The Cleveland Browns’ defense allowed 209 yards of offense on the first three drives, all of which results in touchdowns for Buffalo. It was as bad as a defense could look, and I thought it would continue
that way the rest of the game. However, over the Bills’ next seven drives, they totaled a combined 50 yards of offense, a pretty stunning turnaround that allowed Cleveland to stay in the game.
Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 16 game against the Buffalo Bills.
Defensive Line
- For once, we have what was considered a rather pedestrian game for Myles Garrett. He did get credit for the half sack where Josh Allen backpedaled and fell down near the end zone. Buffalo didn’t throw the ball very much, and when they did, it was often quick release passes out to the right side. Garrett was the seventh-highest graded player on defense per PFF, grading out to a 63.8.
- On the plus side, Mason Graham was the second-highest graded player on defense, per PFF, grading out to a 74.5. He and Shelby Harris, along with Maurice Hurst with fewer snaps, were the three highest-graded players on defense, which might say something about Buffalo’s interior offensive line.
Linebacker
- It was another solid week for Carson Schwesinger, who logged 10+ tackles and had the one true sack on Allen. We still know nothing about the future of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, but that would be awesome imagining both of those guys in the lineup together. Schwesinger was the fourth-highest graded player on defense, grading out to a 71.5.
- Jerome Baker saw more snaps this week, but was the team’s lowest-graded defender, per PFF, grading out to a 28.8, with his run defense and coverage suffering.
Cornerback
- It seemed like Myles Harden was put back in place as the nickelback, where he has been better off.
- Otherwise, it wasn’t a notable day for the Browns’ cornerbacks.
Safety
- It would be interesting to see someone do a study on Grant Delpit’s role and productivity in this Browns’ defense. By PFF standards, he’s often on the polar opposite end of things: sometimes really good, and other times really bad. This week, he was the team’s second-lowest graded defender, grading out to a 35.4 overall, with poor run defense, tackling, and coverage.
