CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Browns defense made a huge first impression in the season-opening 24-3 win against the reigning AFC North king Cincinnati Bengals, as Jim Schwartz’s new scheme was on full display from the first snap until the last.
The defensive linemen were was incredibly disruptive throughout. They played upfield, continuously penetrated gaps with speed, and freed up the second level to run and make tackles.
The defensive front also showed its versatility as Myles Garrett, Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Za’Darius Smith played multiple positions to take advantage favaorable matchups.
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The secondary was impressive, holding the trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins to a total of eight receptions and 49 yards.
Joe Burrow was only 14 of 31 for only 82 yards and seemed bothered by the weather and the Browns’ consistent pressure. As a team, Cleveland held the explosive Bengals to just 142 total yards.
With all the key additions for the Browns, Schwartz may have been the most important.
Offensively, the Browns leaned on their offensive line and Nick Chubb to shorten the game and keep the football away from Burrow. Chubb finished with 106 yards on 18 carries with a 5.9 average. As a team, Cleveland rushed for 206 yards on 40 carries.
Key plays (and how they worked)
Watson 13-yard TD run
Below is a great look at the 13-yard touchdown run from Watson.
The play will start with Watson making a “can, can” call, which means he saw the man-to-man coverage and went to the second play called in the huddle.
As Jerome Ford moves outside to the right, the Bengals’ Dax Hill will follow. This creates a big window for the quarterback run game. Left tackle Jedrick Wills and left guard Joel Bitonio will block down, and right guard Wyatt Teller will kick out defensive end Trey Hendrickson to create the wide-open touchdown run.
It’s an example of the Browns using a formation loaded to the right, and presnap recognition of man coverage to create open space to Watson’s left for the score. Kevin Stefanski said in his postgame interview that this play was a late suggestion by offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt the day before the game.
“I could go on for a long time about that particular play, which I would just – I would just tell you, great execution by our guys,” Stefanski said. “We got the look that were hoping for and it played out how it played out. But how about this, I’ll give a hat tip to Coach Van Pelt on that one. That’s a Saturday morning add.”
Here’s what it looked like:
The Browns used some presnap motion and recognition of man-to-man defense to free up Watson for his touchdown run to the left.
The Browns used some presnap motion and recognition of man-to-man defense to free up Watson for his touchdown run to the left.
How the Browns freed up Deshaun Watson for a touchdown vs. the Bengals.
The fourth-down sack from Myles Garrett to seal the game
Below is a look at the fourth-down sack from Garrett. He will line up on the right in as the 5-technique, meaning he is shading to the outside of the tackle, and Smith will line up at the 3-technique, shading to the outside of the guard.
This is just one of the many diffrent looks the Browns gave the Bengals, putting two of their best pass rushers next to each other instead of splitting them on opposite sides of the line.
The Bengals had right tackle Jonah Williams blocking Garrett, along with help coming from running back Trayveon Williams, but it wasn’t enough.
Garrett powered through the double-team and took down Burrow. The TV broadcast showed the Bengals offensive coaches shaking their heads after the play. They thought they had Garrett accounted for, but sometimes a great player just makes a great play.
Myles Garrett’s sack vs. the Bengals
Myles Garrett’s sack vs. the Bengals
Myles Garrett sack vs. Bengals
What we learned
The Browns made a statement with their one-sided win against the Bengals. The defense was as advertised as they controlled the line of scrimmage the entire game. They limited Cincinnati to just 3.8 per carry and created constant pressure on Burrow.
That pressure and the great coverage from the secondary made for a very long day for the Bengals.
The offense is still a work in progress, but can always rely on Nick Chubb as needed.
Lance Reisland is the former coach at Garfield Heights High School, where he spent 18 seasons as an assistant for his father, Chuck, and four as head coach, from 2014 to 2018. In 2018, his team finished 11-1 and appeared in the OHSAA Division II regional semifinals. That team went 10-0 and made history as the first Garfield Heights team in 41 years to have an undefeated regular season along with beating Warren G. Harding for the first playoff win in school history.
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