Protection Takes Center Stage For Cleveland On Monday Night
[Phil Masturzo/ Beacon Journal]
After conquering horrific weather and a divisional favorite in their Week 1 win against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cleveland Browns find themselves in the driver’s seat of the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens and Bengals will be playing each other on Sunday, each trying to avoid 0-2 starts, while the Browns travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers, who will be out for blood after being dismantled by the San Francisco 49ers in their home opener.
It’s hard to remember the last time the Browns started the regular season 2-0, let alone 2-0 in the division. “Protection” is the key word heading into Week 2. Here are three ways the team must continue to improve in order to give the team the ability to make good on this excellent opportunity.
Protect the Ball
I’m willing to give the Browns a pass on the two turnovers in Week 1 because the rain was so miserable, but that can’t continue if they want to win in Pittsburgh on Monday Night.
Deshaun Watson had a horrible interception and Jerome Ford fumbled, and both occurred on the Bengals side of the field. Ford’s fumble in the first half felt like a potential momentum shift, but luckily the Browns’ defense stepped up.
What was Deshaun Watson looking at?
This is a puzzling interception pic.twitter.com/ijCuwMvAxS
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 10, 2023
There is no doubt that this Steelers team is still in search of their identity. The 30-7 shellacking they took last week is about as bad as you see in the NFL. Truth be told, the 49ers took their foot off the gas at halftime or it could have been much worse.
But don’t expect this Steelers team to just lie down. If anything, that loss last week hurts the Browns, as the Steelers will have no choice but to be out for vengeance. This is a game the Browns should win on paper, but turning the ball over can tilt this game back to the Steelers’ advantage very quickly.
Destroy Pittsburgh’s QB Protection
I do not doubt that the Cleveland defense affected Joe Burrow’s comfortability last week in the pocket, but they were only able to get him on the ground twice. And I’m not so sure that a wet ball and lack of preseason practice didn’t affect him just as much as the pressure.
For the most part, the Browns’ defense looked like a top-five unit in the league, but if they truly want to become elite, they need to find a way to get Kenny Pickett on the ground early and often.
If the Browns can get into the young quarterback’s head early, coupled with the suffocating coverage from the secondary, you could see this unit not only get four or five sacks on the night, but the secondary could also end up with multiple interceptions.
Pickett showed a lot of promise at the end of the 2022 season, but the 49ers forced two interceptions and got him on the ground five times because he was forced to throw the ball 46 times with the team trailing so quickly.
This is one of those games where if the Browns can get ahead quickly and establish the running game, the defense could completely takeover the game and rattle this young quarterback. With the only disappointment last week on defense being the two sacks, look for this front four to be hungrier than ever to feed the stat sheet.
Protect Watson
While the defense missed out on a few sack opportunities last week, the Cleveland offense was extremely fortunate that Watson was only sacked three times for a total loss of 10 yards. He was constantly under pressure and made a ton of incredible plays to avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage.
If the Browns had a quarterback with average athleticism, you could have seen six or even seven sacks because the protection was that bad up front.
Things won’t be any easier with Jack Conklin out for the year and rookie Dawand Jones taking over at right tackle. Jones will square off with T.J. Watt, who remains one of the biggest Browns killers since Jamal Lewis left the Ravens.
Additionally, Jedrick Wills didn’t look great in his Week 1 performance either. He still looks lackadaisical in his pass sets and doesn’t have the quickness to stop the edge rushers from getting around him.
Jedrick Wills is already in midseason form. #Browns pic.twitter.com/CFHIeGDdbR
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) September 10, 2023
I have faith that Watson will find a way to make some plays and give this offense a chance, but I hope it doesn’t come down to that. If we are counting on Watson to run the ball 10 to 15 times a game because of pressure, he’s eventually going to end up getting hurt and then you will really see what a problem you have at offensive line.
So far it appears that Alex Leatherwood won’t be activated in favor of Michael Dunn who has been a decent utility player. But I also wouldn’t be shocked to see James Hudson get thrown in at left tackle if Wills continues to struggle.
I’m excited to see what Jones can do vs. Watt, but I’m equally as terrified of how Wills holds up on the other side
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