The Cleveland Browns entered the 2024 season with high expectations from fans, critics, and media members alike. After a disappointing showing in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, the team bounced back and secured a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. Despite that, the Browns still have plenty of room to grow on both sides of the ball. Today, I’ll go through three key areas where I expect the Browns to show improvement this weekend as they continue their journey toward living up to the preseason hype.

AMARI COOPER NEEDS TO GET BACK ON TRACK

Amari Cooper has had a slow start to his 2024 NFL season. Through two games, Cooper has been targeted 17 times but has only managed to catch 5 of those passes for a total of 27 yards. This is far below expectations for the veteran wide receiver, and if the Browns hope to achieve their full potential, Cooper will need to step up. That said, I expect to see a turnaround for the star receiver this weekend against a struggling 0-2 Giants team that has shown very little to be optimistic about so far. This game does not need to be a career game but I expect multiple catches and even a touchdown for Amari in week 3 against the giants.

BROWNS DEFENSE TO SCORE

The Browns’ defense has flashed moments of dominance similar to what we saw last season, but I still want to see more. The Giants’ offense, led by Daniel Jones, has been abysmal for quite some time. In fact, at one point, Jones had thrown more pick-sixes than touchdowns since signing his contract extension last season. This weekend, I want to see the Browns’ defense capitalize on this weakness and have an absolute field day against the Giants’ bottom-tier offense, scoring their defensive touchdown of the season (maybe some betting advice for any of my fellow sports betters out there).

WATSON THROWS MULTIPLE PASSING TOUCHDOWNS

Deshaun Watson has yet to throw multiple passing touchdowns in a game this season, and this feels like the game where that should happen. After a rough Week 1 performance, Watson seemed to get back on track in Week 2. Now, he needs to build on that momentum if he’s going to establish himself as a successful quarterback for the Browns. While the Giants defense isn’t terrible, I expect Watson to take advantage of the opportunities the Browns’ defense will create by consistently putting the ball back in his hands. This is the game where Watson needs to show he can lead the offense with multiple passing scores.

If the Browns can hit these three points in their winnable matchup against the New York Giants, they’ll be well-positioned as well as continuing to build momentum. Cleaning up penalties, which have also been an issue through the first two weeks, will be crucial as well as that almost ruined the team’s week two win. With steady progress, however, the team could be in great shape by the time star running back Nick Chubb returns, and when that happens, there is no telling what this team can do.