The Cleveland Browns, perhaps surprisingly, were able to win after an 18-13 mudslinging match against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had fallen to 0-2 this season.
The Browns are still waiting for a big game from Deshaun Watson, but they pulled themselves together and weathered the storm in Jacksonville, literally.
The Browns’ game plan worked well: They let the other offensive players, except Watson, do most of the work. The Jaguars have a strong defense, but the Browns were able to pull ahead by a narrow margin. This could be a viable offensive plan for the Browns if Watson continues to be a below-average starter.
What a difference a running game makes, right? After not accomplishing much last week against the Dallas Cowboys other than Watson’s rushing attempts, the Browns’ running backs came out on top this time. Jerome Ford and Dont’a Foreman combined for 106 yards on 21 carries, while Watson also contributed a score on the ground.
With the passing game averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt, this has to be the way to score points for the Browns. Granted, they didn’t score many points, but their offense seemed to work better than it did a week ago against the Cowboys.
“The running game and the passing game have struggled,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “… I have to say again, it hasn’t always been pretty. It doesn’t have to be that way. It just has to be a team that is committed to getting better.”
The biggest key for the Browns to keep winning is for the defense to continue to play like one of the best units in the league. Time will tell how impressive holding Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars to 13 points will be, but limiting opponents to that score is a clean way to win games.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Browns held the Jaguars to 6.7 yards per attempt on passes where the ball was thrown in under 2.5 seconds. That, coupled with the ability to largely box in the Jaguars’ running backs, allowed Myles Garrett and the Browns’ defensive line to sometimes pin their ears and get to Lawrence, especially in the red zone.
“We have to get better all over the field,” Garrett said. “We’re good in the red zone, and then we allowed a couple of big points to make it a little easier for them. But we pulled together and made sure they didn’t put six points on the scoreboard.”
Four sacks and a sub-50% completion rate showed that the Browns’ dominant defense still exists and that the first game against the Cowboys was perhaps a little tainted by fatigue from the unworkable offense. The special teams even contributed to one of the sacks by blocking a punt at the 1-yard line that resulted in a safety on the next play. Complementary football is the best way for the Browns to win when the offense finds its way, and that’s what the Browns had in this game.
Jacksonville also couldn’t overcome its own mistakes, which Cleveland took advantage of. That’s not how the Browns want to play when they’ve invested so much in a quarterback, but that’s the reality they have to accept. Play cautiously with the quarterback, run the ball, and try to weather the storm until the offensive line is healthy again. They’ll likely get significantly better on offense if offensive tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin can return, but even then that’s not guaranteed considering how Watson played during his tenure with the Browns.
Rely on proven strategies. Defense, running game and reducing the quarterback’s influence on the game. This was a successful strategy that the Browns can repeat, even if the differences are small.
