THOUSAND OAKS — Matthew Stafford has a lot of memories with Jim Schwartz. He was the head coach who drafted the quarterback in Detroit in 2009, with whom Stafford spent the first five years of his career and made his first trip to the playoffs.
But as Stafford’s Rams prepare to face Schwartz, now defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, this weekend, there’s one takeaway that Stafford, or anyone else who has watched a Schwartz-coached team the past couple of years, can share.
“He is one of the best, if not the best mind out there in defense,” Stafford said Wednesday. “Always a tough battle going up against him.”
It’s one thing to say that Schwartz-led defenses are a tough group to play against. But in his first year in Cleveland, Schwartz has the Browns playing at a historic level.
Entering Sunday, the Browns are holding opponents to 247.9 yards per game. If they maintain this level of play through the end of the regular season, the Browns would be the first team to hold opponents to less than 250 yards per game since the 2008 Steelers, a team that went on to win the Super Bowl.
Opponents are averaging 3.5 third-down conversions against Cleveland, 0.12 punts per offensive play run, 26:41 time of possession. All those figures lead the NFL this season.
Beyond the numbers, the Browns play with a certain kind of swagger. Star defensive lineman Myles Garrett set the standard in Week 1, when he pantomimed a crossover dribble presnap before proceeding to leave the Cincinnati center in the dust as he pursued Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
“They present so many challenges,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “When you see 11 guys in unison at every single snap in every phase of the game, it’s clearly getting communicated what the expectation is and that’s what you see when you pop on the tape. They got great players on top of it and that’s why they’ve had the year they’ve had on defense.”
Much of that effort stems from Schwartz, but he also has a deep system that gives him a lot of options for what to call early in a set of downs, on third, in the red zone, that make the Browns difficult to prepare for.
“He’s definitely a really smart guy,” Stafford said. “He thinks about it from an analytical standpoint but also feels the game as well. As a coordinator, I think he does a nice job of just kind of seeing what’s going on out there and then calling it from his gut.”
If there is an area where Cleveland has been susceptible this season, it’s in the run game. Opposing backs are averaging 4.1 yards per carry, a number that’s jumped to 5.0 across the Browns’ last three games.
And the Rams just rediscovered their run game in a big way in Week 12 with the return of Kyren Williams from injured reserve. The second-year back rushed 16 times for 143 yards (8.9 per carry) while adding 61 yards and two touchdowns through the air in last weekend’s win over the Cardinals.
Williams’ arrival was a shot to the system for the Rams offense as a whole after it had become stagnant in his absence.
“He brought just a jolt of energy that is so authentic to his personality and guys can feel it,” LaFleur said. “You can tell just from the first snap to the time we were in the locker room just what his teammates think of him because of what he brings every single day in terms of his work ethic, what he brings out in the practice field.”
Williams’ arrival was perfect timing as the Rams attempt to turn what was expected to be a rebuilding year into a postseason appearance. Beat the Browns, and the Rams move into a tie with Seattle and Minnesota for a wild-card spot.
“I think the consistent approach has been if you take care of your business, then that conversation continues on. There’s still a lot of football left to be played,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “I think the guys have earned the right to be able to build some positive momentum and it’s a ‘what have you done for me lately’ type of league and that’s what we got to continue to do by being present.”
BROWNS (7-4) at RAMS (5-6)
When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 226, 381