When the Browns traded Trent Richardson less than two weeks ago, many people thought the Browns were tanking the season in order to get a top flight quarterback prospect in the 2014 NFL Draft.
We said that Ray Horton’s defense was too good to allow the team to wind up 2-14 or 3-13.
That was never more evidenced than today’ 17-6 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the team’s second straight win. The Browns now sit at 2-2, tied with the Ravens and Bengals for first place in the AFC North.
The key match up was to be Cincinnati’s A. J. Green against Cleveland’s Joe Haden, and if so, then the decided edge went to Haden, who held Green to just 51 yards receiving for the game, with a long play of just 16 yards.
Cincy QB Andy Dalton hit on just 23 of 42 passes for the day for 206 yards and the Bengal offense was held out of the end zone by Horton’s crew, getting just two field goals.
The Cleveland defense boasted last week that no one runs on them, and it was true again today, with the Bengals getting just 63 yards rushing on 20 attempts, a 3.2 average.
It makes playing defense much easier when you can eliminate one facet of offense, and the Browns seem to do that week after week. Opponents simply haven’t been able to mount much of a rushing game.
And Horton’s group was able to get off the field most of the time, allowing just 4 of 14 third down conversions.
Rookie first round pick Barkevious Mingo got his first start and is now three-for-three. He has a sack in each game he has played thus far. The only other sack by Cleveland was a huge one, with CB Chris Owens jarring the ball loose from Dalton and then recovering it, the first Cincy turnover.
And besides Haden’s blanket job on Green, kudos must also be given to much maligned CB Buster Skrine, who continues to show improvement and intercepted Dalton in the fourth quarter to basically put a lid on this victory.
Keep in mind, the Browns were missing Jabaal Sheard, who is off to a great start in this contest.
Offensively, it wasn’t spectacular like last week, but QB Brian Hoyer was very effective, particularly on third down, converting 9 of 18 chances. Hoyer hit on 25 of 38 throws for 269 yards and touchdown tosses to TE Jordan Cameron, quietly developing into a very good player and RB Chris Ogbonnaya, who ran five times for 27 yards and caught five more passes.
Cameron was Hoyer’s primary target, grabbing 10 passes for 91 yards.
Josh Gordon had four catches for 71 yards, including a tremendous catch on a 33-yard play in which he reached over the defensive back.
There is no question that even if Brandon Weeden’s thumb is healthy, Hoyer should be behind center this week against the Bills.
RB Willis McGahee promised more production in his second game with the Browns, and he delivered, gaining 46 yards on 15 carries, but had 36 of those yards in the fourth quarter.
And you can’t forget the contribution of P Spencer Lanning, who averaged 42.8 yards on his kicks, and put three of them inside the Cincinnati 20 yard line.
Billy Cundiff, hurt last week against the Vikings, missed two field goals, but converted a 51-yard field goal, his second of over 50 yards on the season.
The Browns have a short week now, having to take on Buffalo this Thursday, and the Bills knocked off the Ravens today.
Suddenly, the improvement we thought this football team could accomplish may be attainable. The Browns may just be a contender.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 