, spending a season at Stanford in 2010 before returning to the pros. Fangio first started using a two-high shell defense during his time as defensive coordinator with the 49ers. Over the years, the NFL has mirrored his approach. According to Next Gen Stats, the percentage of two-high safety looks on passing attempts has jumped from 44 percent in 2019 to 63 percent in 2024.
Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said the Browns will have to play physical and execute against Fangio's defensive scheme.
"In that two-high shell, whether it's an execution piece on the pass game and protection, routes being in the right spots and making the right decision and allowing our guys to have [run after catch] or in the run game, it all comes down to that execution piece. It all comes down to all 11 guys doing their job," Dorsey said.
Two high safeties make it more difficult for an offense to take deep shots, forcing quarterbacks to be patient and throw the short passes that are given to them. The look also allows defenses to get into various coverages after the snap despite keeping the pre-snap look consistent. This makes life difficult for opposing quarterbacks, whose pre-snap reads are limited, testing their decision making and processing speed.
Eagles S Reed Blankenship has two interceptions in four games this season and is the 14th-highest graded safety per Pro Football Focus with a 79.8. His counterpart C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who led the league in interceptions in 2022 with six, is not off to quite as strong a start with a 50.6 overall grade per PFF.
Check out photos of the team working to prepare for their game this week against the Philadelphia Eagles at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Running back Nick Chubb (24) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Kicker Dustin Hopkins (7) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (51) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Offensive guard Germain Ifedi (65) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Defensive end Isaiah McGuire (57) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Defensive end Marcus Haynes (98) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Cornerback Cameron Mitchell (29) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Wide receiver James Proche II (11) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (23) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Running back Jerome Ford (34) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Cornerback Cameron Mitchell (29) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Safety Trey Dean (28) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez (60) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (43) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Running back Nyheim Hines (22) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Defensive end Elerson Smith (52) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Linebacker Khaleke Hudson (39) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Running back Nick Chubb (24) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Running back Nick Chubb (24) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Cornerback Tony Brown II (38) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Linebacker Winston Reid (59) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Defensive tackle Jowon Briggs (97) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Defensive end Sam Kamara (92) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Wide receiver Kadarius Toney (87) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 9, 2024.
Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 10, 2024.
Going into their preparation for Sunday's game, Browns WR Amari Cooper said that eliminating mistakes on offense will be important in overcoming the Eagles defense.
"Obviously I won't go too much into what our game plan is going to be going into this week, but we've definitely been harping on the fact that we've had too many mental errors, and we'll definitely be looking to change that," Cooper said.
Dorsey echoed his receiver's message, saying the Browns needed to do whatever it takes to focus on winning this week.
The Browns offense is the second-most penalized in the NFL, averaging six offensive penalties per game. In addition to mistakes resulting in flags, they have made mistakes resulting in sacks, as QB Deshaun Watson has been sacked 26 times this season, the most in the NFL.
The offensive line will face another challenge this week, with the Eagles duo of former Georgia Bulldogs in defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Carter was the runner-up for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2023 after totaling six sacks and recording a 16 percent pass rush win rate – the sixth-highest among defensive tackles last season.
"Jalen Carter is a great player, and the D-line has been the strength of the defenses that we've been playing. So, it'll be a big challenge," LG Joel Bitonio said.
Davis is a versatile tackle who was one of the best run stoppers in the NFL last season, finishing with a 40 percent run stop win rate, the seventh-most among defensive tackles in 2023.
"They're very, very powerful," head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday of the two defensive tackles. "Powerful and disruptive, right in the middle of the pocket in the pass game, right in the middle of what you're doing in the run game."
Despite their star defensive tackles and two talented edge rushers in Bryce Huff and Josh Sweat, the Eagles have only sacked opposing quarterbacks six times this season – the second fewest in the NFL. Their pressure rate is similarly low, coming in at 29 percent, the 25th-best rate in the NFL.
After five consecutive games without scoring over 18 points, the Browns offense is in need of a strong performance. Staving off pressure and keeping the pocket clean for Watson will be paramount in Week 6. In addition to being the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL, Watson has been pressured 89 times, more than any other quarterback in the league.
Throughout the Browns' slow start to the 2024 season, Stefanski and his team have attributed much of their struggles to protect Watson to a lack of execution. Bitonio echoed the importance of all 11 players following through on their assignments.
"You watch the film, and you see too many [missed assignments]," Bitonio said. "And it's not just one position. Like one time, it's a lineman blowing a block. The next time it's the receivers running the wrong route or dropping a pass and the next time it's the quarterback and it just all adds up. It's frustrating. So, it comes down to executing. It comes down to just playing one play at a time."
