Tag: Browns defense

Data Dump: What the trends tell us about the Browns with 5 weeks left

Examining NFL metrics and analytics to determine how well the Cleveland Browns are playing

The Cleveland Browns finished their two-week tour out west with painful losses to the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams. In this week’s “Data Dump,” we’ll see how poorly the Browns did during their mini odyssey. The trip was not kind to the Browns as their great defense faltered against experienced gunslingers and their crafty coaches. The offense returned with more questions at the quarterback position than when they left after Joe Flacco’s Cleveland debut.

The team’s homecoming against the Jacksonville Jaguars allows the Browns to right the ship and control their destiny for the remainder of the season. The Browns and Jaguars game has major implications for the AFC playoff race. The Jaguars are a good, but not a great team, battling to win the AFC South. If the Browns defeat the Jaguars, it will inspire a lot of confidence in the group, both internally and externally.

After 12 games, the Browns are firmly entrenched in their statistical tiers. One game can no longer swing the Browns in one direction or another. Right now, the Browns need to stack the success of multiple games to put a dent in their rankings. The team must finish the season strong and head into the playoffs on a hot streak.

Data Dump: Browns rise up rankings after dominating the Cardinals

Where do the Cleveland Browns rank across various metrics after their week 9 performance against the Arizona Cardinals.

In this week’s Data Dump, the Cleveland Browns are quickly rising through the ranks of the NFL after delivering a 27-0 win against the Arizona Cardinals. While the Browns are 5-3 at the halfway point of their season, the statistical analysis didn’t agree that the Browns were worthy of their record.

The return of Deshaun Watson propelled the Browns’ offense from being one of the worst in the league to a subpar offense after one game. It sounds small, but the improvement was a step in the right direction for models that assume offenses are far more important than defenses. The Browns are now on the doorstep of the upper echelon of the league according to most metrics. A few more games like Sunday from Watson and the Browns will quickly advance to the top of the NFL with the Chiefs, Eagles, and Ravens.

Sunday’s matchup between the Browns and the Ravens will pit the two top defenses in the NFL against each other. The Browns will be looking for revenge after losing their first game after rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was named the starter the morning of the game due to the aforementioned Watson injury.  The teams will be extremely motivated to prove which team is not only the best in the AFC North but among the entire league.

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Data Dump: How are the Browns doing after the Seahawks loss?

Where the Cleveland Browns are ranked amongst the NFL after 8 weeks.

The midway point between games is a great time to take a step back from the disappointing loss against the Seattle Seahawks by the Cleveland Browns and examine the rest of the league. Football is a week-to-week sport and in that flow, we can forget that the sport lasts for nearly half a year. It’s important to take a 30,000-foot view of the league to better assess the landscape.

In Data Dump we aim to give you the weekly breakdown of where the Browns stand across the entire NFL among multiple categories. The Browns are standing pat at four wins after losing to the Seahawks 20-24. The loss showed that the Browns offense has steadily improved since losing star running back Nick Chubb and quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Browns are slowly regaining their offensive identity without their franchise players. The offense is still turning the ball over at an alarming rate. Under Watson’s leadership, the Browns should eliminate most of the turnovers.

The defense is the biggest victim of the turnovers. They’re constantly forced to defend shorter fields than other teams. While the Browns’ defense has done a good job limiting offenses, they are not invincible. They cannot continue defending 50 yards at a time. The season-long stats show how field positioning is dragging a historically great Browns’ defense into a top-three defense.

How Jim Schwartz and the Browns tore Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers offense apart

The Browns’ defense took Kyle Shanahan’s beautiful 49ers offense to the woodshed last Sunday. Here’s how they did it — and why other defenses can’t.

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The San Francisco 49ers had a feeling that they were running into a buzzsaw last Sunday in the Cleveland Browns’ defense.

“He is one of the most talented guys I think anyone’s seen,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Browns edge-monster Myles Garrett last Wednesday. “And the style they play on defense is very similar to ours. They rush the passer every play and then react to everything else. Him combined with [Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim] Schwartz’s scheme and the guys around him, it’s a problem. It’s obvious why they’re a top defense right now.”

Shanahan had equal praise for Cleveland’s defensive backs.

“Very good. When you have the D-Line they have, the downhill linebackers, you better have some good corners, and they have very good ones. They play a lot of man-to-man coverage. They’ll mix in some zone. But, when you play that much man-to-man and you’re also the number one pass defense in the league, you’ve got to have some good corners.”

Jim Schwartz also understood the challenges of the 49ers’ top-ranked offense and all the shifts and motions presented.

“But I think probably the biggest thing that stands out is they have so many multipurpose players, multi-position players,” Schwartz said last Thursday. “I think a common thing is people say positionless players. These guys aren’t positionless. They have multiple positions. [Christian] McCaffrey can be a wide out. He can be a running back. Deebo can be a wide out. He can be a running back. [George] Kittle can be a tight end. He can be a wide out. [Kyle] Juszcyk can be a fullback. He can be a tight end. He can be a wide out. He can carry the ball.

“They put a lot of I won’t say stress, but they make it where you just can’t defend one thing. They can be in 21 personnel, two backs, tight end and two wideouts, and they can make you defend twelve alignments, eleven alignments, empty alignments, two back alignments. And they’ll all use their wide receivers to block. Their wide receivers do an outstanding job of blocking. So we’re going to have to play our game and accentuate our guys. We have some multipurpose players that can do a lot of things. It’s going to be a great matchup. This is NFL football at its finest. This is an outstanding offense, a good defense. We’ll be ready for it.”

So, everybody knew what they were in for. The Browns were the NFL’s top defense in DVOA, and outside of a few hiccups against the Ravens in Week 4, they’ve maintained a historic pace all the way through the young season.

After Cleveland’s 19-17 win over the 49ers on Sunday, that pace fortified itself.

How bad was it for the 49ers’ offense, and how good was it for the Browns’ defense? Quarterback Brock Purdy came into this game with an EPA of 51.96 — by far the best in the league. Tua Tagovailoa ranked second at 42.28. Against the Browns, Purdy’s EPA was -8.0. And Purdy was completely shut down in the ways in which he’s succeeded all season long. The failure rate against Cleveland’s defense was that much more shocking in comparison.

Before this game, Christian McCaffrey’s average yards before contact per attempt was 1.80. His average yards after contact was 3.35. Against the Browns, McCaffrey had -0.18 yards per carry before contact, and 4.09 yards after. So, when he was able to get out of the vise the Browns’ fronts had him in at and behind the line of scrimmage, McCaffrey represented himself pretty well. But getting there was a challenge at times.

After watching the tape on Monday, Shanahan concluded that his offense was mostly outmatched.

“I mean, they played aggressive man coverage. We knew that going into it. They had a couple of pressures that got us, we had a couple mistakes that got us in really negative situations. We had two drives in that game that didn’t have a negative play. That was the first drive that we scored a touchdown and it was the last drive where we ended up missing that field goal. We got in some negative situations where we had second-and-long and third-and-long. And then with that pass rush and the tight coverages, that makes it really tough on a quarterback. So I think just as a team wholly, just getting into some of those bad situations made Brock’s job a lot tougher. But he mixed it up throughout the game, did a good job.

It was tough on film going in, and it was tough during the game, too.”

It was, so let’s go to the film to see what the Browns did to Shanahan’s normally impeccable creation.

Lamar Jackson rocks Browns’ stingy defense for two first-half rushing touchdowns

The Browns hadn’t allowed a single rushing touchdown this season. Then, Lamar Jackson happened.

Coming into Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns’ defense had been completely amazing against the run. Jim Schwartz’s charges had allowed just 56 yards and no touchdowns on 14 carries, for a 2.6 yards per carry average.

That said, Schwartz came into this game completely aware of the dangers Lamar Jackson presents as a runner.

“Because he’s one of the best athletes in the NFL that just happens to play the quarterback position,” Cleveland’s defensive coordinator said this week when asked about Jackson’s ability to break tackles on the ground. “So, if we saw running backs doing that, we wouldn’t bat an eye. We’ve got to tackle him like he’s a running back. Tackle him like he’s a wide receiver. Just because the ball is in his hand doesn’t mean that he’s still not a threat to run. So I think that probably has a lot to do with it, and we’re going to try to be physical if he does run. We’re going to try to play our game and put some hits on him and those kinds of things.

“But you got to tackle him like he’s a running back. And if you half step, if you play too cautious, or a guy like that, if he pumps you off your feet. We’re not playing good defense if you see guys leave their feet on the quarterback, right, because he’s just going to pull it and he’s going to fly past and he’s going to make a big play. So, we got to stay on our feet. We got to tackle through his midsection, and we got to get him on the ground like he’s a running back.”

So far, it hasn’t worked out that way. Jackson scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half alone.

Grant Delpit and the Browns’ pass defense could give Lamar Jackson serious problems

The Browns’ defense is playing off the charts right now, and safety Grant Delpit is a key factor. Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar break it down.

Through the first three games of the 2023 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns are playing defense at a level we rarely see. The 3-0 Browns rank first in Defensive DVOA, and they have the sixth-best DVOA through the DVOA era, which goes back to the early 1980s.

The numbers are pretty insane. Cleveland ranks first in net yards per passing attempt allowed at 3.5. The NFL average is 5.9. They’ve allowed 14 first downs in the passing game – the NFL average is 32.2. They’ve allowed 2.8 yards per rushing attempt – the NFL average is 4.1. They’ve allowed one passing touchdown. The NFL average is 3.9. 

We know about Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, and all those pass-rushers — we’ve discussed that before. It’s time to turn our attention to what the Browns are doing on the back end, because their pass defense — albeit against Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tennessee Titans offenses that have struggled to bust a grape at times — is particularly obscene.

Per Sports Info Solutions, that pass defense has allowed an opponent passer rating of 61.1 — only the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys have been better. Their Yards per Coverage Snap of 4.2 leads the league. Their Passing EPA allowed of -40.68, and their EPA Per Play allowed of -0.42 are both second-nest behind the Bills, their Positive Play Rate Allowed of 24.5% is by far the NFL’s best (the Cowboys rank second at 35.2%), and on and on and on.

So, let’s turn to the Browns’ secondary, and detail how that’s working so well. We must start with safety Grant Delpit, who’s playing out of his mind this season. Delpit has two pressures, 15 tackles, nine stops, and he’s allowed eight catches on 11 targets for 22 yards, 16 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception, one pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of 37.3. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves to use subtle twists of the knife through a game in coverage, and Delpit has been Schwartz’s perfect foil because he plays with his hair on fire all over the field.

Whether he’s covering Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals through the deep third…

…or blitzing from the slot to upset Joe Burrow…

…Delpit can do it all from everywhere.

Schwartz talked a lot this week about the challenges presented by the Baltimore Ravens’ offense and Lamar Jackson.

“There’s still a lot of carryover from last year, particularly run game and quarterback run game, but probably a little bit more emphasis on some of the dropback game,” Schwartz said on Thursday of Baltimore’s offense under new OC Todd Monken. “His completion percentage is way up. They’re trying to get high-percentage completions, get the ball out of his hand fairly quickly, but that goes both ways. It comes out of his hand a little bit faster, but sometimes he’s really dangerous when he’s holding the ball a long time, making guys miss and making big plays down the know the field. There’s still a lot of carryover from years past. And I think with Coach [John] Harbaugh there, he’s not going to let it get too far away from his philosophy and their effort to be physical and control the game with the run game. So, there’s a lot of stuff there, and we’ll have to be ready for a lot of different personnel packages. They use different packages within personnel packages and things like that. So, we’ll match it a lot of different ways.”

It’s a tremendous matchup, and Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar get into it in this week’s “Xs and Os.”

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You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” featuring detailed tape and metric breakdowns of Week 4’s biggest matchups, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

WATCH: NFL analyst Coach Vass breaks down Browns’ defense under Jim Schwartz

NFL analyst Coach Vass breaks down the Browns’ defense in their shutdown victory over the Bengals.

The defense of the Cleveland Browns has attracted significant attention from the national media thanks to their dominant performances at the start of the season, notably in their dismantling of Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Their ability to hold the highest-paid quarterback in Joe Burrow to one of the worst games of his career was inspiring. Coach Vass, a renowned football analyst and host of the Make Defense Great Again podcast, is a valuable resource for ESPN employees and fans of all levels. He recently delved into the Browns’ strategic approach against the Bengals.

Coach Vass excels at simplifying the game, making advanced concepts accessible to everyone. His breakdowns are invaluable for football enthusiasts. In this teaser, Vass demonstrated how the Browns applied a unique twist to the traditional Cover 2 by inverting the coverage on half the field. This innovative coverage strategy confounded Joe Burrow on a crucial 3rd down, forcing him to scramble from the pocket.

Vass also delves into Jim Schwartz’s clever positioning of the front-seven to disrupt the Bengals’ offensive line and put pressure on Joe Burrow. It’s important to recognize that defensive fronts are just as vital as coverage schemes, and the two aspects work in tandem. This insightful 14-minute video serves as an excellent introduction to what we can anticipate from the Browns’ defense this season.

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Myles Garrett calls players-only meeting to rally the Browns defense

The Browns rank second in total yards allowed per game but sit 22nd in points per game surrendered by the defense

After giving up 84 points in the last two games, the Cleveland Browns defense sorely needs to step up. With all the critical injuries on offense, it’s even more imperative.

To that end, defensive end Myles Garrett called a players-only meeting this week in advance of Thursday night’s key matchup with the Denver Broncos. Garrett and his mates have not played to the talent level or capability they demonstrated in allowing just 13 points in the two games prior to the ugly losses.

“Myles brought us up, and we had a conversation with the defense,” DT Malik Jackson said via USA TODAY. “He just told us we need to to get it together. Giving up [more than] 80 points in two weeks is unacceptable. So no matter what position we’re put in, we want to be great. We need to make stands and push people back and leave no points on the board, just really go out there and be exactly who we need to be and being consistent and just playing together — no MEs [mental errors], really.”

Eliminating the mental errors and breakdowns will go a long way toward healing what currently ails the Browns defense. The unit has more individual talent than it has shown in the losses to the Chargers and Cardinals. Garrett’s decision to rally the troops around themselves could be the spark they need to recapture the spirit of Weeks 3-4, when the Browns defense suffocated the Vikings and Bears in dominating fashion.

That strong outburst followed another players-only session after a lackluster performance in the Week 2 win over the Houston Texans. The Browns are 3-3 on the season and rank second in total yards allowed per game (307.2) but sit 22nd in points per game (25.2) surrendered by the defense. Preventing the breakdowns that allow too many big plays needs to be the focus for Garrett and the defense.

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Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s performance among keys to victory vs. Browns

Facing the Browns defense will be Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s toughest task yet this season.

Quarterback Justin Herbert can lead the Chargers to their fourth win of the season on Sunday afternoon.

Why are so many positive he can do so? 

For starters, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski recognizes what his team is going up against.

 “Great size. Great skillset throwing the ball. Athletic,” Stefanski said. “I think he has a good command of what they are doing and what they are asking him to do. He is spreading the ball around to a bunch of their playmakers. He is playing at a really high level.”

After committing four turnovers in the first two games, including three in the red zone, Herbert has seven touchdowns and no turnovers the past two weeks against the Chiefs and Raiders, along with a 116.3 passer rating.

The Browns defense may prove to be Herbert’s biggest challenge yet. Cleveland is giving up just 250.3 yards per game, which ranks second in the NFL. Furthermore, the Browns are tied for first with 14 sacks and have allowed just a 58% completion rate to opposing quarterbacks.

“A whole lot of challenges,” Herbert said about Cleveland’s defense. “They have an incredible front seven, and some of the best pass rushers this league has ever seen. They’re really well-coached, they do a lot of good things on defense.”

The stingy defense will be challenging to compete against. However, Herbert is no stranger to thriving under pressure, as seen in his Rookie of the Year campaign last season, where he shattered multiple records behind arguably the league’s worst offensive line. 

Now with a competent line, a slew of talented skill players, and an offensive system that he’s been playing well in, Herbert is capable of overcoming the obstacles and guiding Los Angeles to victory.

Although many underestimated Herbert’s abilities coming out of college, the former Oregon product has proved that he is not only the long-term solution for the Chargers but one of the top players at his position in this league for years to come.

It seems as though there is much more in store for the young signal-caller, but he has surpassed expectations. There is no doubt that with what he has accomplished thus far in the NFL, there are many exciting things to come from Herbert. But, for now, a win against the Browns will suffice.

Sheldon Richardson happy for a 2nd season in Cleveland and ready for ‘pure dominance’

Richardson played for 4 teams in as many seasons prior to this year

Sheldon Richardson played on four teams in four seasons prior to the 2020 campaign. Sticking with the Cleveland Browns after his first season in the brown and orange makes the starting defensive lineman happy.

Richardson played 2016 with the New York Jets, the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He then bounced to Seattle (2017), Minnesota (2018) and finally Cleveland. He appreciates the stability even with the regime change over him with the Browns.

“It has been a while for me having my second year with the same team,” Richardson said in his Friday press conference via Zoom. “I approached it completely different. A new head coach, a new defensive coordinator and new plays callers and all of that, so it is really my first year with the coaching staff but second year on the squad. That is a little different, but other than that, I just embraced it. I am not running from any work.”

Playing as part of a very talented line also helps. Richardson, Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi and Olivier Vernon all return intact as one of the most impressive front foursomes in the league. Richardson believes they’re ready to show it, too.

“Pure dominance,” Richardson instantly responded when asked what to expect from the Browns D-line. “That is how we are looking at it. We are not woofing about it. It is straight work. At the end of the season, we look up and look at our work and then judge it off of that.”