Category: Game Breakdown

Browns offense erupts in historic display in Dallas

The Cleveland Browns offense set several historic marks in the 49-38 win in Week 4 over the Cowboys

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The Cleveland Browns won their third game in a row in spectacular offensive fashion. Kevin Stefanski’s Browns blew the hooves off the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, running for over 300 yards in a 49-38 win in Dallas.

While Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw for over 500 yards and four TDs as the Cowboys rallied late, it was the Browns own commanding performance on offense that wins the day. Cleveland came out running and never stopped.

The Browns ran for 74 yards on eight carries in the first quarter, while also throwing for 85 more. Jarvis Landry’s TD pass to Odell Beckham Jr. got the Browns on the board with expertly executed trickery.

Watch: Jarvis Landry hits Odell Beckham Jr. with the TD pass

The Browns kept the foot on the gas. Take a gander at the team’s drive chart from midway through the third quarter, at which they lead 38-14:

Even with Nick Chubb sidelined with a knee injury, the Browns continued to gash the soft Cowboys defensive front. D’Ernest Johnson ran for 95 yards in relief duty, while Kareem Hunt hit 71 yards and scored twice in 11 carries. Cleveland had three separate runners top 70 yards on the ground, and Chubb added 43 in the first quarter before he departed.

It made for a historic occasion. No Browns team had ever done that before,

Beckham’s huge day also made history. By scoring two receiving TDs and the 50-yard game-sealing run, “OBJ” became just the fourth player this century to score two by air and one by ground. He joins Mike Williams, Javon Walker and David Patten in pulling off the feat since 2000.

Baker Mayfield was efficient, if not prolific. In throwing for 165 yards, two TDs and no INTs, Mayfield avoided a turnover for the third straight game. Last week marked the first time he’d ever gone two full games without a giveaway.

Cleveland also posted at least 30 points for the third week in a row. It’s the first time since Weeks 10-12 in 1968 they’ve pulled off that feat. That ’68 unit did it six games in a row behind Hall of Famers Paul Warfield, Leroy Kelly and Gene Hickerson.

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Browns’ Studs and Duds from the Week 4 win over Dallas

The Cleveland Browns are officially 3-1.

The Cleveland Browns are officially 3-1 and just defeated the NFC East favorite, Dallas Cowboys, by a score of 49-38. The game was fascinating and if you are like me your mouth is dry from watching that game with your jaw dropped the entire three hours. The offense was absolutely electric and the defense played very well despite the second-half breakdown. Below are a few players who shined extra hard and a couple who struggled.

Stud: Denzel Ward

The defense was definitely not the highlight especially not the passing defense as Dallas quarterback, Dak Prescott passed for over 500 yards. With that said, Denzel Ward had another outstanding outing showing he is elite when healthy. When a corner is facing a team that passes the ball as much as Dallas a few lapses are expected, but Ward bounced back and ended the game with four tackles and the game-sealing interception.

Dud: Andrew Sendejo

Andrew Sendejo has been a regular on this list and it is a bummer considering how inspiring his story is, but he is a complete liability in coverage. He is constantly providing offenses with highlight-reel opportunities. That sweet tight-window Prescott pass in the first quarter was due to Sendejo going for the kill shot and whiffing. This is a regular occurrence.

Stud: D’Ernest Johnson

The former Alliance of American Football League star has had a difficult path to the NFL, but he appears here to stay. With Nick Chubb going down, Johnson was splitting carries with Kareem Hunt and actually led the team in rushing yards with 95 on only 13 carries for a healthy 7.3-yard average.

Dud: Karl Joseph

Joseph was on the stud list a few weeks ago, but he had two gaffes that resulted in Dallas points today. That includes a missed tackle as the ferocious hitter — per his usual self  — refuses to wrap up ball carriers. Then there is the initial Dallas touchdown that Sendejo received most of the blame on. Joseph was likely supposed to be in the area but was in no-man’s-land covering nothing instead.

Stud: Odell Beckham

Beckham was unstoppable on Sunday. His athleticism was on constant display as he had two carries for 73 yards, including the dagger touchdown on the reverse. He had five receptions for 81 yards and the first two touchdowns for the Browns.

Stud: Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield might not have put up the fantasy points that Prescott did, but Mayfield made few mistakes if any, and accumulated 165 passing yards and two touchdowns with ZERO interceptions. People may call Mayfield a “game-manager” like its an insult, but as long as he isn’t throwing interceptions, there should be no complaints.

Watch: Jarvis Landry hits Odell Beckham Jr. with the TD pass

The Browns took the early lead with a great trick play

The Cleveland Browns broke into the scoring column in Week 4 in an unusual way. And it was glorious!

Wide receiver Jarvis Landry made a picture-perfect throw to fellow wideout Odell Beckham Jr. over the top of the Dallas defense to cap off an impressive opening drive for the Browns. Landry did a fantastic job of not tipping off the deception and uncorked a perfect left-handed strike to his old friend and LSU teammate.

The reverse option pass worked perfectly:

Browns inactives for Week 4: Kareem Hunt and Denzel Ward both active

Browns inactives for Week 4: Kareem Hunt and Denzel Ward both active, as are Joel Bitonio and Oliver Vernon

The game-time decisions on a couple of very important Cleveland Browns players are now official. Running back Kareem Hunt and starting CB Denzel Ward are active for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Defensive end Olivier Vernon, who was also questionable for the game, is also active. The same is true of left guard Joel Bitonio.

The inactive list adds reserve offensive lineman Evan Brown and wide receiver Rashard Higgins to the trio of injured players. Three players were already ruled out due to injury:

  • DE Adrian Clayborn
  • LB Tae Davis
  • CB Greedy Williams

The Browns did not call up any players from the practice squad this week.

Here are the Cowboys’ inactive players:

Browns have chance to set a new course with win over Cowboys

The Browns can improve to 3-1 for the first time since 2000 with a Week 4 win in Dallas

A win on Sunday in Dallas would make the Cleveland Browns 3-1 on the young season. That might not seem like a major accomplishment for most teams, but for the Browns it’s truly something different.

Cleveland has not had a 3-1 record since the 2000 season, the second year of the rebirthed franchise. On October 7, 2000, the Browns beat the San Diego Chargers 20-16 on a fourth-quarter comeback led by Tim Couch. The second-year QB hit Kevin Johnson for the game-winning TD with just over a minute remaining, and Corey Fuller broke up Doug Flutie’s final pass to preserve the win and the 3-1 record.

That marked the third time in four seasons, spread around a three-year pause, that the Browns started 3-1. They did it in 1994 and 1995 as well behind the passing of Vinny Testaverde and the coaching of Bill Belichick.

Since then, the Browns have barely attained the mediocrity that comes with a 2-2 record after four games. They’ve done it just six times — 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 2011, and 2014.

Sunday in Dallas can change that. The Browns are underdogs against the 1-2 Cowboys, but they should feel confident in their ability to match up with “America’s Team”. It would crack a 20-year barrier to success that hangs heavily over the franchise and the fans.

Fingers crossed…

Behind Enemy Lines with Cowboys Wire breaking down Week 4 at Dallas

Thanks to K.D. Drummond for taking the time and providing good info

The 2-1 Cleveland Browns pack their bags and head southwest to face the 1-2 Cowboys on Sunday.

To catch up with what’s going on with “America’s Team,” I asked Cowboys Wire managing editor K.D. Drummond a few questions about the matchup. Drummond is a font of information and isn’t your typical Cowboys homer, so it’s very nice to get some good tidbits on the NFC East foe.

What is going on with the once-vaunted offensive line?

Time waits for no man, and certainly not for a group of them. The biggest issue is injury. Travis Frederick retired. Tyron Smith’s neck stingers popped up earlier than usual this season. La’el Collins is dealing with a hip injury that will likely require surgery. Losing both tackles and a center is a death sentence for any line.

Connor Williams, the weak link, now has weak links flanking him. Even though 2019 UDFA Brandon Knight has been really good, 2020 UDFA tackle Terence Steele has been really bad. There’s no continuity, no familiarity, and therefore nobody but Zack Martin holding things down. It’s a whole mess.

Dak Prescott might be the most criticized good QB by his own fan base. How is that relationship playing out, and why can’t Jerry Jones shut up about it?

This week’s comments were taken out of context. He worded it poorly but he was saying that Prescott is the same type of QB as [Patrick] Mahomes and [Tony] Romo that can even give their team a chance to make a play under the circumstances at the end of the Seattle loss. As for Prescott’s status among the fanbase, the smart ones know what they have. The dumb ones are always stuck on draft pedigree and finding ways to justify their early beliefs he isn’t the guy.

In addition, it’s America’s Team, so everyone has an opinion on it. Prescott is ridiculously good, but he’s not perfect. So despite setting a franchise record with 291 straight attempts without an interception — old narratives re-emerge as soon as he does throw one.

The Dallas pass rush has not clicked yet, though it is trending up. Is it personnel, scheme or just more of a need to play together?

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who doesn’t have the best track record, decided he was going to implement a hybrid 30/40 front with two-gap responsibilities on the interior and edge rushers from a two-point stance. Then COVID-19 happened and wiped out all install sessions and prep work, along with preseason games to work on technique in actual game conditions. Instead of reverting to what the players know, they pressed forward.

If it weren’t for the natural talent of DeMarcus Lawrence drawing attention and Aldon Smith’s supernatural abilities, it’d be a barren wasteland of pressure.

Who are a couple of Cowboys who don’t get enough national attention for their games?

That’s an oxymoron, isn’t it? Cowboys who don’t get enough attention? I mentioned Knight, who will likely have the unfortunate responsibility of stopping Myles Garrett on Sunday. LB Joe Thomas is playing in place of Leighton Vander Esch (though at Will backer) and is outplaying Jaylon Smith each week.

Rookie Trevon Diggs has given up some big plays, but his future stardom is evident in almost every snap. The down-roster WRs, Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown, have each emerged as serious threats to any defense.

What is one thing about the Browns that scares you for Dallas?

Nick Chubb. That’s a whole problem, man. He’s the real deal.

Who wins and why?

I think the Cowboys, at home in front of fans, have the advantage here. Tyron Smith should be back and help calm the line down a bit, improving both left and right tackle. They’ll keep Dalton Schultz in to help protect against Garrett a lot and allow the wideouts to go to work.

Shout out to Terrance Mitchell for y’all — he was my first player interview back when he was drafted by Dallas. Proud of him, but I don’t know how he holds up against this arsenal of receivers. Cowboys 40, Browns 27

Jedrick Wills: How the Browns rookie LT fared against Washington in Week 3

Wills faced off against a very good WAS front featuring Montez Sweat

First-round pick Jedrick Wills has received plenty of praise over the first two weeks of his NFL career. The Browns rookie left tackle faced a big challenge in a talented Washington Football Team defensive front in Week 3.

Using the All-22 coach’s film, I rewatched the Browns victory and focused on Wills. I use a system that awards a plus for a clear win and a minus for a clear loss. Not every snap results in one or the other.

Here’s what I saw from Wills in Week 3:

The Browns threw Wills to the wolves right away. The very first play from scrimmage was a screen to his side that required him to down block at first and then peel out and pick off the LB as the primary blocker for TE Austin Hooper. Pressure on Baker Mayfield rushed the timing, but Wills still effectively created a crease for Hooper to gain positive yardage on a generally messy play.

Wills had a false start on each of the first two drives, facing Montez Sweat on the first and Ryan Anderson on the second. What impressed was that on the ensuing plays, he didn’t try to overcompensate for his mistakes as some rookies, or even veteran tackles, are prone to doing. Wills did his job, earning a plus in my grading book on each. He locked up Anderson for 4.7 seconds in pass protection after the second penalty (the Mayfield scramble to the right to find Beckham up the sideline) and did so without holding.

The matchups with Sweat were entertaining. Sweat has a signature move, a one-handed bull rush that’s very unusual and effective. Sweat got him with it once from a Wide-9 alignment on Cleveland’s second drive, a play that resulted in a Johnathan Allen sack thanks in part to Sweat’s pressure. Wills only lost three other reps to Sweat the rest of the game, adjusting his approach so that Sweat wasn’t striking with his incredible jab punch at full force. That’s veteran savvy from the rookie that I have to think was aided by coach Bill Callahan on the sidelines.

One of those losses came on a Sweat sack in the third quarter and it stands out because it was an example of Wills losing with technique. He quick-set to the outside and Sweat caught him with his weight on his inside foot, allowing Sweat to crash that inside shoulder and easily get past the rookie. It’s a cunning move by Sweat, a really good player, but Wills made it easier than it needed to be.

For the game, Wills wound up with 15 plusses and six minuses in my grading. Isolating the passing game, Wills was a net plus-6 (9 to 3). Considering the degree of difficulty in facing off primarily with an emerging star in Sweat, that’s a good game from Wills. Other than the one bad loss, Wills showed consistently strong technique and positional awareness. The power and the footwork are both in place for Wills to thrive as the Browns left tackle.

Offensive line once again dominates the Browns’ top PFF grades

3 of the top 4 offensive grades went to the Browns OL

It’s becoming a weekly theme for the Cleveland Browns. The Pro Football Focus grades for the team’s 34-20 win over Washington in Week 3 reflect very highly on the Cleveland offensive line, just as they did in the first two weeks.

Three of the Browns’ top four offensive grades from PFF in Week 3 went to offensive linemen.

  • Joel Bitonio – 81.0
  • Wyatt Teller – 80.3
  • Jack Conklin – 73.2

Only WR Odell Beckham Jr. worked his way into the top foursome, scoring a season-high 76.6 in the game. Fellow wideout Jarvis Landry rounds out the top five with a 73.0 grade.

On defense, Myles Garrett’s dominant performance shot to the top of the PFF scores. Garrett earned a 91.0 overall grade and a 91.4 pass rush grade.

Linebacker B.J. Goodson parlayed his best game in a Browns uniform into a strong 84.4 overall grade. Most of that came from a 90.8 mark in coverage that was helped by an interception. CB Kevin Johnson, in his Browns debut, was the only other Cleveland defender to top the 70.0 overall mark.

At the other end of the grading scale…

  • CB M.J. Stewart – 30.2 overall
  • LB Sione Takitaki – 34.0
  • LB Mack Wilson – 36.9 in six snaps
  • S Ronnie Harrison – 46.3 in six snaps
  • WR JoJo Natson – 49.5 in four snaps

Browns snap counts from Week 3: All hands on deck at cornerback

Five CBs played at least 22 snaps in the win over Washington

A quick look at the Cleveland Browns snaps counts from the Week 3 win over the Washington Football team shows a secondary in injury-related disarray and a stable, dominating offensive line.

The teams each ran 62 actual plays on offense, though the snap counts are elevated by kneel-downs that inflate the Washington total to 65 and Cleveland’s to 63.

Thanks to injuries, both before and during the game, six different cornerbacks took the field. That includes undrafted rookie A.J. Green, who made his NFL debut by playing exactly one snap on defense. The other five who played all logged at least 22 snaps.

The breakdown at CB:

  • Terrance Mitchell – 65
  • Kevin Johnson – 38 in his Browns debut
  • Tavierre Thomas – 30
  • Denzel Ward – 29
  • M.J. Stewart – 22
  • Green – 1

The RB workload continues to be fairly straightforward. Nick Chubb played 34 snaps while Kareem Hunt saw the field for 29. They did not play a single snap on the field together. FB Andy Janovich, who caught his first pass as a Brown on Sunday, played 17 reps.

Rookie tight end Harrison Bryant was on the field for 40 snaps, with Austin Hooper playing 54 of the 63. That speaks to the volume of two-TE sets in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. Bryant caught his first career TD in the game. Bryant logged more snaps as the No. 2 TE than third wideout KhaDarel Hodge (35) played. No. 3 TE Stephen Carlson also out-repped No. 4 WR JoJo Natson, six to four.

Cleveland’s starting offensive line played all 63 snaps together, joined by Baker Mayfield at QB as the only offensive players to log every rep. On defense, safeties Karl Joseph and Andrew Sendejo played all 65, as did Mitchell at CB,

By the numbers: Breaking down the key stats and figures from the Browns Week 3 win

By the numbers: Breaking down the key stats and figures from the Browns Week 3 win

The most important numbers are 34 and 20, the points on the scoreboard posted by the Cleveland Browns and Washington Football Team on Sunday. A lot of other numbers, stats and figures help explain how the two teams arrived at the final score in FirstEnergy Stadium.

0 – INTs thrown by Baker Mayfield, his first clean slate in eight games

2 – sacks from Myles Garrett

2 – made Cody Parkey field goals, on two attempts

3 – 3-and-out-possessions by the Browns offense, including two in the third quarter

5 – total takeaways by the Browns defense, the most they’ve had since Week 1 of the 2018 season

6 – Browns penalties, costing Cleveland 50 yards

7 – different Browns catching a pass; none had more than four catches

13 – receiving yards for FB Andy Janovich on his first touch as a Brown

31 – kick return yards from JoJo Natson, the first Browns kick return of the season

50 – rushing yards by Nick Chubb in fourth quarter, almost half of his 108 for the game

62 – plays run by each team, a symmetry that almost never happens

94 – net passing yards for Washington after halftime

117.3 – QB Rating for Baker Mayfield