What is the story about?
Finally,
we saw a productive first half from the Browns’ offense, as they put 21 points on the board in the second quarter. That built a cushion that allowed them some breathing room when things didn’t go their way in the third quarter; but they still added two field goals late, thanks to the reliable leg of Andre Szmyt.
Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on offense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Quarterback
- This was another respectable performance by Deshaun Watson, with his 268 passing yards being the third most he’s had in a single game with Cleveland. His second quarter (along with the rest of the offense) was particularly great, and he again made enough plays on the final drive to get in position for a game winning field goal.
- In between, there were three rough plays: getting stripped by T.J. Watt on a read option, throwing an interception on the next series, and missing a wide open Harold Fannin late in a game that could’ve sealed the win sooner. The Fannin miss was the biggest issue. The turnovers sucked to see, but were relatively understandable in the realm of NFL turnovers, as opposed to the old, ‘wtf are you doing?’ plays.
- Watson received a grade of 62.9 from PFF.
Running Back
- How about that stat line for Jaleel McLaughlin? One snap, one carry, and it goes for a 28 yard touchdown run. The blocking by the receivers on that play was very nice.
- Quinshon Judkins ran a hair better this week, but there’s still lots of room for improvement. He looked better when he was in space catching a career-high 6 passes.
- In their 9 pass blocking snaps, Judkins and Raheim Sanders graded horribly against the Steelers, per PFF.
Wide Receiver
- I wouldn’t call it a rough start for Denzel Boston, but Watson put two long balls right on the money for him, and he wasn’t able to haul either one in. They stuck with him, and it paid off. His hands are great to watch, the confidence that he’ll secure those clutch catches.
- KC Concepcion got the ball in space and made some guy miss. When he gets more acclimated to the speed of the NFL, I think we’ll see more of those plays with success.
- The reps for Jerry Jeudy took a further hit this week, down to 38%. But he also caught all 3 passes that went his way late, and they were big grabs. Hopefully the combination of winning, and seeing how his timely grabs can make a big impact, keeps him motivated, because he can still be a huge asset. He was the team’s third-highest graded player on offense by PFF, grading out to a 79.9.
- Malachi Corley received the reps that Tylan Wallace was getting, and he did a nice job on a few blocks.
Tight End
- It was another productive day for Harold Fannin, who caught a short touchdown. On the play he was wide open on late, if Watson connected with him, that probably could’ve gone for like 40 yards.
- Blake Whiteheart did not fare well in his run blocking. You have to wonder at some point if the team will try to get a better run blocking tight end.
Offensive Line
- It was a rebound performance for rookie RG Austin Barber, who was the Browns’ top-graded player on offense by PFF, grading out to an 82.6. In the breakdown, his run blocking was excellent, but his pass protection was actually among the lowest graded.
- It was also a hell of a job by C Luke Wypler filling in. He was the Browns’ second-highest graded player on offense by PFF, grading out to a 79.9. You don’t want to ship away quality backup linemen often, but with the team drafting Parker Brailsford, that’s the type of performance by Wypler to where if a team’s center goes down, he might be a trade candidate.
