The Cleveland Browns have an extremely important game against the New England Patriots coming up in Week 6. They are still hanging around in the AFC North for the time being, and a win over the Patriots could help them stay with the rest of the pack in their very competitive division.

Unfortunately, the Browns, who have been dealing with their fair share of injuries as a group, have been dealt some tough news ahead of this game. Two of their defensive stars in Jadeveon Clowney and Denzel Ward have been ruled out for this one already, meaning the Browns defense will be shorthanded against the Patriots on Sunday.

Losing a starter at any position on either side of the ball is always a bad scenario in the NFL. Losing two starters ahead of a very important game is even worse. Clowney and Ward are two of the Browns best defensive players, and their presences will be missed greatly in this game.

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With Clowney out, that will force Isaiah Thomas and Alex Wright into more action on the edge alongside Myles Garrett (who may not even play himself). At cornerback, Greg Newsome II will be taking over as the top cornerback, with A.J. Green and Martin Emerson Jr. seeing more playing time as well.

Considering other top players, such as Garrett, Joel Bitonio, and Taven Bryan are listed as questionable for this game, the Browns could enter this game against New England very short handed. Losing Jadeveon Clowney and Denzel Ward hurts, but that might not be the end of it for Cleveland. It will be interesting to see how they handle these injuries, as that could determine whether or not the Browns are able to pull out a win here.