Last Sunday, the Browns didn't have much of a chance against the Ravens, a team that demolished two promising contenders, the Seahawks, 37-3, and the Lions, 38-6. After Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson threw a pick-six on the first snap of the game, this seemed like it would be similar to the Ravens' 28-3 win over the Browns earlier this season. However, the Browns came back from a 24-9 deficit with a pick-six of their own, winning a 33-31 shootout. After this insane win, the question as to if the Browns are contenders greatly thickens, so let's dive into it.
The Browns' unpredictability:
The Browns are a very imbalanced team, with by far the league's second-best defense and a borderline bottom-10 offense. This imbalance makes the Browns an unpredictable team, and their schedule of past games clearly shows this. After creaming the Titans 27-3, they proceeded to get creamed by the Ravens 28-3. Against all odds, the Browns beat the 5-0 49ers by a score of 19-17, though lost to the Seahawks 24-20, but proceeded to beat the Ravens in an unlikely shootout. Brown's games are very difficult to predict, making it more difficult to find out if this team is for real.
The Elite Defense:
The Browns' defense is the second-best in the NFL, mainly due to the stellar pass rush, which ranks 3rd in sacks with 30. This pass rush is stellar because of arguably the best defensive player in the NFL, defensive end Myles Garrett. Garrett leads the league with 11 sacks and has forced two fumbles. But the pass rush would be less effective without the lockdown corner, Denzel Ward. Ward has recorded an impressive two interceptions and a forced fumble this season, making himself a greatly impactful playmaker on an elite defense.
The not-so-elite offense:
While the Browns' defense is top-tier, the offense, especially the passing offense, has been abysmal. The Browns made possibly the worst trade in NFL history, signing Deshaun Watson, a quarterback who hadn't played a snap in over a year, to a $230 million, 5-year contract with every penny guaranteed. Watson needed to return to the elite form he displayed in Houston, to justify this contract. However, he is far from that.
Deshaun Watson is statistically the worst starting quarterback in the NFL, with a QB rate of 84.3, completing 61.4% of passes, and on pace for less than 2,000 yards this season. Watson's improvisational out-of-pocket playstyle that made him elite in Houston doesn't fit into the Browns' rush-heavy scheme with complementary play actions. But even worse, his biggest strength, his poise outside the pocket, has become his biggest weakness. When Watson's first read isn't open, he immediately runs out of the pocket, although he is terrible out of the pocket.
Nevertheless, it certainly doesn't help that the Browns' quarterback doesn't have much talent on offense around him. The offensive line ranks 26th in sack yardage allowed, and there are no game-changing pass catchers outside Amari Cooper. The rushing game is solid despite the loss of Nick Chubb, but doesn't compensate for an ineffective passing game. While the Browns' defense is elite caliber, the offense is broken on many levels.
So, are the Browns contenders or pretenders?
If the season ended today, the Browns would be in the playoffs, sitting at 6-3. Since this team beat the 7-2 Ravens and was the 49ers' first loss, they can win against tough teams. However, the Browns' imbalance of offense and defense makes them unreliable and not legitimate contenders. While they can beat the league's best teams, we simply can't trust this team to play high-quality football week in and week out. An effective offensive scheme would make the Browns an AFC heavyweight, but until they figure that out, the Browns are pretenders.
Comments