The Cleveland Browns heartbreakingly lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday by a score of 17-16 after their rookie kicker missed two crucial kicks throughout the game. Aside from passes being dropped on offense, the Browns’ biggest area of weakness was their interior offensive line in week 1.
The Browns weren’t able to get any form of push or displacement in the run game when it came to zone blocking on the interior, and it was a major problem throughout the entirety of the matchup. Kevin Stefanski
was effectively forced to rely on the passing game in situations where he would usually run the ball, and the offense’s success rate plummeted because of it.
Joel Bitonio, Ethan Pocic, and Wyatt Teller were above-average on the day when it came to pass protection, which is reflected in their overall PFF grades from Sunday. Despite being incredibly underwhelming as run-blockers against the Bengals, their pass protection grades completely masked their inefficiencies in perhaps the most important aspect of Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
Although the run game started to open up a little bit late in the game, it was because Cleveland began shifting its focus to gap/power plays. The reason why these types of blocking schemes were more effective is that they use blocking angles and extra blockers to create leverage and “numbers” advantages for the offense. To be 100% honest, coaches usually focus on or shift to the power game if they have a weaker interior.
On one hand, it was great that Stefanski recognized what was happening and made adjustments throughout the game. On the other hand, it’s really sad for the prospects of the interior offensive line for the Browns.
A group that was once the best zone-blocking trio in the league has definitely taken a sizable step back in what makes the browns’ offense, the browns’ offense.
To end things on a more positive note, as mentioned earlier, Bitonio, Pocic, and Teller were absolutely dominant all game long in pass protection except for Bitonio’s sack that he allowed in the 4th quarter. Let’s hope that Cleveland’s interior can improve going forward in 2025, especially with new OL Coach Mike Bloomgren leading the bunch.
What are your thoughts on the Browns’ offensive line performance in week 1? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.
