The place to observe Cowboys at Browns in Tom Brady’s broadcast debut: TV channel, kickoff time, odds, prediction

Sunday afternoon’s showdown in Cleveland between the Dallas Cowboys and the host Browns in Week 1 is historic. 

It is the one the second Week 1 matchup between the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense and the NFL’s No. 1 whole protection for the reason that 1970 NFL/AFL merger. The Cowboys’ led the league with 29.9 factors per recreation, and  the Browns led the league in whole protection permitting 270.2 whole yards per recreation, the fewest for the reason that 2014 Legion of Growth Seattle Seahawks. Sunday will assuredly be a energy versus energy matchup when the 2023 NFL passing touchdowns chief Dak Prescott and 2023 NFL receptions chief CeeDee Lamb take the sphere towards 2023 NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months Myles Garrett and Professional Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward. 

Let’s break all of it down and predict a winner. 

All NFL odds are through SportsLine Consensus.

The place to observe Cowboys vs. Browns

Date: Sunday, Sep. 8 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Huntington Financial institution Area (Cleveland)
Channel: FOX Stream: fubo
Observe: CBS Sports activities App   
Odds: Browns -2.5; O/U 42

When the Cowboys have the ball

Clearly, Dallas’ No. 1 scoring offense begins and ends with the Prescott-to-Lamb connection. What they do properly is in direct battle with what the Browns do properly. No receiver in the complete NFL had extra targets (70), catches (49) and receiving yards (734) towards man protection in 2023 than Lamb. Prescott averaged the NFL’s finest completion share (66%) and the second-most yards per go try towards man protection (8.8) in the complete league. 

On the flip aspect, no protection ran extra man protection in 2023 than the Browns, who did so on 40.9% of their of their snaps. The important thing to who has the sting when Prescott drops again to go is Dallas’ go safety. It’s rolling out two rookies as starters on its offensive line in 2024: third-round choose Cooper Beebe at middle and first-round choose Tyler Guyton at left sort out. 

Guyton will particularly be tasked with defending Prescott’s blind aspect and holding his personal towards Garrett. He has been utilizing sparring periods all coaching camp-long with Dallas’ three-time All-Professional edge rusher Micah Parsons to organize for the matchup. 

“I had a dialog with Micah early in coaching camp. Simply the work he was going to have towards Tyler,” McCarthy stated. “It advantages each methods. clearly, he’ll be enjoying towards some tackles that is Tyler’s physique kind (6-foot-7, 322 kilos). That is the entire part of iron sharpens iron. In order that half has been good. Myles is an amazing participant. He is been doing it for fairly a while. He simply has all of it. He has the bodily items, the motor, the know the way, they do a very good job of shifting him round. He is not a stationary goal. Totally different seems to be, issues they do to him, issues they do away from him. Will probably be a giant problem on Sunday.”  

“You get to gauge your self as a participant,” Guyton stated Wednesday of going through Garrett. “I’ve performed towards Micah (in follow). Obtained Maxx Crosby (within the preseason). Now I get to dam Myles Garrett. I really feel like I am simply gauging myself and seeing what I can do and what I can not do. … I undoubtedly received my ft moist. I really feel like he is [Parsons] one of the best go rusher within the league, probably ever. So shedding to him can also be a win and determining what you want and what you do not like about reps is sweet.”  

If Guyton can keep away from getting frequently punked by Garrett, Prescott and Lamb will probably be ready to select up the place they left off in 2023. 

When the Browns have the ball

New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is taking up a Cowboys protection that led the NFL in quarterback stress price (41.4%), interceptions (59), takeaways (93) and defensive touchdowns (15) beneath now-Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn from 2021-2023. 

Parsons, the NFL’s 2023 quarterback pressures (103), quarterback stress price (21.8%) and go rush win price (35.3%) chief final season, will probably be licking his chops going through a Browns offensive line that’s lacking left sort out Jedrick Wills (knee) and will have proper sort out Jack Conklin (knee) enjoying at lower than 100%. Wills wasn’t cleared to swimsuit up in Week 1 after he underwent arthroscopic knee surgical procedure in December that knocked him out for the latter portion of the 2023 season. 

That is dangerous information for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who himself is getting back from a season-ending shoulder damage that required surgical procedure in 2023. Cleveland has but to see the Houston Texans three-time Professional Bowl model of Watson when he has performed because the Browns beginning quarterback since buying him through commerce in 2022.

Watson as a Cleveland Brown (since 2022)

Completion share	59.8%	forty first
Cross yards/try	6.5	thirty sixth
TD-INT	14-9	thirty first
Passer score	81.7	thirty seventh

* Amongst 45 QBs with 300-plus go makes an attempt

If Watson does not get overwhelmed by Parsons and fellow Professional Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, his prime goal (and former Cowboys broad receiver) Amari Cooper might thrive Sunday. The Cowboys will probably be with out 2024 NFL interceptions chief in cornerback DaRon Bland after he underwent surgical procedure to restore a stress fracture in his foot through the last week of the preseason. Which means Dallas’ exterior corners Sunday will probably be two-time Professional Bowler Trevon Diggs, who’s returning after struggling a torn ACL within the lead as much as Week 3 final season, and 2024 fifth-round rookie Caelen Carson out of Wake Forest. McCarthy revealed Diggs is now wholesome sufficient to play a full quantity of snaps Sunday. 

“He is wholesome. Yeah, I see him wholesome, able to go,” McCarthy stated Thursday. “Standing right here right this moment, I see him slated as a full-time participant. However as soon as once more that is Thursday, that is our first full padded follow. However yeah, I believe Trevon’s been proper on schedule so far as how a lot he’ll play.”

The Cowboys head coach stated he’s “assured” with the rookie Carson as a starter in Week 1. Cooper, who has recorded greater than 1,000 receiving yards in every of the final two seasons regardless of quarterback turmoil in Cleveland, nonetheless has the respect of his former Dallas coaches and teammates. 

“I believe with Amari, No. 1, all of the people which have labored with Amari and towards Amari, I believe the largest factor is his route-running potential is prime notch, his potential in releases and monitoring the ball,” McCarthy stated. “It is undoubtedly issues we have mentioned lengthy earlier than final week once we put the plan in. I believe clearly, too, the gamers which were right here too, clearly, and the group working towards him. I really feel like we have now a good suggestion. All of us undoubtedly know what he is able to doing for positive and that is a part of the sport plan course of.

“It will be enjoyable, it may be difficult. He is one of the vital explosive receivers within the league proper now,” Cowboys beginning nickel nook Jourdan Lewis stated on Monday. “So, it may be problem. We’ll throw some various things at him and hopefully we are able to include him. It is undoubtedly going to be enjoyable attending to compete with him on the market on the precise soccer subject and never simply follow.”

Cowboys vs. Browns prediction

The Cowboys shored up their largest defensive weak spot, their run protection, late within the offseason by including depth items at defensive tackles in Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips. Third-year working again Jerome Ford is a pleasant backup/spot starter, however he is no Nick Chubb, who will miss not less than the primary 4 video games of 2024 as he recovers from his ugly knee damage he suffered on the Steelers final season.

Cleveland’s offensive sort out accidents, plus Watson shaking off the rust from shoulder surgical procedure, places their offensive in a precarious place towards Parsons and Dallas’ entrance seven. On the flip aspect, Guyton held his personal in a joint follow towards Rams first-round choose edge rusher Jared Verse and secured just a few wins in follow towards Parsons. It is extra seemingly Parsons is ready to outperform Garrett, which suggests Prescott and Lamb may have a bit extra time to let it rip towards the Browns’ man protection than Watson will towards the Cowboys’ protection. 

Dallas wins by double digits as Watson and Garrett cannot sustain with Prescott and Parsons. 

Prediction: Cowboys 27, Browns 16

Powell likes the Cowboys to beat the Browns, however what does the SportsLine Projection Mannequin — up greater than $7,000 for $100 gamers on top-rated NFL picks since its inception — consider this matchup? Take a look at that prediction, in addition to picks for all the Week 1 video games, proper right here.