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The New York Jets are facing a rejuvenated Cleveland Browns in their Sunday game.
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At 3-1, the Browns are coming off a big Monday Night Football win against their archrival Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-24. They are now in sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
The Browns did it behind a defense that recorded five sacks and held off a relentless Pittsburgh offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Pittsburgh tied the game 24-24 with 1:44 remaining. Rodgers threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth and ran in the ensuing two-point conversion.
But the Browns responded behind quarterback Deshaun Watson He engineered a clutch final drive to get the offense into scoring range. Kicker Andre Szmyt then drilled a career-long 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left on the clock. Safety Grant Delpit intercepted a final Steelers Hail Mary attempt to seal the victory.
Presuming the Browns don’t suffer a letdown after the adrenaline fades from that victory, they present a formidable, but not insurmountable, foe for the Jets.
Cleveland generates pressure on 51.1% of its blitzes, the NFL’s fourth-highest rate. That means Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who leads the league with a 72.6% completion rate, will need to get the ball out quickly and establish a rhythm that won’t allow the Browns defense to control the game.
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On the other side of the ball, Cleveland’s rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion Jr. are part of an impressive Browns offense.
Watson threw for 268 yards against the Steelers, and is no doubt salivating at the thought of facing a Jets secondary without top cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr., currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol. If he can’t play, then rookie D’Angelo Ponds will have to step up, aided by the wisdom of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and the ball hawking skills of sidekicks Dane Belton and Andre Cisco.
The Jets are hobbled by injuries, even though they are slowly getting some of their players back. But it’s unlikely that receiver Adonai Mitchell, running back Breece Hall, and left guard Dylan Parham will play. Starting tight end Mason Taylor has returned to practice and could be a key to reviving a Jets offense that stumbled against the Chicago Bears.
The Browns are hurting in the trenches. Defensive tackle Mason Graham (knee/ankle), defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (ankle) and defensive tackle Derek Barnett (ankle) have all missed practice this week. Safety Grant Delpit is trying to tough it out in limited practice despite a shoulder injury.
Guard Teven Jenkins (back) is also being held out of practice.
These are teams that seem fairly evenly matched. The Jets are 2.5 point home favorites, and will be looking for redemption after a terrible loss in Chicago.
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This story was originally published October 8, 2026 at 11:37 AM.