Dawgpoundsouth

How sweet it is, the Browns are playoff bound. This one feels great because of everything this team has been through this year. I won’t go down the list of players injured, because I have other things to do this weekend. It’s unbelievable to me, that players who are tied to the success of the Browns, weren’t on the team when they traveled to West Virginia. Cleveland GM Andrew Berry started this process in the off-season by signing and drafting the right players. Then continued his NFL Executive of the Year path by finding players to replace the injured players. Raise your hand if prior to the season you had heard of Geron Christain, James Proche and Duron Harmon. Anybody…..I didn’t think so.

The Browns offense in the first half was surprisingly good considering WR Amari Cooper wasn’t playing. I hope everyone sees how valuable WR Elijah Moore really is, because after he left the game no one could get separation against a very good Jets secondary. He’s top five in the league in separation. I hope he can return for the playoffs. Alert the media, the Browns ran the ball and were surprising good considering the Jets are pretty good against the run. Again, forget about the second half, at that point the Browns had no capable wide receivers, and the Jets defense were determined to stop the run. How important is Joe Flacco to the Browns offense? Thanks for asking. Prior to Flacco, the Browns were 31st in offensive yards per play and 28th in passing offense. After Flacco, they’re eighth in offensive yards per play and first in passing offense. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has designed an offense for four different style quarterbacks this year. Give him an extension and Coach Of The Year.

After the first Jets drive, which was scripted, the defense again showed why they are the best. I know New York’s offense stinks and you saw why last night. Myles Garrett is odds on favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. Finally got a sack, plus nine more pressures and a quarterback hit. Jets left tackle Mehki Becton had no answer for Garrett, two false starts. Then they put Za’Darius Smith opposite him and again another false start. JOK again showed up, as did Sione Takitaki. You could tell he was getting tired of Jets players running out of tackles. This could be the best secondary I’ve seen in Browns uniforms. Just a reminder, Ronnie Hickman is an undrafted player. Since the Denver game, Greg Newsome has become a completely different player. Duron Harmon was a genius late season pick up and Shelby Harris was a genius pre-season pick up.

Pro Football Focus Grades. Offense, TE David Njoku, 85.3, RB Jerome Ford, 77.3, LG Joel Bitonio, 75.4, TE Harrison Bryant, 75.3 and RG Wyatt Teller, 72.3. Defense, S Ronnie Hickman, 92.5, Sione Takitaki, 88.5, Greg Newsome, 83.7, S Duron Harmon, 83.4 and DE Myles Garrett, 77.8.

Rooting Guide. It’s simple this weekend, Miami over Baltimore. Both these teams are trying to get the number one seed in the playoffs. But so are the Browns. The Dolphins beating Baltimore would help but isn’t the final answer. If the Browns beat Cincinnati, Baltimore loses to Miami and Pittsburg and Miami then loses to Buffalo, the Browns are the number one seed. Raise your hand if you had that scenario at the beginning of the season. Anybody……I didn’t think so.

Enjoy all the college and pro football this weekend. Have a great New Years, stay safe and Go Browns.

That was a loss that turned into a victory. Joe Flacco threw three interceptions, and one was a pick-six. I thought the Browns were headed to another loss. But no, they wouldn’t let that happen. Flacco threw for 212 yards in the fourth quarter. That’s never happened by any Browns quarterback in any quarter. His QBR in the fourth was 144.4. The Browns are 5-0 in games decided by three points of less. They’re the only team with multiple wins when trailing by ten points or more in the fourth quarter. This team just doesn’t give up.

On offense, the Browns were under constant pressure. The Bear’s defense is as good as advertised and Montez Sweat is an offensive game wrecker. Cleveland just couldn’t run the ball. Then, Joel Bitonio gets hurt (back, day-to-day), and the offensive line is down to one starter. Even Nick Harris left the game. Luckly, he came back, but rookie Luke Wypler had to come in and take a couple snaps. Tight end David Njoku has found a connection with Joe Flacco. The last two games have been great. It was great to see wide receiver Marguise Goodwin catch that long pass. That’s why the Browns signed him, to play ten to twelve snaps and get that one shot down the field. Cedric Tillman and Elijah Moore had key receptions. Amari Cooper is a beast.

On defense, several players stepped up. DE Alex Wright, CB Denzel Ward, CB Cameron Mitchell, DT Shelby Harris, S Ronnie Hickman, S D’Anthony Bell and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. JOK was fantastic yesterday. Six tackles, two TFL, one sack, one QB hit and an interception. DE Myles Garrett was held on just about every play and tackled twice. He still had eleven pressures. Wright and Mitchell had key stops on two fourth downs. This defense plays so much better when the secondary is playing well. Now do the same thing on the road. Maybe this week.

Rooting guide. Browns over Texans, Steelers over Bengals, Chargers over Bills, Falcons over Colts, Patriots over Broncos and 49ers over Ravens. The Browns have an 89% chance to make the playoffs and are the number five seed and number one wildcard team. They still have a chance to be the number one seed and division winner. Cleveland needs to win out and Baltimore needs to lose two.

Thank God the Hail Mary at the game bounced the Browns way. That seems to be happening quite a bit this year. Next up is Houston on the road, let’s hope the defense that played yesterday travels. Stay safe and Go Browns.

It’s been a few games, but this one was sweet. After a lost west coast road trip, the Browns responded with a great game against a quality opponent. Jacksonville was undefeated on the road (6-0) and featured a head coach who has a super bowl ring and a very good quarterback. Was it perfect? No, still too many turnovers. The good news was the Browns had more takeaways than giveaways. The running game is still not where it needs to be, but when the team needed to run and get first downs, it worked. It also helps having a quarterback who can throw short passes which are basically long handoffs.

The offense is starting to click and head coach Kevin Stefanski has already announced Joe Flacco will be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Don’t worry about his demotion to the practice squad. Because he’s a vested veteran, no team can sign him away unless he wants to be signed and he doesn’t want to go anywhere. Did you notice how open the wide receivers were? That’s the result of fifteen-year veteran at quarterback. Flacco is making the right decisions at the right time. I’m still worried about offensive drives after the first one, the scripted one. The team seems to get bogged down in three and outs for the next few drives.

The defense worked through injuries and the secondary played great without their best cornerback. The return of CB Cameron Mitchell was the key. Then the Browns had to start D’Anthony Bell and Ronnie Hickman at safety with the injuries to Juan Thornhill and Grant Delpit. I guess being yelled at by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz really helped the defensive line. They turned pressures into sacks. The Jaguar offense would start to get rolling and boom, a takeaway. Then when the Jags scored their last touchdown, DE Myles Garrett comes up big to keep the Browns lead at four points. Great job on the on-side kick as well. I almost had nightmares from 2021.

Pro Football Focus grades. Offense, RB Jerome Ford, 76.1, RB Kareem Hunt, 73.1, TE David Njoku, 71.5, RG Wyatt Teller, 69.8 and QB Joe Flacco, 68.6. Defense, DE Myles Garrett, 92.0, CB M.J. Emerson, 84.5, DE Za’Darius Smith, 82.2, DT Shelby Harris, 82.1 and LB Anthony Walker, 81.9.

Rooting guide for next week. Vikings over Bengals, Colts over Steelers, Lions over Broncos, Titans over Texans, Cowboys over Bills and Jaguars over Ravens.

The Browns are currently in the fifth playoff spot and the number one wildcard team if the playoffs started today. They still have a path to winning the division because Baltimore’s next three games are tough, at Jacksonville, at San Fransico and home against Miami.

Injury news. Right tackle Dawand Jones is out for the season and is having knee surgery. The Browns are now without their top three tackles. James Hudson will be the starter. He’ll need to stop committing stupid penalties moving forward. As for the other injuries, the two that bother me the most are Grant Delpit (groin) and Ethan Pocic (stinger). We’ll know better by Wednesday.

Next up is the Bears in Cleveland. They are playing better as of late and if this game was in Chicago, I’d be worried. But at home, this should be a win. Stay safe and Go Browns.

The west coast and the Pacific time zone continue to be a nightmare for my favorite professional football team. Haven’t won there since 2012 and are now winless in their last nine trips. The Browns have now fallen behind after the first quarter in 19 of 31 games under head coach Stefanski (61%) and the team is now 12-19 on the road under Stefanski (39%). Thanks to CLEology (@_CLEology) for those statistics. The good news is the Browns are headed back home and play three of their last five at home were they’re 5-1 this season. Win three of those five and the Browns will have ten wins and that just might get you into the playoffs. Playoff odds, ESPN FPI, 65%, DVOA, 62% and Sumersport 70%. The Browns still control their own destiny for a wildcard spot over the Colts and Steelers.

As for the game, quarterback Joe Flacco showed what a difference a 15-year veteran could make in the offense. His passes are poetry in motion. He also threw the ball out-of-bounds when he needed to. Kevin Stefanski declined to name a starter for next week’s game against Jacksonville, but I hope it’s Flacco. The offense was sharper yesterday. My biggest complaint, beside abandoning the run, was the fact that Stefanski kept calling passes to the running backs in the flat. The Rams figured it out early and he kept calling them. I thought the dropped passes would decline with Flacco as the QB. Nope. I was glad to see wide receiver Elijah Moore step up and I had totally forgotten wide receiver David Bell was on the roster. The interception Flacco threw was the nail in the coffin. Flacco even admitted after the game he shouldn’t have thrown the ball. Still, As I said, let’s juice up the offense and roll with Flacco next week.

Could someone tell me where the hell the Browns number one defense went? The Rams scored on every offensive drive they had in the first half. The Browns had no sacks, hardly any pressures and only two quarterback hits. Rams QB Matthew Stratford doesn’t play well when the other team applies pressure. No pressure by the defense. Now everyone knows how valuable cornerback Denzel Ward is to this defense. I’m done with CB Mike Ford, the team elevated A.J. Green from the practice squad, why not play him? When he’s played, he’s done well. DE Myles Garrett is still hurt and by playing, he’s hurting the team. This defense is limping to the finish line. Hopefully a home game this week will recharge their batteries.

The Browns might get some players back this week. Both LT Jedrick Wills and CB Cameron Mitchell are eligible to return from injured reserve. We won’t find out until Wednesday. It appears WR Amari Cooper will not play this week against the Jaguars, he’s in concussion protocol. Hopefully Ward can return, but I doubt it. The next game is Jacksonville in Cleveland. The Jags are undefeated on the road this year (5-0). However, Kevin Stefanski is 9-0 versus the AFC South. Something has to give. Pray for bad weather. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Denver has always been a house of horrors for Browns teams, and it was again yesterday. Today is blame head coach Kevin Stefanski for losing the game by calling one play. One. Just a small reminder, the Browns are 7-4 because of Kevin Stefanski. They’ve won games with three different quarterbacks and next week against the Rams it could be four, depending on the injuries to quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robertson. He’s in concussion protocol and has a shoulder injury. Memo to Mark Sanchez, yes that was roughing the passer and yes launching yourself helmet first into another player is a dirty hit. That’s the second Fox broadcast of the Browns I’ve had to watch, and the announcers were wearing the other team’s jerseys. The 49ers broadcast was the first. It seems the Broncos teach their players to lead with their helmets, because the hit on wide receiver Amari Cooper was also a dirty hit. A reminder, head coach Sean Payton was once suspended for a year by the NFL for a head-hunting plan to hurt opposing players. The Denver fans aren’t any better, heckling DTR as he headed to the locker room after getting injured. Very classy. I wish nothing but bad karma on the Denver Broncos.

Going into the fourth quarter, this was a winnable game for the Browns. From the time the Broncos made it 14-0 to the DTR injury, the Browns were the dominate team. At the beginning of the game, the Bronco defense loaded the box and dared the Browns to run. When they tried, they had little success. It was when the passing game started to click, the Denver defense had to back out of their stacked box and the running game started to shine. The problem prior to that was dropped passes. I know David Njoku apologized last week after the Steeler game for dropping so many passes, but he was at it again against the Broncos. I was very impressed with wide receiver Cedric Tillman. Strong hands and good route running. And his run blocking was much better. The team might need him next week if Cooper misses time, but according to Kevin Stefanski, the x-rays on his ribs were negative. Speaking of Cooper, you have to catch the two-point conversion try, have to. I hope DTR can play next week, he’s getting better with every game. Besides I see Joe Flacco as a break glass in case of emergency quarterback.

Another Browns road game and another 14-0 lead for the opposition. I don’t know why they can’t be ready to go from the start like they do at home. As always, after the second quarter starts, they step up their game. Hopefully this won’t happen this week in Los Angeles. Because Browns fans will absolutely take over that stadium, it might have the feel of a Browns home game. It’s very obvious the Browns missed cornerback Denzel Ward yesterday. Greg Newsome is a great slot defender, but he gave the Bronco wide receivers way too much space. I really thought defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz would play a little more zone to protect the secondary. But what the hell do I know, I’m just some fan. JOK had better be named an All-Pro, he played one hell of a game. As for defensive end Myles Garrett, he went into the game with a sore left wrist and left with a sore left shoulder. As I write this, we are all awaiting the news of an MRI he’s supposed to have today in L.A. Finally, would someone please show DE Alex Wright where to line up? Thank you.

No PFF grades today folks, I’m currently still out of town and need to start packing up the car to head back home. But I’ll leave you with a rooting guide for next week courteous of a great twitter follow, CLEology (@_CLEology). Week 13 #Browns Rooting Schedule: CLE over LAR AND TEN over IND, ARI over PIT, HOU over DEN*, JAX over CIN *Both outcomes are good but Denver would jump us with a win and a loss by us. Houston cannot jump us with a win due to a worse conference record (4-3 vs 5-3). As well as playoff position. AFC playoff picture heading to Week 13. The #Browns cannot slip out of a playoff spot heading to Week 14 (with a loss Week 13) due to tiebreakers. The Broncos could jump the Browns, but we’d hold the tie break over Indy and Houston. No one else is within a game. Stay safe, hope for the best on injury news and Go Browns.

Happy victory Monday Browns fans. The team is 7-3 and a half of a game behind the Baltimore Ravens. They are 3-2 in the AFC North with one game remaining against the Bengals. Is this a playoff team? Yes, but they need to stabilize the quarterback position. They’ve signed Joe Flacco to the practice squad and after he worked out on Friday, they gave him a playbook to start studying over the weekend. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has already announced DTR will start against Denver. It’s unbelievable the Browns have won games with three different quarterbacks. They are 4-0 in games decided by three points or less and this was their fifth victory with a game winning score coming in the final two minutes of regulation. Just as the Baltimore game was improbable, the final drive for the score was the same. DTR was four for four for forty yards. Amazing for a rookie quarterback going against the Steelers. Pittsburg has now lost to two rookie quarterbacks in the same season.

It was obvious the Browns decided to have the rookie stick to the short passing game. They wanted him to get the ball out of hand quickly, so he didn’t go through a lot of progressions. He threw to the first and sometimes the second receiver. The Browns didn’t run the ball very well, but Stefanski didn’t stop trying to run. If you look at DTR’s stat line, it doesn’t look that good, however he had seven dropped passes. The Browns even turned the ball over, but the defense stopped the Steelers from doing what they’ve done all season, score after an opponent turnover. Hidden underneath all the talk of this game is penalties. The Browns only had one penalty.

If the Browns can get the quarterback position figured out, they have one of the best defenses in the NFL to lean on. Sure, they’ll occasionally give up a big play, but opposing teams just can’t sustain drives. Through 11 weeks, the teams who have allowed the fewest first downs: 2023 Browns (10 games) 125, 1993 Steelers (9 games) 126 and 1999 Buccaneers (10 games) 128. Defensive end Myles Garrett not only has to be the front runner for defensive player of the year, but also needs to be mentioned in the MVP race. GM Andrew Berry fixed this defense in one off season. Amazing.

Pro Football Focus rankings. Offense, RG Wyatt Teller, 80.9, TE Harrison Bryant, 75.3, RT Dawand Jones, 68.9, C Ethan Pocic, 66.7 and WR Elijah Moore, 61.6. Defense, DE Myles Garrett, 90.2, CB Martin Emerson, Jr. 77.0, CB Denzel Ward, 76.8, DE Ogbo Okoronkwo, 70.8 and CB Greg Newsome, II, 68.7.

Finally, the team has lost safety Rodney McLeod for the season with a bicep’s injury. A very valuable piece of this defense. Hopefully Juan Thornhill will be able to play against Denver. If not, next man up. Stay safe and Go Browns.

That was amazing., another victory Monday. This team has the heart and the will to beat anyone. Down by fourteen points, they never gave up. I didn’t have a good feeling going into this game, but still thought the Browns had a chance to win. In the fourth quarter, the Browns trailed by fifteen points, fumbled a punt return, had an interception called back because of a penalty and a missed extra point and still won. The best part, besides beating the hated Ravens, Cleveland still has a shot to win the division.

The field goals in the first half kept the Browns in the game while the defense finally started to stop Baltimore. I agree with the call not to try a 60-yard field goal at the end of the first half. I’ve seen enough blocked kicks returned for touchdowns in my lifetime. In the second half, both Kevin Stefanski and Jim Schwartz made the right adjustments and it showed. They decided to beat up the Ravens and they did. Three drives in the second half, twelve minutes, fifteen minutes and twelve minutes. Controlled the clock after Baltimore had taken a 24-9 lead. The defense made the MVP quarterback look silly. Sacked him three times and hit him six times. I always maintain a QB hit is just as good as a sack. The defense was so good, Lamar Jackson completed one pass in the fourth quarter. One. Defensive end Myles Garrett had two sacks, but his best play was stopping Lamar Jackson from making a first down when he was scrambling down the sideline. It forced the Ravens to punt, and Jackson didn’t see the field again.

On offense the run game was working and the short passing game as well. Incredible runs by running back Jerome Ford and tight end David Njoku. The “pile run” to set up the last field goal describes this team to a tee. Baltimore made first contact at the 38 and the ball ended up on the 26. The Ravens had not allowed more than one touchdown at home in nine straight games. Quarterback Deshaun Watson had a bad first half, he didn’t seem comfortable in the pocket. But in the second half, perfect, 14 for 14, and made plays that made the difference with a bad ankle. Running back Kareem Hunt has scored in five straight games. Not bad for a guy who started the season sitting on his couch.

Pro Football Focus grades. Offense, WR Amari Cooper, 75.5, TE Harrison Bryant, 70.6, RB Jerome Ford, 69.6, LT Geron Chistian, 69.6 and LG Joel Bitonio. Defense, CB Greg Newsome, 79.6, CB Mike Ford, 76.8, DE Za’Darius Smith, 72.4, LB Sione Takitaki, 69.6 and DE Myles Garrett, 68.9.

Next up is a home game against the Steelers. If the Bengals can beat the Ravens on Thursday night, Sunday’s game could be for first place in the AFC North. Do the Browns control their own destiny? Not yet, but they’re heading in that direction. Stay safe and Go Browns.

I could get used to this. The Browns are 5-3 and have their starting quarterback playing again. He was a little rusty in the first half but found his timing in the second half. He’s still holding on to the ball too long and isn’t going through all his progressions, but all in all it was a great warmup game for Baltimore. He also answered two media driven questions, arm strength and desire to play. Watson’s arm looked pretty good to me and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, he looked like he was having fun. He needs to continue to play loose and not overthink everything. Over his last two full games (Tenn. & Ari.), Watson is completing 73% of his passes averaging 8.1 yards per attempt, has a 6.4% touchdown percentage and zero interceptions.

Speaking of turnovers, the Browns didn’t give the ball away once and they forced three turnovers. Great work by the offense and the defense. First shutout since November 2005 against the Dolphins. The defense started strong and ended strong. The Cardinals didn’t get into the redzone once. Very nice. They allowed the fewest net yards this season (58), 1.2 yards per play, seven first downs and had seven sacks. Now they need to do the same thing against a good quarterback and will get their chance this week against Baltimore. On offense, I was a little concerned about the running game, but the good news is head coach Kevin Stefanski kept running the ball. The Browns ran 40 running plays and 30 passing plays. Stefanski is growing as a head coach. This might be his best season as a head coach.

Pro Football Focus ratings. Offense, RG Wyatt Teller, 78.8, QB Deshaun Watson, 78.5, WR Amari Cooper 78.5, LG Joel Bitonio, 74.5 and TE David Njoku 66.8. Defense, CB Cameron Mitchell, 91.3, DE Myles Garrett, 89.6, DE Za’Darius Smith 87.9, CB Denzel Ward 86.1 and DT Dalvin Tomlinson 85.4.

Moving forward, there are still some areas that need improving. On Offense, Watson needs to get through his progressions quicker and start throwing the ball to someone besides Cooper and Njoku. Those two caught nine of eleven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Find another wide receiver to throw to, they’re there and they’re open. Also, more Pierre Strong please. The Browns defense is this team’s floor, how Watson continues to play is the ceiling. Finally, I think the team has a punt returner. It’s amazing what can happen when a team can return a punt, punt and pin your opponent deep and have a field goal kicker. I love it when the Browns have great special teams. Stay safe and Go Browns.

But it could have been. That didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, but this team has heart and fight. After looking like they were going to get blown out by the Seahawks, the Browns fought back and had the lead. The ball just didn’t bounce the Browns way after two games where it did. Throwing an interception that bounces off an opponent’s helmet is so Browns. Still, down 14-0, this team didn’t quit like former Browns teams have.

If you’re going to complain about the play call on third and three, then you have to give credit to the play calling that brought the team back from a two-touchdown deficit. Most of the people who want Kevin Stefanski fired don’t like him to begin with. Seattle was set up defensively to stop the run on that play. In the fourth quarter, the Browns ran the ball eleven times and threw the ball four times. On the running plays it was first or second down. On the passing plays it was third down. If the quarterback executes the play, the Browns get the first down because there was a Browns player open over the middle. Despite all the problems this team has had to overcome, head coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t the problem. I think he’s grown as a coach. His play calling has improved as has his game management.

I’m getting a little worried about the defense. Third straight game they allowed an opening drive for a touchdown and the third straight game they allowed an opponent to drive down the field and score late. Another game with too many missed tackles. Of their seven games, in only two did they have less than ten missed tackles, the Bengal game and the Titans game. Coaches call the plays, and the players are supposed to execute. Finally, yesterday, there were too many chunk plays given up to the Seahawks. NFL coaches can figure out anything, and they might have figured out Jim Schwartz’s defense.

Pro Football Focus ratings. Offense, TE David Njoku (88.2), RB Kareem Hunt (79.6), WR Amari Cooper (78.8), C Ethan Pocic (71.4) and OT James Hudson, III (68.6). Defense, DT Maurice Hurst (92.4), DE Myles Garrett (78.7), CB Martin Emerson, Jr. (76.6), S Grant Delpit (73.3) and LB Jeremiah Owusu- Koramoah (69.5).

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday October 31 at 4:00pm EST. I don’t really expect the Browns to make a trade. They don’t really need a running back after rushing for 155 yards against Seattle. I heard they might be interested in a wide receiver. It would have to be an upgrade over anything they have on the roster. A third day pick and WR Donovan Peoples-Jones seems to be the compensation. The offensive line again played very well, third straight game, so let’s not mess with it. If it were me, I would go after another pass rusher.

How this team is 4-3 is a miracle. Their quarterback play is terrible, they lost the best running back in the league for the season and they’ve given the ball away seventeen times, which is the most in the league. This team should be 6-1, but this is where I thought they would be after seven games. Beat Arizona and the Browns are 5-3 going into two tough games against Baltimore and Pittsburg. Finally, I ‘ve heard Deshaun Watson should be back for the Raven’s game. Let’s hope it’s the Titans game Watson. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Victory Monday part four, you can breathe again Browns fans. This team is now officially the Kardiac Kids 2.0. Was it a perfect game by the Browns, no. Well maybe the special teams (PFF grade of 90.3, highest in team history). Yes, there is a problem at the quarterback position. Also, the defense got used and abused by Gardner Minshew for the majority of the game. For five games the defense played out of its mind but lost the turnover battle. This game they can’t stop the Colts consistently and win the turnover battle. The NFL is such a weird league.

Let’s start with the quarterback position. Deshaun Watson had no reason to be playing in that game. I don’t care if it was only five passes, he was not ready. As the fans wait for a health report on Watson, alternatives have to be discussed. I’ve heard fans want to bring back Jacoby Brissett. No thanks, he’s a career backup who wins one and loses two. They already have that in P.J. Walker. I’m leaning towards Kirk Cousins. He’s on a team going nowhere, he has a no trade clause to prevent him from going to a team where he has to learn a new offense and he’s in the last year of his contract. The Browns and Vikings have already worked out a trade this season, (Za’Darius Smith), Cousin’s already knows Stefanski’s offense and if he’s successful, it increases his value in free agency. I’m not saying cut Watson, but if his injury is a season long thing, put him on IR and go get Cousins on a one-year rental. It’s just a thought, but the team can’t call up P.J. Walker again unless the sign him to the active roster.

Remember went the biggest worry for Browns fans was a kicker would cost the team the playoffs. Dustin Hopkins is now seven for seven on field goals of 50 yards or more. He’s the only kicker in NFL history to hit a 50 yarder in five straight games and he kicked a career long 58 yarder. What can you say about Myles Garrett? First time a player to have two sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick in a game. He carried this team to a victory. DT Jordan Elliott and DT Dalvin Tomlinson have had two great games. On offense, the offensive line has found its rhythm and Jed Wills had another good game. All three running backs played well. Kareem Hunt looked like Kareem Hunt from two years ago.

As for opposing fans complaining about the Browns benefiting from poor officiating, shut up. Since 1999, NFL officials have found the most obscure rules to screw the Browns. For two straight games, the ball has bounced the Browns way. About damn time.

Pro Football Focus rankings. Offense, TE David Njoku (75.4), RB Jerome Ford (71.6), RT Dawand Jones (70.5), RG Wyatt Teller (66.0) and C Ethan Pocic (65.2). Defense, DE Myles Garrett (94.2), DT Dalvin Tominson (78.7) S Juan Thornhill (71.9), CB Denzel Ward (66.1) and DT Shelby Harris (60.8). The signings of Shelby Harris, Juan Thornhill and Maurice Hurst, the trades for Za’Darius Smith and Dustin Hopkins and the drafting of Dawand Jones have been moves by GM Andrew Berry that are paying big dividends. Jones had 40 pass blocking repetitions and allowed one pressure and zero sacks.

Now the team heads to Seattle where the Browns have only won three times. This is not going to be an easy game. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz needs to fix what the Colts offense did to the Browns defense. I guarantee the Seahawk’s coaching staff is watching the tape frame by frame. Let’s all hope the quarterback decision comes quickly this week. Stay safe and Go Browns.