The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets meet Sunday, Oct. 11, at MetLife Stadium in a Browns vs Jets Week 5 matchup that pits a team riding momentum against one trying to avoid a historically bad start. Cleveland (3-1) has won three straight games while New York (1-3) has dropped three in a row. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
The Browns are off to their best start since 2021, while the Jets are chasing their first winning week since September. Coach Aaron Glenn, in his second year in New York, is 4-17 since taking over, and the franchise is trying to avoid a 1-4 start that would mark the 15th such opening in team history. Only one of those previous 14 teams made the playoffs, the 2002 Jets, who recovered to finish 9-7.
Browns Vs Jets Week 5 Game Information
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
- TV: CBS
- Weather: 66 degrees, 5% chance of precipitation
By The Numbers
- Record: Browns 3-1, Jets 1-3
- Points per game: Browns 20.3, Jets 19.0
- Passing yards per game: Browns 213.8, Jets 225.5
- Rushing yards per game: Browns 93.8, Jets 84.0
- Total yards per game: Browns 307.5, Jets 309.5
- Third-down conversion rate: Browns 32.61%, Jets 32.00%
- Turnover differential: Browns -1, Jets +3
- Team sacks allowed: Browns 11, Jets 12
- Total penalties: Browns 43 (most in the NFL), Jets 37 (fifth-most)
According to CBS Sports, the Browns and Jets have split their all-time series closely, with Cleveland holding a narrow 16-15 edge. New York won the most recent meeting 27-20 in Cleveland on Nov. 9, 2025.
Browns Outlook
Deshaun Watson has completed at least 72% of his passes in three of four games this season and threw for 268 yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over Pittsburgh, going 24 of 33. He has directed three consecutive fourth-quarter comeback wins, a feat no Browns quarterback had accomplished since Brian Sipe in 1979.
Cleveland’s receiving corps has leaned on a group of young pass catchers, led by rookie Denzel Boston, who tops all NFL rookies with 284 receiving yards and averages 21.8 yards per catch. Boston has drawn 22 targets, eight of them on deep passes of at least 20 yards. Harold Fannin Jr. and KC Concepcion have also factored into the passing attack’s improvement.
Defensively, the Browns have not allowed a 300-yard passer in 49 straight games, the longest active streak in the league, and their 51.1% pressure rate when blitzing ranks fourth in the NFL. That group took a hit with the Mason Graham knee injury, which has altered Cleveland’s defensive front. Tight end Carsen Ryan, wide receiver Tylan Wallace, defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon are listed as questionable. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel remains on injured reserve with a back injury and is not expected back until Oct. 18.
Jets Outlook
New York’s offense struggled badly in last week’s 23-12 loss to Chicago, a game in which the Bears controlled the ball for 42:45 to the Jets’ 17:15 and piled up 34 first downs to New York’s seven. Geno Smith completed just 8 of 15 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in that game, according to USA Today.
Garrett Wilson remains the top target, with 24 catches for 270 yards and two touchdowns on the season. The Jets’ injury report is heavy heading into Sunday. Running back Breece Hall (quadriceps), wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger) and guard Dylan Parham (knee) are all doubtful, while cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (concussion) and linebacker Kingsley Enagbare (knee) are questionable.
New York’s defense found a turnaround moment last week when safety Minkah Fitzpatrick snapped the NFL’s record 20-game interception drought. The Jets actually forced three other interceptions against Chicago, but all three were wiped out by penalties, part of a game in which New York had 12 accepted penalties.
Key Matchup
Cleveland’s blitz package against Geno Smith’s performance under pressure looms as the game’s pivotal battle. The Browns blitz at a rate that produces pressure 51.1% of the time, fourth-best in the league. Smith has actually thrived in that scenario this season, completing 64.7% of his passes when blitzed and under pressure while averaging 9.8 yards per attempt. Wilson has caught six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown specifically on those pressured, blitzed throws.
That tension sets up a direct test: can Cleveland’s pass rush disrupt Smith enough to avoid giving him the clean release windows he has found all season, or will the Jets’ two most productive players under duress carry New York’s passing game again.
Players To Watch
Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns
Watson has delivered three straight fourth-quarter comebacks and is completing passes at a high clip across most of his starts this season. His ability to extend that streak would mark territory unseen in Cleveland since the Sipe era.
Denzel Boston, WR, Browns
The rookie leads all first-year receivers in the league in yardage and has become a focal point of Cleveland’s deep passing attack with eight targets of 20-plus yards already.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Jets
Fitzpatrick ended a 20-game team interception drought last week. His emergence as a turnover threat could be critical for a Jets defense trying to create more takeaways after a season of near-misses wiped out by flags.
What To Watch
A Browns win would give Cleveland its first 4-1 start since 2020, the last season the franchise reached the playoffs, when it beat Pittsburgh in the wild-card round before losing at Kansas City in the divisional round. For the Jets, the game carries added weight against the backdrop of the NFL’s longest active postseason drought at 15 years. First-year Browns coach Todd Monken has guided the turnaround so far, while Glenn’s record in New York sits at 4-17 as his team tries to avoid a 1-4 start. Cleveland’s heavy penalty total, the most in the league at 43, and New York’s turnover-prone history on special teams and third down remain factors that could shape how cleanly either team is able to execute Sunday.
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