The Browns and Giants will face off Sunday in their first meeting since 2020.
While star defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Myles Garrett remain on the Giants and Browns, respectively, there has been plenty of roster turnover since the last time the two teams played.
The Giants feature two young and talented pass rushers in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Browns have a wealth of talent in their secondary in addition to the threats they impose on the defensive line.
Here are three questions to consider going into the Week 3 matchup.
Will the defense come up with its first takeaway of the season?
The Browns had 28 takeaways last season, the sixth-most in the NFL in 2023, but have yet to record an interception or fumble recovery two games into the season.
The secondary has been in position to make game-changing plays in both games this season but has not been able to secure an interception. Against Jacksonville, CB Martin Emerson Jr. jumped in front of a pass intended for WR Brian Thomas Jr., but his knee hit the ball out of his hands as he fell to the ground.
"I just gotta catch the ball first instead of trying to run with it," Emerson, who led the Browns with four interceptions last season, said on Thursday. "It was a low pass. I had possession but not full control of the ball. When I caught the ball, when I hit the ground, I tried to turn over and just spin and just get up and run, and I knocked the ball out."
"We're going to fine him for that," CB Denzel Ward joked. "Dropped interception."
Check out photos of the team working to prepare for their game this week against the New York Giants at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) and Cornerback Tony Brown (38) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Running back Jerome Ford (34) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Linebacker Luiji Vilain (98) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (71) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Running back D'Onta Foreman (27) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Offensive tackle James Hudson III (66) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Linebacker Devin Bush (30) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Tight end Geoff Swaim (84) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
`51 during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Running back Gary Brightwell (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Wide receiver James Proche II (11) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (23) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Running back Jerome Ford (34) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Safety Grant Delpit (9) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Cornerback Tony Brown (38) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Running back Royce Freeman (28) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Offensive tackle Lorenzo Thompson (69) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (72) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Running back D'Onta Foreman (27) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (23) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Linebacker Devin Bush (30) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Linebacker Michael Barrett (48) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Offensive guard Germain Ifedi (65) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (72) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Running back Gary Brightwell (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Long snapper Charley Hughlett (47) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Offensive tackle Lorenzo Thompson (69) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Offensive tackle Lorenzo Thompson (69) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Running back Jerome Ford (34) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Tight end Jordan Akins (88) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Linebacker Michael Barrett (48) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Defensive tackle Siaki Ika (62) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Linebacker Winston Reid (59) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Tight end Blake Whiteheart (86) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Tight end Jordan Akins (88) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Running back Gary Brightwell (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Defensive tackle Jowon Briggs (97) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Linebacker Luji Vilain (98) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Tight end Cameron Latu (82) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 18, 2024.
Wide receiver Jaelon Darden (16) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Tight end Geoff Swaim (84) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 19, 2024.
Offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (71) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Offensive guard Germain Ifedi (65) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Wide receiver Michael Woods II (81) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 20, 2024.
Ward has four passes defensed on the season, the second-highest total in the NFL through the first two weeks. He said that finishing plays will be key if the Browns are to turn pass breakups into interceptions.
"We're just playing our technique and plays are coming to us and I think the biggest thing for us is we just gotta go and finish them," Ward said. "Finish those plays, come away with the interception and take the ball away."
Garrett has two forced fumbles this season, recording a strip sack in each of the first two games. However, the offense recovered the ball on both occasions.
"We're still grinding, we're still trying to find our formula and what we're best at and those things," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. "And we've had a couple balls in our hands this last game, ball on the ground, they'll start turning up our way."
Will Deshaun Watson and Jerry Jeudy's connection continue into Week 3?
WR Jerry Jeudy, who the Browns acquired via trade over the offseason, has been the team's top receiver through the first two weeks of the season, tallying 98 yards on eight receptions – one of which was a touchdown against the Cowboys.
With a quarterback with the ability to scramble in QB Deshaun Watson, Jeudy has played a major role in the offense's ability to keep plays alive.
"He's just been in the right spots at the right time," Watson said of Jeudy. "And I tell all my guys, the play is never over until it's over. So, you never know when the ball might come to you, regardless of if I'm looking your direction or not. He's just been in the right spots and been making big plays for us."
On Jeudy's first reception of the game against the Jaguars, Watson rolled to the right after escaping a dirty pocket. Jeudy stopped his route and ran parallel to Watson, who found him for a 21-yard reception.
"I just always want to be in the vision of the quarterback," Jeudy said. "So, just wherever he scrambles to, I just try to be in his vision. And if he sees me, just make a play on the ball."
Can the offensive line keep the Giants pass rush at bay?
The Giants feature a strong pass rush, combining for 24 sacks last season.
"I swear it's every week you go up against these fronts and this one's right up there with all the other ones," head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Friday. "They have really, really good players on the edge. They're good pass rushers. They're good versus the run. They play hard."
Garrett, a player Thibodeaux mentioned he looked up to earlier this week, was complimentary of the young pass rusher's ability to get to the quarterback.
"He's coming off a great year and he's going to continue to do great things," Garrett said. "He's definitely one of the really good pass rushers we have and edge rushers in this league, and it's great that he has that kind of respect for me, because I have a lot of respect for him."
The Giants generate pressure on the quarterback on nearly 36 percent of snaps – the ninth-highest rate in the league through the first two games. Over nine percent of their pass rushes have resulted in sacks, the eighth-highest sack percentage in the league.
"They have three legit guys that can play the run that can play the run and the pass," G Joel Bitonio said. "And that's really what they want to be their strength is that defensive line. So, it's a big challenge for us, and we have to try and establish the run and protect when we're called upon."
