Before the season, if anyone was to tell you that the Cleveland Browns would be 3-1 four weeks into a season in which the team is supposed to be rebuilding, would you have believed them? If not, understandable. Even more so after the team’s Week 1 loss. Run back and tell your past self: the Cleveland Browns are 3-1 after their Thursday night statement win over hated divisional rival the Pittsburgh Steelers
.Out of the three victories this year, this one felt different. In a good way.
1st Down: Resilient mind, resilient team
As mentioned
on the Amazon Prime broadcast by commentator Ryan Fitzpatrick, the resiliency from this Browns team is something that cannot be ignored. Dominant 1st half (after a slow start), but a slow 2nd half in which the Steelers looked to capture some momentum, but instead of finding a way to lose, the team found a way to win.
Cleveland continued to fight, and in the end they found a way to win. The one thing that you can’t measure when it comes to a young team is grit. The Browns have that, and they showcased it on Thursday night in front of a national audience.
2nd Down: Defensive masterclass on display
I am chalking the defensive performance that the Browns had in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars as an outlier. So far, the defense might be even better than it was last year. Granted, it’s early, but the Cleveland defense was making life miserable for Pittsburgh.
Cornerback Denzel Ward getting his just attention nationally is well deserved. Ward is a top five cornerback in this league, and the Browns are fortunate to have him
The defensive line was causing consistent pressure, linebackers were flowing and making plays, and the secondary made plays when called upon. I reiterated how much of an upgrade defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg was over Jim Schwartz because of how he can make this defense evolve without changing the main thing that makes them really good. Play man coverage, rush four, bring a creative blitz, and it worked.
The team only gave up a couple explosive plays during a really stout performance for the defense.
3rd Down: Offense steps up, physicality was shown
Two things. Say what you want about the Browns and their offense, but they are starting to gel. Quarterback Deshaun Watson played well once again yesterday, even if not perfect. He played well in the 1st half; 2nd half wasn’t as stout, but when he was required to make a play, he came through when called upon. Cleveland fans have yearned for competent quarterback play, and the team is getting it.
The Browns offensive line was far from perfect, but center Luke Wypler deserves a ton of credit for his performance. When called upon after Elgton Jenkins was ruled out with a concussion, Wypler made his presence known.
Lost in the win, the one thing that stood out to me was how Cleveland imposed their will on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball; the team felt faster and looser. The team made it a point to be the aggressors, and they did for the majority of the game.
4th Down: Yeah they are 3-1 but…
This isn’t meant to be negative, but it’s more of a reality. Yes, the Cleveland Browns are 3-1, and it’s great. However, the team cannot continue to win games in the way that they are winning. Allow me to explain. It’s fun that the Browns are winning. However, the constant mistakes and penalties will come back to bite them when they go up against a better team. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are somewhat of a mess, the Carolina Panthers are a question mark, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are not as good as people may think. Yet, Cleveland won all of those games against those teams.
They found a way to overcome their mistakes, but they need to understand how to string together a complete game from both sides of the ball with minimal mistakes. If the team can do that, then the possibilities are endless.
Extra Points
- The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t a good team and Thursday night showed how flawed they are. The team looks older, slower and overall just a worse version of last year’s team.
- Staying with the Steelers, I’m willing to say something that no one else will. The Browns have already surpassed the Steelers in terms of roster building/outlook. Cleveland has young ascending talent that Pittsburgh lacks because they traded those players away. It feels as if the Steelers have no plan but the Browns do.
- Some of the penalties were unnecessary; other penalties had me giving a side eye toward the refs
- Unfortunately, the Browns don’t have another primetime game this season; I feel it would be beneficial if the country sees more of Cleveland. Thankfully, or not, the flex schedule could change that sooner than later
- The Cleveland Browns are 3-1. I am surprised, like everyone, that this is real and amazing.
What are some of your takeaways now that you’ve had a few days to process?
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