Saturday Dawg Chow (9/27): D-fense! D-fense! D-fense!

It is the first weekend of fall and Week 4 of the NFL season! To help everyone pass the time, let’s open the weekend with the latest news and notes about the Cleveland Browns and the NFL in today’s edition of the Saturday Dawg Chow.

Dawgs By Nature:

• 6 takeaways from Cleveland’s coordinators about the Lions (Thomas Moore) – Recapping the most notable quotes and stories from the Browns coordinators ahead of their Week 4 game against Detroit.
• 5 quick hitters with Pride of Detroit: What is the formula to beating the Lions? (Chris Pokorny) – We ask about the Detroit Lions and how they were upset in Week 1, their biggest weakness, and more.
• Browns vs Lions: Fantasy advice is quite simple, start this player (Jared Mueller) – Week 4 gives the Browns another chance for an upset, but Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is a fantasy football must start.
• Browns roster: Another position has issues this year – already (Barry Shuck) – The Cleveland Browns roster has some holes, including at the safety position, with Ronnie Hickman struggling.
• Browns vs. Lions: Week 4 Need to Know (Thomas Moore) – Cleveland heads to the Motor City in search of just their second road win against the Lions in franchise history.
• Browns HC Kevin Stefanski: Packers win ranks high in his career (Abby Mueller) – There have been some exciting wins since Kevin Stefanski took over the Browns, but how does the one against the Green Bay Packers compare?
• 3 big problems for the Browns to deal with from the Lions (Curtiss Brown) – Cleveland’s game plan in Week 4 has to account for these 3 on the Lions roster who can cause big problems.
• One crazy note about the Browns vs. Lions (Thomas Moore) – Cleveland has only one win in franchise history as the road team against Detroit.

Cleveland Browns:

• Rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger a fast learner on the field with Browns defense (Beacon Journal) – Carson Schwesinger made his first career NFL sack one to remember.
• Breaking down the Cleveland Browns’ dominant defense to start 2025 (PFF) – The Cleveland Browns’ defense sits first in overall PFF grade (88.0), 12th in EPA per play, third in success rate, and eighth in scoring drive allowed rate. So, what’s behind this enormous turnaround?
• How bad is the Browns’ offense so far, and what will it take to improve? (cleveland.com) – The quarterback battle was the talk of the offseason. In reality, that overshadowed the holes in this Browns offense that have already been exposed in September. Three weeks in, and this unit has its hands full.
• Shedeur Sanders on being Browns’ No. 3 QB: ‘I’m thankful’ (ESPN) – A month into his rookie season, and amid discourse around his decision not to go to Baltimore and back up Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Shedeur Sanders recently told ESPN he was “thankful” for his situation in Cleveland.

NFL:

• Five reasons why Colts QB Daniel Jones has excelled in 2025 (ESPN) – Quarterback Daniel Jones is off to an excellent start in his first season with the Indianapolis Colts. Why the sudden breakout?
• Is the Ravens Defense a Liability? (The Ringer) – Yes, the Baltimore Ravens have played against two elite offenses this season. But the film reveals plenty of issues that should concern a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
• Baker Mayfield tracking to play vs. Eagles (Tampa Bay Times) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield finally put a little air under the football Friday, softly tossing passes during the portion of practice open to the media after spending the week nursing a biceps injury to his throwing arm.
• ‘Crazy energy, extreme passion’ and ‘a little swagger’: The Jaxson Dart era is here (The Athletic) – Fred Fernandes remembers a “scrawny” 14-year-old from a different school district showing up at Roy High in 2017. Fernandes immediately recognized Jaxson Dart’s talent, but the legendary Utah high school coach didn’t expect the freshman to become the starting quarterback for a program that had made four straight postseason appearances.