All week, it has been clear that weather might be a significant factor for the Cleveland Browns‘ Week 5 matchup against the Jets in the Meadowlands, where the remnants of Hurricane Isaias are just hitting the East Coast. Now that game time is nigh, it’s official: It’s pouring on these two teams.
That’s according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, who appeared on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland and delivered a boots-on-the-ground update from MetLife Stadium.
Said Cabot: “It’s pouring rain. It is absolutely pouring rain and the is going to affect this game in a big way. It’s been raining like this since I first arrived here early this morning, I came over from the city really early and it just hasn’t let up since then. In fact, I think it is raining harder as the day has gone along. It is absolutely just completely coming down here.”
‘Who Can Run the Ball Better?’
Now, that is obviously going to have an impact on the style of play and the offense that both the Jets and Browns will be able to employ in this one. The Jets were always going to look to much up the game, and in a way, the rain plays into that–they’re a 1-3 team that is more dangerous than their record would indicate. New York has been in mostly tight games this season, and their overall point differential is just minus-8. (The Browns are minus-14.)
But the Jets have two problems. One is that Breece Hall, the team’s star running back, is out for the game. The other is that quarterback Geno Smith won’t be able to take the top off the Cleveland defense.
As Cabot explained: “I think it is going to come down to who can run the ball better. It might work against Geno Smith because he takes some of those really big shots and if the weather were good, that would be a really big key in this game, him taking those big shots. I think whoever is going to be able to run the ball and get that ground game going is going to have the advantage today.”
Browns Running Game Must Get Going
The Browns running game has been an issue all season. They’ve rushed for 375 yards this year, which is 23rd in the league, and just 3.7 yards per carry. For the Jets, the average is just 3.4 yards per carry, which is 30th in the NFL.
Browns coach Todd Monken said it would be best for the Browns not to be overly concerned about the conditions: “It’s kind of weird to say that. The hurricane in New York, it just kind of feels weird that that even gets said. I don’t know, rain, a little bit of wind, I mean, what are you going to do? Spot the ball, let’s go play. It’s the way it is.”
Browns Get Rough Weather Update Ahead of Jets Matchup