The Cleveland Browns are going to be without one of their best defensive plays on Sunday, as cornerback Denzel Ward has been ruled out. This is the second consecutive week that Cleveland will be without the former fourth-overall pick.
Ward being ruled against Los Angeles is far from optimal. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off a week that saw him throw for 229 yards and four touchdowns in a lopsided 37-14 win over Arizona. Stafford is clearly still capable of leading a team to victory with his arm, as evidenced by last week’s performance. Cleveland not having Ward could lead to Stafford having a very similar outing this Sunday.
Ward is one of two notable players who will not be taking the field in Los Angeles. In addition to Ward, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has also been ruled out, with Joe Flacco being named Cleveland’s starter. This puts the Browns in a position of being shorthanded in a game they must win, not an ideal scenario.
The issue is the Browns’ have a very small margin for error. Removing someone with Ward’s talent from the equation makes it even smaller. A lot of things are going to have to go right for Cleveland in this contest, but there is a very real chance that it will not happen.
More must-reads: