After dismantling the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 27-0, the Cleveland Browns now sit at 5-3 on the season. Considering all the circumstances they have fought through this season, it is a miracle they sit a last two-minute meltdown a week ago away from 6-2. Regardless, a loss is a loss.
Sunday’s game, however, was a convincing win as the Browns managed to hound rookie quarterback Clayton Tune. The defense forced three turnovers, including two interceptions to cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Sione Takitaki.
Offensively, wide receiver Amari Cooper had himself a day, eclipsing the 100-yard mark on five catches, and adding a touchdown to his numbers. Quarterback Deshaun Watson used this game as an opportunity to get his feet wet before the Browns take on the Baltimore Ravens next week and even showed the flashes of what made him a quarterback that a dozen teams pursued two offseasons ago.
What stood out from this dominant Cleveland win? Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly as the Browns dropped the Cardinals to 1-8 on the season.
The good: Deshaun Watson's deep ball accuracy
The return of Deshaun Watson as a whole was a bit uneven. The Cardinals started the game blanketing anything deep down the field, which forced the Browns to work underneath. There were some throws over the middle left on the bone as well, but one area that stood out as a glowing positive: his deep ball.
He found Amari Cooper deep down the field in stride a couple of times in this game and had another one go through the hands of Marquise Goodwin as he could not finish the catch through contact. The two deep balls accounted for over half of Watson’s yards through the air on the day.
on a ROPE! can't toss it any better than that 🏹#AZvsCLE on CBS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/xZEN4yve5U
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 5, 2023
Watson even threaded the needle over the middle on a laser throw to Cooper as well.
Again, still meat on the bone to be had. But this means the sky continues to be the limit if Watson and Browns hit it.
The bad: Run game still lacks game-to-game consistency
Despite a strong showing from their three-headed attack a week ago against the Seattle Seahawks, the Browns did not find much success on the ground. This has been a common theme since the injury of Nick Chubb. They have had a couple of games of fun on the ground, but for the most part, Kareem Hunt, Jerome Ford, and Pierre Strong Jr. have had little room to work.
In this game against the below-average Cardinals’ run defense, the Browns managed just 91 yards on 37 carries from their three running backs. This left them averaging less than 2.5 yards per carry.
It remains a mystery how they could gash the Seattle defense a week ago, a strong unit against the run, and then struggle this week. It will not get easier next week against the stout defense of the Baltimore Ravens. It goes without saying, however, that the Browns need to come out firing in the run game if they want to see 6-3 next week.
The ugly: Attrition is taking its toll on the Browns
The Browns are struggling with injuries.
Just nine weeks into the season, they have now lost both of their day-one starting offensive tackles. Add in the six weeks they were without their starting quarterback, losing star running back Nick Chubb in Week 2, their starting cornerback Greg Newsome’s inability to stay on the field, and the wide receiver room becoming completely hobbled, the Browns are working through a ton of injuries.
This does not include the players like right tackle Dawand Jones, tight end David Njoku, Cooper, Ford, and more who are playing through injuries as well to stay on the field. And as they were given an early bye week, the Browns will not have another break to get healthy the rest of the way out.
The coaching staff does a good job of incorporating days of rest throughout the week for veterans, but this is becoming a ton to overcome. Unfortunately, this is something to keep a close eye on as the Browns move into the heart of their schedule.
