Top Takeaways From Cleveland’s Disappointing Monday Night loss
Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
After an impressive win vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, the Cleveland Browns were humbled on Monday Night Football by the Pittsburg Steelers. While the game certainly had its ups and downs, the Browns once again proved they weren’t ready for the spotlight.
In a first half that was nearly two hours long, we saw two turnovers by each team, a missed field goal, poor quarterback play on both sides, and what can only be called a devastating injury to Nick Chubb.
It was more of the same from the Browns in the second half, with two additional turnovers as the offense consistently failed to move the ball and eventually took the defense out of the game by giving up 14 points up themselves.
Here are the big takeaways from Monday Night.
The Season Isn’t Over
At first, I didn’t realize just how serious the injury was for Chubb, but after watching the replay (would not recommend) it appears that he will have an uphill battle to return for the 2024 season. While some are calling the hit by Minkah Fitzpatrick that was low on Chubb dirty, I’m still of the mindset that it was just horrific timing as he made contact at the same time Chubb planted.
After a series of some of the worst football I have seen from the Browns’ offense, shortly before the end of the first half and continuing into the second half, this team must realize the season isn’t over and that it could be worse than 1-1.
Not only do the Browns have the opportunity to go after a free agent like Kareem Hunt, who is certainly familiar with the Kevin Stefanski system, they also have hope Deshaun Watson can return to form, not to mention a defense who has proven they can make a difference.
It’s going to take some time to shake off the loss of Chubb, but this team must find a way to move forward.
Dawand Jones Impresses
No one had a tougher matchup than the rookie right tackle Dawand Jones who, in his NFL debut, was tasked with blocking T.J. Watt, one of the most disruptive defenders in the NFL.
And while Watt certainly made his presence felt, Jones held up well and appeared ready to step in as the starting right tackle. He did get beat by the speed rush a few times, but he still always recovered and at least gave Watson a fighting chance to get out of the pocket.
The big struggle on Monday Night was by the interior. Wyatt Teller, who is touted as an elite run-blocker, was bullied all night by the Steelers’ interior pass rushers. In fact, we often saw the Steelers twisting Watt inside just to get him matched up with Teller. who was significantly outmatched.
The Steelers are always going to be a defense that makes a living with pressure. We can’t expect the Browns to remain totally unscathed, with no sacks given up, but it’s unfortunate that a whiffed assignment by Jedrick Wills (what’s new?) is what put the Browns away.
With Chubb out of the picture and the running game taking at least a few steps back, the entire offensive line needs to step up and show major improvement in pass protection.
The Defense Continues to Make Plays
After being handicapped by seven points with the pick-six on the game’s first play, I’m not sure what else you could ask for from this defense.
Multiple guys missed snaps throughout the game with injuries, yet time and time again they managed to get off the field without giving up points. Not many offenses cede 14 points to the opposing team and the team still finds a way to win.
And while we are used to Myles Garrett stealing the thunder for this defense, it was a team effort to hold this Steelers team back as much as possible. Grant Delpit, Dalvin Tomlinson, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Denzel Ward all played well and didn’t break the entire game.
Grant Delpit sets up the @Browns nicely with an INT!
📺: #CLEvsPIT on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/zWM8hlwLFw pic.twitter.com/zcVh7X1rLl— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2023
If you take away three or four plays from Monday Night, this Steelers offense did nothing, yet they somehow found a way to win. This locker room will have to come together this week or finger-pointing between the offense and defense could become a major issue.
Quarterback Play must be Better
Even though the season is still young, one thing that must be better is the quarterback play for the Cleveland Browns. Watson continues to struggle and looks like a quarterback who hasn’t played in the league in over a year.
Yes, he was under a lot of pressure, so I’m willing to cut him some slack, but we saw a lot of bad decisions and forced throws. Multiple times Watson pulled the RPO (run, pass, option) and threw with two safeties back when the obvious read was to hand off.
While part of me was finally happy to see some emotion, he also let his frustration get the best of him with two silly personal foul penalties that completely stalled the offense.
Looks like Deshaun Watson got away with putting his hands on an official. Usually a no-no. pic.twitter.com/EbEjDiyaxO
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 19, 2023
The bottom line is, for what the Browns paid Watson, 22/40 for 235 yards and a touchdown to go along with a fumble and interception isn’t going to cut it. Watson had his head down early and never seemed to recover from the pressure of the Steeler’s defense. The Steelers’ defense is stout, but this cannot become a trend.
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