Cleveland is Cleveland. How about those Elves? This win feels different than last year’s opening game win. Last year’s team wouldn’t have survived two turnovers. Last year’s team wouldn’t have survived the weather. The tone was set from the very first play. Defensive end Za’Darius Smith hit Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow as he was trying to throw a pass. Cincinnati’s offensive line had no answer for the Browns defensive line. DC Jim Schwartz brought the pressure and Burrow felt it. A good defense can pressure opposing QB’s successfully when the secondary covers very well, and that’s what the Browns did. Bengal wide receiver Tee Higgins didn’t have a catch. Tyler Boyd only had two catches for ten yards and elf hater Ja’Marr Chase only had five catches for 39 yards. Burrow had the worst game of his professional career.
On offense, you could tell the weather was affecting the passing game, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was overthrowing and underthrowing his passes. In the second half, head coach Kevin Stefanski put the ball in Nick Chubb’s hands and Watson made enough plays to make the difference. The first touchdown was an audible by Watson, and the Bengal defense fell for it. Wide receiver Marguise Goodwin was only in the game for ten plays, but his presence has felt. Both the long passes to him were incomplete, but he was able to get behind Cincinnati’s secondary easily. The Bengals had to respect him when he was on the field. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones had a couple of clutch catches and WR Elijah Moore showed his speed. Finally, I think the Browns have found their kicker and the special teams played very well.
The top five offensive players rated by Pro Football Focus were: RB Nick Chubb, 76.6, LG Joel Bitonio 74.9, WR Amari Cooper 70.3, Elijah Moore 67.2 and Deshaun Watson 66.8. The top five defensive players rated by Pro Football Focus were: S Grant Delpit 91.3, Za’Darius Smith, 90.5, Myles Garrett 89.9, Greg Newsome 79.8 and Shelby Harris 69.9. The Browns defense held the Cincinnati offense to 142 total yards, 67 passing and 75 yards rushing for 2.6 yards per play.
The Browns now head to Pittsburg for another important game. My main worry about this game is the play of the Browns offensive tackles. Due to the injury to RT Jack Conklin, rookie Dawand Jones will start and have to block the Steelers T.J. Watt. On the other side, LT Jedrick Wills was the weak spot on the offensive line. Let’s see what the coaching staff comes up with to deal with the Steelers pass rush. Enjoy this victory, stay safe and Go Browns.