Thoughts and observations from the Cleveland Browns comfortable 26-6 win over the Chicago Bears.
Myles Garrett is incredible
Myles Garrett not only led the team in tackles with seven, but also led the team in sacks with 4.5, a new franchise record. The record was previously held by Andra Davis, quite the surprise considering Davis was an inside linebacker. Either way Garrett was impressive and it should be a good sign moving forward the best pass rusher on this defense.
Jadeveon Clowney finally did something
Garrett was not the only Browns defender to register multiple sacks as Jadeveon Clowney registered two. These were the first two sacks of the season for Clowney as he finally made a real impact in the pass rush department.
Matt Nagy did the Browns defense a ton of favors
Poor Justin Fields. Matt Nagy did not put him in a good position at any point in the game the Browns defense teed off on him time and time again. Cleveland totaled nine sacks as the defense managed to hit Fields a combined 15 times. Nagy set up Fields to fail and that is exactly what happened.
The return of Odell Beckham Jr.
Remember when people tried saying that the Browns are better without Odell Beckham Jr.? Pepperidge Farm remembers. The whole narrative surrounding the relationship between Beckham and Baker Mayfield was based on flawed information, context, and not enough data. Beckham made his season debut with a casual five receptions for 77 yards in addition to rushing for 10 yards. With Beckham in the lineup it gives Cleveland a big time threat in the passing game, something they truly needed over the second half of last season and in Week 1’s loss to the Chiefs.
Kareem Hunt stepped up big time
Kareem Hunt is clearly not the featured back in this offense as that title deservedly belongs to Nick Chubb, but Hunt still managed to make an impact in the game. Hunt carried the ball 10 times for 81 yards and one touchdown, an impressive 29-yard run into the end zone. The running game was not the only area that Hunt made an impact in as he stepped up in the passing game leading the team with six receptions for 74 yards through the air. While the return of Beckham surely gets the focus, Hunt’s contributions cannot be dismissed as the Browns really needed someone to take on some of the workload that usually belongs to the injured Jarvis Landry and Hunt did just that.
Only two touchdown drives
The Browns scored 26 points, won by 20, and there are a few concerns offensively. Cleveland only scored two touchdowns with Chase McLaughlin making all four field goal attempts to end up with their point total in the win. While this works just fine against a team like the Bears, when facing teams that are playoff contenders this is not acceptable. The Browns need to find a way to turn those field goals into touchdowns if they want their postseason run to last longer this time around.
Baker Mayfield was okay, but needs improvement
Baker Mayfield finished the game 19 of 31 for 246 yards and a touchdown, the touchdown pass going to Austin Hooper which was his first passing attempt into the end zone this season. The numbers are a bit deceiving as Mayfield did have his fair share of off target throws, even having to be saved by Beckham a couple of times to prevent an interception. This was a case of the Browns winning a game with Mayfield and not because of him. Overall Mayfield still needs to improve and become more consistent over a longer period of time.
Final Thoughts
The Browns won and that’s great, they are now 2-1 on the year. This game, like the win last week against the Texans, was pretty gross to watch. Cleveland is obviously a better team than Chicago and were helped out by some mistakes from the Bears coaching staff. What the Browns really need to do next is win a game by a big differential and look good doing it. If they can do that things would definitely be falling into place for this team.
