Another victory Monday feels pretty damn good. Well, that was the ugliest win by a Browns team that I’ve seen in a while. But it was a much-needed win. I kind of figured quarterback Deshaun Watson would struggle early because he hasn’t played in 700 days, but to have his worst overall game of his career was unexpected. Or as the Browns fan in me says, it figures. Watson wasn’t comfortable in the pocket all game. He had happy feet and didn’t look like he was sure about any play call. Thankfully, head coach Kevin Stefanski abandoned the passing game in the second half and went with what the Browns do the best, run the ball. I was also glad to see Kareem Hunt running the ball well. He’ll be needed the next five games. Finally, the offensive line has to play better, probably their worst game so far.
It was also very nice to see the defense and special teams step up and bail out the offense. I think the Browns have found their punt returner. Linebacker Tony Fields picked the perfect time to have the game of his career. Moving forward he’ll have to step it up because linebacker Sione Takitaki will be placed on IR with a torn ACL. I think defensive coordinator Joe Woods has found his defensive line rotation. The Browns didn’t sack Texans quarterback Kyle Allen, but they put the pressure on him all game. Cornerback Martin Emerson impresses me more every game I watch. It also seems linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has finally hit his stride.
What really concerns me going into the Bengal game this week is the offense needs to be more diverse. There were no screen passes thrown yesterday and a screen pass is a quarterback’s best friend, as are short passes thrown to the tight end. Did Watson even look towards a tight end? Hopefully David Njoku will be back this week. To beat the Bengals again, the Browns will have to employ more run-pass option. On defense, they’ll have to find a replacement for Takitaki, who been playing his best ball since moving to middle linebacker. Deion Jones will get more playing time because I don’t expect Fields to play like that every week.
As for the playoffs, the teams in front of the Browns for the seventh spot are 7. Jets (7-5), 8. Patriots (6-6) and 9. Chargers (6-6). Cleveland is tied with the Steelers (5-7) and the Raiders (5-7). The Raiders win the tie breaker over the Browns due to a better conference win record, 4-5 versus 3-6 and the Browns have the tiebreaker over the Steelers due to their victory over Pittsburg. Unfortunately, the three teams in front of the Browns have the tie breaker due to their victories over Cleveland. I hope the Jets game doesn’t come back to haunt the team. Finally, it was just announced the Ravens @ Browns game has been scheduled for Saturday December 17 at 3:30pm CST. Stay safe and Go Browns. On to Cincinnati.