Week 1 Proves Browns Defense Must Drive Team Success

The offense was worse than expected. Combined with a tougher schedule, the Browns defense will have to outperform themselves for a chance at a successful 2024.

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

After the game on Sunday, the Browns offense has received the lion’s share of criticism from fans and media. The team appears to be no closer to getting consistent play from Deshaun Watson and the offense struggled mightily as a result. It feels obvious now that the Browns will need elite defensive performances to lift the team up early in the season until the offense gets figured out, one way or the other.

While the defense failed to live up to the ultra high expectations we set for it, and I’m sure the expectations they set for themselves, all is not lost. Week One was just one game and there’s plenty of reason to believe the defense can still make the changes everyone knows are necessary to finish as a top-five defense for the second year in a row.

The overall defensive numbers from the Cowboys game look decent, largely because Dallas took their foot off the gas after KaVontae Turpin’s punt return in the third quarter put the game out of reach. Dak Prescott missed a few throws to extend drives (it was his first action of the year as well, after missing the preseason) and the Cowboys ran the ball to keep the clock running when they could have thrown it.

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

In the first half, the Browns gave up 210 yards and four scoring drives, well below the lofty standards they set for themselves in 2023. The crux of the issue is that the changeup so often referred to this offseason by coordinator Jim Schwartz did not make its appearance in Week One. According to PFF, the Browns played Cover-1 or Cover-3, both variants of the same single-high safety coverage look on 50 of 60 snaps in Week One.

When you are the defensive coordinator of the most dominant defense in the NFL from last season, the challenge is to find ways to ratchet up the pressure and show teams the unexpected. Instead, Schwartz and his staff seemed content in Week One to do more of the same that they did last season and hope the results were as favorable. Looking back at 2023, there’s one reason to suspect that the Browns might not be able to do what worked last year and have as much success this season.