How Can Cleveland Repeat Their 2023 Close Game Magic?
Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
We are now under a week before the start of the 2024 Cleveland Browns season, as they host the Dallas Cowboys for America’s Game of the Week on Sunday. Not only will Deshaun Watson duel Dak Prescott in the season opener, but we will even have the privilege of witnessing Tom Brady on his first-ever broadcast.
It’s a momentous start to follow up a wild season, which saw the injury-plagued Browns navigate their way through five starting quarterbacks to rack up 11 wins and lock in a Wild Card spot. While the team was undoubtedly carried by an elite defense, they managed to find some offensive magic during the stretch run, when 38-year-old Joe Flacco turned back the clock.
It was a run to the playoffs fueled by guts, a next-man-up mentality, a lot of talent… and also, a good bit of luck. Some people may have forgotten that Cleveland went 5-0 in games decided by three points or fewer. That includes four games that ended in last-second kicks. Three of those games required Dustin Hopkins to nail last-minute field goals, and a fourth victory came only after the San Francisco 49ers went wide right on a would-be game-winning 41-yard kick.
For the first time since… I don’t know, maybe the days of Jim Brown? — this team finally caught a few breaks and stole two or three games they maybe shouldn’t have won. Or if you prefer, they closed out the victory in games that past Browns teams would have given away. However you want to frame it, the difference between making the postseason and sitting on the couch in January with an 8-9 record was a mere handful of points.
Call it luck, call it a winning mentality, call it whatever you want, but those games breaking Cleveland’s way got them into the playoffs. They even entered Wild Card Weekend as favorites! We’ve burned the tape of anything that happened after that, and without knowing the end result, we’ll venture to say 2023 was a banner year for the Browns.
So, what needs to continue in 2024 to make sure that repeats?
First and foremost, this defense is going to have to be on top of their game once more. We’re not talking about “being really good again.” We’re talking about repeating a historic year. Assuming that the Browns don’t go through five quarterbacks again, they may not need to rely quite as heavily on the unit. But in a tough AFC North and tougher AFC Playoff landscape, maintaining that excellence will be their X-Factor. Getting crucial stops and takeaways will once again be important.
Now that they’re healthy, the Browns’ offense is in a position to pitch in by protecting the ball. We love to stroke Flacco’s ego for last year (and, hey, it’s deserved), but we can’t forget that he threw eight interceptions in five starts for the Browns. Make that 10 in six starts if we’re counting his two Pick Sixes in the playoff game against the Houston Texans (Which still, in our minds, officially doesn’t exist).
That wound up putting this defense in a lot of difficult situations. Of Cleveland’s 39 turnovers from last season, 12 either resulted in touchdowns or put Cleveland’s defense on the field in their own red zone. Sure, the defense sometimes still managed to hold their opponent to three points, but that’s a lot of stress to put on even an elite unit.
Secondly, the kicking game must be clutch once again. After a disastrous campaign in 2022 where we saw Cade York play like he was gunning for the Missed PAT record, Hopkins had a lights-out year. The former Washington Commander and Los Angeles Charger had four game-winning kicks, went 8-for-8 from 50-plus yards, and only missed five total kicks all season. After a year where fans considered no kick to be “easy”, Hopkins spent 2023 being the definition of consistent.
But, like with the defense, can we count on there being no slippage? Counting on a repeat from Hopkins on his 50-plus-yarders might be impossible. The league average from 50-plus yards was just 68.3% in 2023. Prior to last season, Hopkins had only converted 15 of 30 such attempts. Considering the thin margins Cleveland played with last year, Hopkins dipping from his 91.7% accuracy to something closer to his career average before 2023 (84.8%) could leave the Browns at home for the playoffs.
Last but certainly not least, Kevin Stefanski must continue to be aggressive in his play-calling. Yes, the coach has been grilled in the past for being too willing to go for it on fourth down, but in a sport where all the teams are so close in talent level, you must be willing to take a risk.
Stefanski has a ton of confidence in Jim Schwartz and his defense, as well he should. Schwartz showed that his unit can stand tall, even when put into tough situations. Again, you don’t want to overtax the defense, but Stefanski can’t be afraid to take calculated risks in fourth-down situations, and he can’t just retreat into conservatism when trying to run out the clock, being content to call three runs and punt the ball back to their opponent
In the past, we have consistently seen Cleveland coaches display extreme passivity, and it always seems to come back to haunt them. Stefanski’s aggression can occasionally be frustrating, but on the whole, it’s refreshing. After securing two Coach of the Year Awards, he’s earned the latitude to do what he thinks is best, and he’ll need to keep his foot on the gas if Cleveland is to build on the successes of 2023.
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