Browns’ Biggest Question? Still Watson

The Cleveland Browns start training camp this week, meaning an end to the local sports talk stations searching for content.

Because even though the Cavaliers made it to the second round of the playoffs this year, and the Guardians have one of the best records in baseball, football is the preferred subject for the radio sports talk folks.

The Browns went 11-6 a year ago, making the playoffs before they “picked a bad day to have a bad day” to quote coach Kevin Stefanski, losing to Houston in the wild card round.

However, Cleveland earned a lot of respect within the NFL last season. Myles Garrett was voted the league’s defensive player of the year. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was voted the NFL’s best assistant coach, and Stefanski himself was named Coach of the Year for the second time.

Many of the team’s star players are in their prime: Garrett, CB Denzel Ward, LB Jeremiah Osuwu-Koramoah, and TE David Njoku. The secondary is among the league’s best led by cornerbacks Ward and Martin Emerson along with S Grant Delpit.

And with Schwartz in his second year, the defense which allowed the least yards in the league last year should be able to provide some new wrinkles, particularly on the road where they had some struggles last season.

Nick Chubb, who suffered a severe knee injury last season, has attacked rehab like he attacks would be tacklers and amazingly looks like he could be ready for the season opener.

To be honest, we felt we wouldn’t see Chubb until mid-season.

But the key to the Browns’ Super Bowl hopes is still QB Deshaun Watson. Many in the local media continue to think with new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Watson can get close to being the quarterback he was in Houston in 2020, when he led the NFL in passing yards, yards/attempt and yards per completion.

Notice we said that happened in 2020. This is 2024.

Watson is coming off shoulder surgery which cost him the last eight games of the regular season in ’23, but that’s the only injury which cost him playing time since his last productive season.

The national media have their doubts to whether or not we will ever see that Watson again. And if they are correct, can the Browns get to where they have never been? That being a Super Bowl.

The first thing for Watson is availability. He’s been with the Browns for two seasons and due to suspensions or injury, he has played 12. In both seasons, the offense looked better with another passer, the first year it was Jacoby Brissett, and last season Joe Flacco.

That’s what the national guys are seeing.

If you look at the teams who are getting to the conference championship game, most often than not, those teams are getting very good quarterback play. Watson doesn’t have to be the 2020 version, but he has to be close for Cleveland to get where they haven’t been since 1989.

And here’s another big question. What if the Browns get off to a slow start, say 1-3 or 2-5, and a big reason is Watson still hasn’t regained his Texans’ form?

Does the organization have the stomach to make a change? They brought in Jameis Winston for a reason, he’s a capable NFL signal caller. There are 230 million reasons they won’t make a change but remember what we said earlier.

This team is built to win NOW. What about the great players currently wearing the Browns’ uniform?

The organization and the fans need to see a Pro Bowl version of Deshaun Watson. The biggest question for the franchise is does that guy still exist?

With Watson, We Have To See It To Believe It.

Since we live in northeast Ohio and football is discussed all year round, the talk about Deshaun Watson is relentless. So, we guess we will dive into the conversation about the Browns’ quarterback too.

We will start by not understanding how anyone can have confidence that Watson will be one of the best signal callers in the NFL. We do agree that at one point in his career, Watson was a top five QB in the league, but we are getting farther and farther away from that occurance.

We understand passer rating is not the true measure of quarterback play, but with Houston, Watson had a 104.5 rating and in his dozen games with the Browns, that mark has dipped to 81.7.

Every metric has decreased significantly from his time with the Texans–

Houston Cleveland
Completion % 67.8 59.8
Yards/Attempt 8.3 6.5
Interception % 2.1 2.6

In 2020, Watson completed 70% of his passes. In his 12 games with the Browns, he has had one game, last year’s win over the Titans where he initially was injured, where he completed that high of a percentage (27 of 33, 81.8%).

Can Watson get back to close to the level he played at in Houston? The Browns are trying everything to help him. They hired a new offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey, who has experience guiding a mobile passer.

Perhaps the bigger question is what happens is the Browns get off to a poor start, and quarterback play is a large factor? Cleveland has a huge financial commitment to Watson and has it for three more seasons.

Meanwhile, the rest of the roster is set up to win now. Myles Garrett is 28 years old and in his prime, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season. Joel Bitonio is 32 and in his 9th season. Amari Cooper is 29, and David Njoku is now 27. Denzel Ward is 26.

They made the playoffs last season with Watson starting only six contests, and really only played in five. It would figure that if he played like he did in Houston, the Browns would be a Super Bowl contender.

The situation reminds us of the Odell Beckham situation. When the Browns traded for him in 2019, it had been two seasons since he was truly an elite receiver. Fans and media alike kept waiting for the guy who dazzled the NFL in his first three seasons, but that Beckham didn’t exist any more.

What if the same is true with Watson? Understanding the huge trade capital involved and the guaranteed money involved, if the quarterback cannot turn back the clock to 2020, what will Kevin Stefanski be allowed to do?

We understand everyone wants him to be that guy again, but because of circumstances, suspension, and injury, it has now been three seasons since anyone has seen it.

We would guess within the confines in Berea it has been discussed, because that’s what organizations due, and that’s why Jameis Winston was signed. The Browns need an alternative starting QB in case of injury or in case Watson’s play is just slightly above average.

Until we see the 2020 version of Deshaun Watson, we will remain skeptical. We would bet there are folks who think the same way within the offices in Berea.

Finding The Right Backup For Watson Is a Big Deal

The “legal tampering” period in the NFL starts Monday, so the free agent frenzy is about to begin. We are sure Browns’ GM Andrew Berry will make an impact, as the team has already freed up salary cap space by restructuring the contracts of Denzel Ward and Jedrick Wills.

However, it wouldn’t be a Browns off-season without discussing the quarterback position. We are sure the front office figured once they traded for Deshaun Watson in 2022, that discussion would be over for the next five to ten years.

But due to injury or suspension, Watson has played only 12 games since the 2020 season, which when the ’24 season begins was four years ago. And when he has played, he’s only shown some glimpses of the player he was his four years in Houston, when he put up a 104.5 passer rating.

And that’s why the back up spot is important. When you are a playoff team, like the Browns were in 2023, and they hope to be back in ’24, you can’t have your season do down the drain having an inexperienced reserve QB.

Of course, the people’s choice is Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter last season, and actually had the team’s highest passer rating for the Browns a year ago, 90.2 to Watson’s 84.3.

Better yet was Flacco’s average yards per attempt, which was 7.9 compared to Watson’s 6.5. In fact, if Flacco had qualified for the passing title, that figure would have put him at sixth in the NFL, and his 13.1 yards per completion would have placed him second behind Brock Purdy.

We would prefer Flacco as well, if only because he was here a year ago and the offense ran very well with him under center. The downside is he is a totally different quarterback than Watson, so the question would be would you need a different offensive system should something happen to the starter.

However, we continue to think while Watson is clearly the more athletic of the two QBs, if he’s open to it, we think he can learn a lot from the veteran, who guided Cleveland into the playoffs a year ago, and has been on a Super Bowl winning team.

Kevin Stefanski’s offense is predicated on running the football and using play action off of it. Flacco operated it to perfection. Watson would prefer to play from the shotgun, so he doesn’t have to turn his back on the defense.

We understand Watson has been in the NFL since 2017 and made three Pro Bowl teams with the Texans. We also are of the belief that you are never too old to learn. We would like to see Watson at least give it a try.

Watson has been vocal on his podcast about not being fully comfortable with Stefanski’s scripted plays to start each game.

In our opinion, if he were playing like he did in Houston, he would have more of a leg to stand on. But when you’ve played 12 games in the last three seasons and have had maybe a couple of games when you resembled a Pro Bowler, you ought to be more open to new ideas.

And maybe he has already discussed this with Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. Having Flacco on the roster could be a valuable resource in helping him.

We also think the Browns will start talking to Watson about running less, putting himself in harm’s way only when he has to. Certainly, the investment in him and his availability over the last two years figures into that.

No doubt the first option for the Browns is to have Watson be the quarterback he was in Houston. But they have to be prepared if that doesn’t happen next season.

Stefanski Said It Best: Bad Day To Have A Bad Day

All of the problems the Cleveland Browns had this year showed up again in yesterday’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans.

Yes, the Browns had the NFL’s best defense statistically, but there was a big difference in the way they played at home and away from Cleveland Browns Stadium.

At home, they were simply dominant, but the five worst games the defense had in terms of points allowed came on the road. Indianapolis scored 38, Los Angeles put up 36, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Denver were next.

The defense didn’t give up all 45 points Saturday, two pick sixes added 14 points, but they allowed 31, and there were big plays aplenty. The Texans ran just 44 plays, as Houston scored on offensive plays of 76 and 37 yards, and got some big chunk plays as well as they rolled up 356 total yards, which is 8.1 per play. That’s a huge number.

And the Browns’ defense didn’t get any turnovers nor any sacks. Bet no one thought that would happen. Houston stayed away from Denzel Ward and controlled Myles Garrett, picking on Greg Newsome, who struggled trying to keep up with Nico Collins.

Another issue that reared its head was not taking care of the football. The Browns amazingly made the playoffs despite leading the NFL in turning the ball over, and two interceptions for touchdowns basically ended the game.

Cleveland was trailing 24-14 at the half, but was driving in the third quarter, when QB Joe Flacco apparently trying to throw the ball away, was picked off by Steven Nelson, who returned it 82 yards for a TD.

Then on the next possession, on a 4th down play, Flacco was intercepted again by Christian Harris, who went 36 yards the other way, and suddenly a game within reach was over for all intends and purposes.

The Browns couldn’t run the ball, something that has been a problem since Nick Chubb got hurt in week two. They gained just 56 yards on 20 attempts and their longest two runs were a 14-yard run by Kareem Hunt in garbage time and an 8-yard scramble by Flacco.

That’s not to say all of the Browns had bad games. On defense, we have to point out Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was all over the field, with 8 tackles, several behind the line of scrimmage. He has been getting better and better each week.

David Njoku was a standout as usual, catching seven balls for 93 yards and he and Harrison Bryant were big factors in the first half. And David Bell had a strong game too, catching 8 passes, several in traffic.

As coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game, the Browns simply picked a bad day to have a bad day. After an early field goal, the Browns scored to take leads of 7-3 and 14-10, but defensively they just couldn’t stop Houston.

And as usual, the officiating didn’t help the Browns, a very questionable pass interference call on Ronnie Hickman (especially after a no call against Njoku earlier) gave Houston a first down on a third down play and would have forced a punt.

The Texans scored two plays later to make it 24-14. The NFL has an officiating problem that they care to ignore.

No question this will be a different team when training camp starts in July because of salary cap issues, but the core will remain, players like Garrett, Ward, Owusu-Koramoah, and of course, QB Deshaun Watson will be healthy.

Let’s hope the organization continues to build on this season and the attitude they adopted during this year, winning no matter what is thrown at them, continues in 2024.

It was a bitter loss because we thought this team had a chance to go deeper into the post-season. Still, it was a fun ride.

One Big Turnover Spoils Browns LA Trip

The Joe Flacco experience looked good for the Browns for about three and a half quarters. He directed a touchdown drive on the first possession, and overall played well, completing 23 of 44 throws for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately, in the fourth quarter, he threw a critical interception on the first play of a drive where Cleveland could have taken the lead.

The Browns lost to the Los Angeles Rams 36-19 in a game that was very much in doubt midway through the fourth quarter and dropped to 7-5 on the season.

It might have been the most disappointing defensive effort of the season by Cleveland, allowing the second most total yards of the season as the Rams put up 399 yards (Indianapolis had 456), but unlike the Colts games, the defense had no sacks and no turnovers.

The defense simply had no answer for Puka Nacua and his speed. He accounted for 105 of the Rams’ 279 passing yards, 70 coming on a first quarter strike to put LA on top 10-7, and he also ran two jet sweeps to make up 34 of the Rams’ 120 yards on the ground.

He was the problem the defense had no answer for. Having the Browns’ fastest defensive back, Denzel Ward, on the field would have made a difference we think.

If Myles Garrett is the defensive unit’s best player, then Ward is a close second and having him out, and Garrett obviously limited due to his shoulder issue, it shouldn’t have been a surprise the defensive had perhaps its worst game of the year.

Cleveland also had trouble running the ball for the second straight week, although it wasn’t as notable as last week because Flacco was moving the football through the air. Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong started to get it going in the second half, but overall, they had just 87 yards rushing.

Now, we need to point out they only tried 23 running plays. We feel Kevin Stefanski has done a great job navigating yardage with four different quarterbacks, but perhaps the Browns need to lean on their ground attack more often.

Because Sunday’s contest will be one of the last games Cleveland will play in nice weather (Houston is on the road), perhaps the offensive staff will go back to establishing the running attack.

Back to Flacco. We have advocated playing Dorian Thompson-Robinson over P.J. Walker in recent weeks, but we would stay with the veteran going forward. Why? Because he gives you professional play at the position. We understand he’s not mobile, but he can still deliver the ball on time and with accuracy.

If Stefanski and the coaching staff want to have a functional offense for the rest of the year, and you can’t continue to depend on the defense, then he needs to play Joe Flacco.

And hopefully, Garrett will be healthier next week, and Ward can return to the field. That would help the defense greatly. We were bothered that no one else stepped up to make a big play though. We thought there was more depth added.

We still aren’t concerned about the season. Cleveland simply needs to win the game they should win (Bears, Jets, Bengals) and they should return to the playoffs.

However, they need the defense to get healthy. And it would help if it were cold and windy for Jacksonville this coming Sunday.

Garrett Wills The Browns To A Road Win

If you read this web site on a regular basis or follow us on social media, you know we are very critical of the NFL officiating. We believe it is the worst in all of professional sports.

Someone on X (Twitter) made a comment that they saw Browns’ running back Duke Johnson holding the football at the bottom of a pile and an official award the ball to the opponent.

So yes, the Cleveland Browns were probably the beneficiaries of some poor calls by the officials. But they happen all around the league every week, so there is no need to feel remorse about a win on Sunday if you are a fan.

As Bill Parcells famously said, you are what your record says you are, and the Browns are 4-2 after a 39-38 win over Indianapolis on Sunday.

Even though they gave up 38 points, the story of the game was still the Cleveland defense. Over the first five games, opponents couldn’t move the football with much success, but Sunday, the Colts did move the ball, getting a handful of big plays to help them amass 456 yards.

They flipped the script because they created turnovers, four of them in fact, scored a defensive touchdown, blocked a field goal, and had the best player on the field in Myles Garrett.

Garrett’s first half was unbelievable, Lawrence Taylor-like if you will. Immediately after the pair calling the game said they hadn’t called Garrett’s name; he recorded a strip sack which led to the Browns’ second touchdown, tying the game at 14.

Next, he leaped over the offensive line to block a field goal, which Denzel Ward picked up and moved into Colts’ territory, setting up a Cleveland field goal.

Then right before halftime, he did it again, this time in the end zone and Tony Fields recovered the ball for a defensive touchdown, putting Cleveland up 24-21.

So, while the defense had its worst game of the season in terms of giving up points and yardage, it scored a touchdown directly, and set up at least 10 more points. We say at least because after the Fields score, the defense forced a three and out, setting up another Dustin Hopkins’ field goal.

Can speaking of Hopkins, how big was the trade for him before the season started? Andrew Berry knew he couldn’t go into the season with Cade York’s lack of consistency, so he acquired the veteran from San Diego.

His statistics showed he was good inside the 50 (almost 90% for his career), but so-so beyond that distance at 15 for 30.

However, he’s become a tremendous weapon for Kevin Stefanski, making 16 of 18 field goals, including 7 for 7 from 50 yards or more. He made four kicks Sunday, three from past midfield, including a career long 58 yarder.

The Browns have won two straight games without much of a passing attack, and everyone know that cannot continue. Hopefully, Deshaun Watson continues to get better and can play going forward, but he may have to change his style.

If he can’t put as much zip on the ball because of his shoulder, then he needs to make an adjustment. Plenty of quarterbacks have been successful later in their career despite losing MPH on their throws. Peyton Manning and Joe Montana come to mind.

But the offense needs to be better in the passing game for sure. We were happy to see David Njoku used more because we continue to believe he is only behind Amari Cooper in being a big play threat.

As Stefanski said last week, the Browns need to continue to stack wins, and they have another opportunity to do just that in Seattle next Sunday. It won’t be easy because the Seahawks are 4-2 and they have one of the game’s best coaches in Pete Carroll.

On the other hand, their last three wins are against Carolina, the Giants, and Cardinals.

We will bet the Cleveland defense will be much better next week.

Worry Season In Full Effect For Browns Fans

Since it seems like the entire northeast Ohio region is football obsessed, at least the broadcast and print media that is, there are various stages of the year for the pigskin folks.

Of course, from late July to January, everyone is focused on the play on the field, unless of course, the team starts out 0-5 and then we have continuous draft talk until April. But in a year where the Browns remain in playoff contention for most of the season, the weeks following the end of the regular season is spent talking about who should be assigned blame for not winning the Super Bowl.

Since Kevin Stefanski did not get fired and Joe Woods did, that part of the year has passed, so people have moved on to the needlessly worrying about next season phase.

Or Myles Garrett’s dislocated toe.

There is a whole lot of time between now and when training camp opens in late July, and we doubt that Andrew Berry and the rest of the front office are hibernating in some cave, ready to arise shortly before the draft.

One of our favorite lazy sportstalk topics usually happens in the week before the conference title games, when the question is asked: How can the Browns compete with the two teams in the game?

The answer is quite simple. Right now, they can’t. But that’s what the off-season is for.

We are pretty confident Berry, Paul DePodesta, and Stefanski know their team has a bunch of holes to fill, and they will do their best to accomplish that.

Here is where the worrying comes in. They have no draft picks, though. The Browns should trade Nick Chubb or Denzel Ward, or even Myles Garrett to get draft picks to improve the roster.

Remember, the Browns stripped down the roster to get a bunch of draft picks and in the process went 1-15 and 0-16. With all of those picks, they have one playoff appearance, and the last two seasons of unfulfilled playoff hopes.

The reality is there are several ways to upgrade the roster. The first will come when the new league year starts and there will be free agents to be signed. And yes, we know Cleveland is currently over the salary cap, which means they are likely working behind the scenes with several highly paid veterans to restructure their current deals to free up some money.

They also can release players too.

The worry has even been linked to Deshaun Watson. What if he never regains the ability he had with Houston?

Watson is 27 years old and he didn’t miss almost two full seasons due to injury. Did he struggle when he returned for the last six games of the regular season? Of course. Still, this is a guy who was one of the top five or six quarterbacks in the game when he played his last full season in 2020.

Yes, the Texans finished 4-12, but their offense put up 30 or more points in five games. Houston was 2-3 in those games. Watson threw 7 interceptions that season. He threw five in the six games with Cleveland, and we will remind you two of those contests were played in terrible conditions.

While it’s a possibility Watson will never be an elite QB again, we are comfortable the Browns will have very good a top guy at the position, and for all the X’s and O’s Stefanski and Watson discussed at the “recruiting” meeting, having the opportunity to see him first hand and work with him, we are sure the head coach has a better idea of how to get the best out of him.

Perhaps people and talk show hosts should relax and think about other things to discuss before they drive themselves crazy?

Schwartz Has The Chops To Fix The Defense

Let’s face it, the best thing about the Browns’ hiring of Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator is that he is not Joe Woods. No doubt, fans had to be tired of the excuses and lack of communication on that side of the ball.

Another positive is the experience factor. It seems the most heralded assistant coach Kevin Stefanski has is offensive line coach Bill Callahan, a former college and pro head coach who has been around a long time. His unit is arguably the strongest on the team.

Why not add another veteran of the coaching wars. Schwartz got his start right here on the heralded Bill Belicheck Browns’ staff which also featured Nick Saban, Eric Mangini, Kirk Ferentz, and Woody Widenhofer. He’s been around the NFL for a long time.

We are not going to judge the hire now, nor are we going to predict how Schwartz is going to coach the defense. Our hope is he will do what good coaches do, that is, look at the personnel he has and develop a plan that maximizes the talent of the players.

In a radio interview, former Titans’ safety Blaine Bishop said Schwartz reinvents himself wherever he goes because he looks at the talent on the roster and adjusts his scheme to suit the strengths of the players. We certainly hope that trend continues.

However, in 14 years as defensive coordinator with Tennessee (2001-08), Buffalo (2014), and Philadelphia (2016-20), his defenses have finished in the top half of the league eight times, and six of those seasons ranked in the top ten in yards allowed.

In points allowed Schwartz’ defense finished in the top 16 nine times, four of those in the top ten.

He seems to put an emphasis on stopping the run, finishing in the top ten eight times in allowing rushing yards. That should be a relief to Cleveland football fans who watched opposing teams punish the Browns’ defense running the ball. The Browns probably would have been worse than 7-10 had some teams not forgotten the brown and orange couldn’t contain the running game.

We understand there will be an adjustment to a new coordinator next year, so it is unlikely the defense will be dominant to start the season, but really, is that any different from the last two seasons? In each of those years, Woods’ defense was below average in the first eight games.

We also get there will be some personnel changes too. But those would have been made anyway because it is doubtful the Browns would be able to effectively stop the ground game with the current roster. However, this team still has some top end players in Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Greg Newsome, and rookie Martin Emerson.

Our guess is Schwartz will look at those cornerbacks and will play more man-to-man than his predecessor, and we fully support that. He will also likely look at the defensive front and ask for help so the defense can be stouter against the run.

You know how we feel about that. You can’t win in the NFL unless you can stop the run.

Bringing in a veteran coach with a track record of success most likely isn’t a bad thing. The defense was the reason the Browns went 7-10 this season, not playcalling or lack of yelling by the head coach.

That’s why we should all be happy about the hire.

Browns Win, Still Have A Pulse

The Cleveland Browns live for another week.

A loss on Sunday to Tampa Bay would have pretty much put the final nail into the coffin representing the 2022 NFL season, but because David Njoku made a tremendous catch to send the game into overtime and the defense kept Tom Brady off the scoreboard in overtime, the Browns won it in the last minute to go to 4-7.

Now, nothing is for certain because it’s the NFL and you know, “Any Given Sunday”, but with the woeful Texans coming up on the schedule Cleveland should be able to get to 5-7, and then it’s a matter of winning division games if Kevin Stefanski’s squad have any chance at a playoff spot.

Again, the odds are heavily stacked against them, but there still is a chance.

Cleveland was able to win because the Buccaneers decided not to run the ball, probably because they have Tom Brady. In the first half, they had success (most teams do) on the ground, not ended the game with only 96 yards, albeit on just 20 attempts. So, they averaged almost five yards per carry. It was a situation similar to the first 20 minutes of the Buffalo game until the Bills remembered the Browns can’t stop the ground game.

They were able to dial up pressure on Brady in the fourth quarter. Myles Garrett, who some feel (we do not) doesn’t get “important” sacks, came up with one and a half late in the game and also drew a penalty for an offensive lineman having his hands in Garrett’s face.

He came up big in this one for sure.

Oh, and by the way, he now has 68.5 sacks in 78 career games. Since we go by the ProFootballreference.com statistics, that puts him 4th on the team’s all-time list behind Bill Glass (94 games), Clay Matthews (232 games), and Jerry Sherk (147 games).

They won because Martin Emerson played a tremendous game, holding Mike Evans to just two catches for 31 yards.

Last week, Denzel Ward took Stefon Diggs out of the game against Buffalo. Could the defense be beginning to realize their best option is to play man-to-man on outside receivers?

And they won because Nick Chubb was, well, Nick Chubb, gaining 116 yards on 26 carries, including a big run on the game tying drive.

It pushed Chubb over 1000 yards for the four straight year. The last Cleveland runner to do that? Try the GOAT: Jim Brown. He’s now 4th on the Browns’ all-time list behind Brown, Leroy Kelly, and Mike Pruitt. It’s not a stretch to think he could be #2 by the end of next season if he stays healthy.

Cleveland has six games left and likely needs to win all six, or at least five, but then the tiebreakers become an issue, and the Browns don’t have a lot, if any, advantages there.

The three non-divisional games are at Houston (1-9-1), home vs. New Orleans (4-8) and at Washington (7-5). And remember, Deshaun Watson is back for next week. The Browns have the talent to win those games, but the question remains as to whether or not they can.

And of course, there are the three divisional games, with Cleveland already at 2-1 against the AFC North. We know from the past, all of those games will be a dogfight.

It has been a disappointing season to say the least, but now they have their franchise QB back, a guy they committed a boatload of money to, and a player we believe is a top five quarterback in the NFL.

Could the Browns run the table? Probably not, but they have a chance, something they wouldn’t have without Njoku’s catch, Chubb’s running, and a defense that stepped up.

Browns Best Game Shows They Can Do It. Will They?

With the backs against the wall, the Cleveland Browns played their best game of the season Monday night, whipping the Cincinnati Bengals, 32-13 to raise their record to 3-5 on the season, with the bye week arriving next weekend.

The week off should help getting Denzel Ward, Wyatt Teller, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and perhaps even David Njoku back for the last nine games, and of course, Deshaun Watson returns for the December 4th tilt against Houston.

The biggest question we had from Monday night’s rout was why can’t the Browns play like that more often, if not every week.

The defense, gashed for more than 399 yards in a game three times in 2022, held the Bengals to just 229, improving on the then season low 254 yards allowed to Baltimore the week before.

Talk about “Jekyll and Hyde”! In their eight games this season, they’ve allowed 400 yards (well, 399 to New England) three times, and less than 308 four times. The league average is 345 yards per game, so much like the little girl with the curl, they are either very good or very bad.

It was also the first game this season where the defense caused more than one turnover, forcing an interception and a fumble by Cincinnati. When the Browns win or tie the turnover battle this season, their record is 3-1. Pretty simple, right?

Of course, the game didn’t get off to a great start for the defense and special teams. A penalty for too many men on the field on the first play of the game? And Cade York’s first field goal attempt was blocked.

But midway through the second quarter, Kevin Stefanski’s crew put everything together and really dominated the Bengals on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, it was the second best game of the season in terms of yardage, the 440 yards exceeded only by the 443 gained against the Chargers.

We know everyone reaches for the low hanging fruit of play calling in terms of the problems with the team (because everyone is a master play caller on Madden), but when the Browns have the ball, they are much more consistent.

The lowest total gained thus far was the 328 gained vs. New England with the 336 against Baltimore ranking next. Again, the league average is 345, so even when the offense hasn’t been at its best, it’s pretty much league average.

It was also the Browns’ fifth game with over 170 yards rushing, but the first since the loss to the Chargers. At this point, the organization should realize this is the team’s profile. They need to come out each and every game and run, and then run some more.

Now, it’s up to the team to maintain this level of play, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. The last two games show maybe they’ve turned a corner. If the Browns want to make the games Watson does play relevant, they need to continue to hold their opponents down.

It would be difficult to see a win vs. Buffalo, but the other games Jacoby Brissett will start (Miami and Tampa Bay) appear winnable.

Being 5-6 when Watson returns, and with three divisional games remaining would put Cleveland in a decent spot.

Our other thought after Monday’s game? Man, it would be nice to have that Jets’ game back now.