2 Stars and 1 Flop From Cleveland’s Week 2 Victory
Photo Credit: Andrew Nelles via USA TODAY Sports
It would be easy to sit here and say, “I knew the Cleveland Browns would recover after a difficult loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week,” but I would be lying to you. With the offense playing so poorly and giving up 14 points themselves, I was afraid the entire unit would shut down.
Now Browns are sitting high on the horse as they celebrate a dominant win last Sunday over the Tennessee Titans and move to 2-1 on the season. And while they didn’t hang 70-points on their opponents like the Miami Dolphins, the entire team was clicking on all cylinders.
After the strong performance on Sunday, there is no doubt that Kevin Stefanski has full control of this locker room and rallied his troops at a moment of adversity.
Before we turn the page and flip to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, let’s look back at two players who shined — and one who didn’t — in Week 3.
The Bad: Jedrick Wills
Even though Deshaun Watson bailed the offensive line out multiple times, this offensive line was the only weak link for the entire team on Sunday. The Cleveland Browns must get better in pass protection if they want to be serious contenders in 2023.
Right now, the glaring hole on the O-line is at left tackle. Jedrick Wills not only continues to struggle, but he also shows a frustrating lack of effort.
If he would even make an effort after getting beat, I’d be far less frustrated than watching him get run around, and then watch Watson scramble for his life while Wills has all but given up. With a quarterback like Watson, after you get beat is when you can help the most as he tries to buy additional time.
With the injury to Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones already forced into action as a rookie, it’s going to be difficult to replace Wills. I would love to see James Hudson get a few snaps, but he did struggle at times last year when he was Conklin’s replacement.
Bill Callahan is going to earn his money this season. If he wants to prove he is one of the best in the business, he needs to get more out of Wills. I know he switched from right tackle in college to left tackle in the NFL, but he is a huge disappointment as the No. 10-overall pick from just three years ago.
The Good: Deshaun Watson
After what feels like a century, Watson had his best game as a Cleveland Brown. It was the beginnings of a justification for the $230 million, fully guaranteed contract that so many were starting to question.
He didn’t have barn-burner stats with 289 yards passing and two touchdowns, but he was extremely efficient. Other than one especially bone-headed pass backward, played lights out.
Because the offensive line is so bad, early in the game he was hitting a ton of quick-timing routes and looked good doing it. He was in a good rhythm with Elijah Moore on short routes, and as the game developed, he showed great chemistry with Amari Cooper, who ended his day with over 100 yards receiving.
Watson was sacked three times on Sunday, but I would argue none were his fault. Against the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, he bailed too quickly and at times created his own pressure, but on Sunday he held tight in the pocket when he should and bailed when he had to.
dialed in DW4 🔥@deshaunwatson | #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/Yi9YoObzFn
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 25, 2023
I still think Watson can get better, but with as good as this defense has been, this team can win a lot of games if Watson only plays as well as he did last Sunday.
The Great: Myles Garrett
There are zero questions when it comes to the most impactful player on the Cleveland Browns roster right now. Yes, Nick Chubb (before injury) and Denzel Ward can open a game, and expectations for Watson are extremely high. But at the end of the day, Myles Garrett is the one guy who can change the course of a game for this team.
Garrett showed up big in Week 1 but was very quiet against the Steelers on Monday Night Football. But he more than made up for it on Sunday with three and a half sacks, five total tackles, and five quarterback hits. On top of that, it felt like he had pressure on Ryan Tannehill every single play.
At one point in the game, Garrett was so inside the Titans’ heads that two tight ends followed him back and forth just to try and double-team him.
I’m not sure I’ve EVER seen this before!
Myles Garrett forces the Titans into a delay of game penalty, because they’re sending 2 offensive players wherever he aligns… WOW!
Garett has 3.5 sacks on the day. #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/2WrjTGqTod
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 24, 2023
I’m not saying we need three and a half sacks every week from Garrett, but if he can be half as destructive as he was last week, he is going to be a problem every single week for opposing teams.
He has been in the question of defensive MVP multiple times in his career and may have gotten himself on top of the list through week three of this early NFL season.
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