The Cleveland Browns continue to top many of the defensive rankings after a dominating performance against the Green Bay Packers.
Following an afternoon where the Browns held the Packers to 81 rushing yards,
230 yards of total offense, and sacked Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love five times, Cleveland’s defense is ranked No. 1 in total yards allowed (204.3 per game) and run defense (57.3 yards per game), and is tied for second in sacks (11).
There is a lot of credit to go around for the performance against the Packers, from safety Grant Delpit’s game-changing interception to six different players being involved in the five sacks.
Rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger, in particular, is being lauded after finishing tied with Delpit with a team-high nine tackles, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit. Schwesinger’s performance landed him at No. 4 on Pro Football Focus’ list of the Top 15 Rookies for Week 3:
Schwesinger bounced back against Green Bay with his highest PFF run-defense grade of the season (74.9). He played a season-high 30 run snaps, making four stops while assisting on two other tackles. He also recorded a quarterback hurry on eight pass-rushing snaps. Schwesinger did earn the lowest PFF coverage grade of his young career (56.7), due to a three-yard touchdown allowed late in the third quarter. He still made two third-down stops across 23 snaps and limited receivers to 13 yards on three catches.
Schwesinger now has 14 tackles, seven assists and eight stops on the season. His 70.0 PFF tackling grade ranks second among rookie linebackers, behind Jihaad Campbell (84.3). He also boasts a 20.9% positive play rate in run defense and leads all rookie linebackers in PFF run-defense grade (77.8). Despite the touchdown against Green Bay, Schwesinger still holds a 72.0 PFF coverage grade.
Schwesinger has also been nominated for the NFL’s Rookie of the Week award, joining running back Omarion Hampton of the Los Angeles Chargers, running back Cam Skattebo of the New York Giants, wide receiver Luther Burden III of the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Tory Horton of the Seattle Seahawks, and wide receiver Jaylin Lan of the Washington Commanders.
Fans can vote for the rookie award at NFL.com, with voting ending on Thursday at 11 a.m. EST.
