Usually I cover the Keys to Victory in my articles after every game. But this one has forced me to change things a up a little today. Neither team played well or succeeded in any aspect of the game except maybe big plays and special teams. But after an absolutely wild game they had no business winning, the Browns are somehow 4-2, and they notch their first win in Indy since 2011!
After the Browns beat the Niners last week I was ecstatic. The defense stopped the league’s best team. They stopped them cold. This week? I’m grateful, stunned, relieved and slightly confused. In a normal season, heck a normal universe, the Browns are 2-4 after this game. They probably should be. But we just need to be happy, take the win even though it was incredibly ugly, and move on to the next one when it gets here.
For today, I’m going to do “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” That’s the only way I can describe this one. There was little bit of everything in this game.
The Good
Myles Garrett has yet to win Defensive Player of the Year in his career. But he certainly made a case for it today. He had nine tackles, two strip sacks, and blocked a 60-yard field goal. When CBS showed the replay of his field goal block, I could not believe what I saw. Folks, Myles Garrett is 6’4, 272 pounds. He’s not normal size. He’s a freakishly large man. And what he did on that play shouldn’t have been possible for someone his size. It defies explanation.
He didn’t just leap up for the kick or get a finger on it. No, he leaped completely over the guy trying to block him, and got his entire hand on the football. I’ve rarely seen anything like it. I know fans around the league say TJ Watt is the best defensive player in the NFL, and he probably is in terms of his overall career. But Myles is better than he is this season. Period. Myles doesn’t need to even sack or tackle the quarterback or ballcarrier. Just his presence is enough to make teams alter their blocking schemes. And when he actually gets loose? You get exactly what happened today. He’s got the potential to be a future Hall of Famer.
The next thing I really liked about the game was Dustin Hopkins. He’s been absolute money for the last two weeks. He won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week last week, and probably should win it again this week. He not only went 4-4 on field goals, but three of those were from 50+, including a new career long for him from 58 yards. And when he hit that one, he probably could have hit it from close to 70 yards. He had room to spare!
Not only that, but he now becomes the first kicker in NFL history to make a 50+ yard field goal in five straight games. It feels fantastic to have a reliable kicker in games like this. I hope he keeps this going. And if he does? I hope he’s around here for a long time!
The Bad
I like PJ Walker. I do. I’m sure he’s a good teammate. I’m sure he prepares as well as he can before every game. And I hope he’s a good person off the field. But he’s not meant to be a starting quarterback in this league. He went 15-32 for 178 yards and an interception. That just won’t get it done. If I’m Andrew Berry? I’m jumping on the phone first thing Monday morning and either signing the best free agent quarterback available or trading for one.
The current situation in the Browns’ quarterback room just won’t work over the course of an 18-week season. Watson isn’t reliable. He’s dealing with injuries. I also personally think he’s soft, and that he doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude that it takes to lead a football team. And PJ Walker just will forever be a journeyman quarterback. Neither of these guys make me feel confident when they’re taking snaps under center. Boy, I miss Jacoby Brissett right about now…
We have a little under three months left in the regular season. If the Browns stick with this quarterback room, they’ll risk losing close games like this one. They can’t get helped out with missed field goals or questionable calls forever. Their luck will eventually run out. It’s inevitable. Which is why they need to nip this in the bud. NOW. There had better be a new, decent quarterback in Berea by the trade deadline.
The Ugly
I never thought I would see the Browns defense here. But that’s exactly where they belong for this game. Minus huge game-altering plays, Jim Schwartz’s unit got carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey. 38 points is inexcusable. Giving 168 rushing yards shouldn’t happen. Giving up 456 total yards is pathetic. This is their first legitimately bad game this season. The defense is lucky they got bailed out with the win. If they didn’t? I would mostly pin this loss on them today. There is no way Indianapolis was that good, or that Gardner Minshew should look as sharp as he did. Our defense was just flat out bad when it came to winning one-on-one matchups, making adjustments, or controlling this game.
A guy named Jim Bob Cooter outsmarted Jim Schwartz today. No, seriously. The Colts’ offensive coordinator is named Jim Bob Cooter. A Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator matched wits with a guy named Jim Bob Cooter and lost the chess match. Schwartz is just lucky the team didn’t lose!
But I will give credit where it’s due. The Colts found the weak spots in the Browns defensive scheme, Gardner Minshew got the ball out quickly for most of the day to avoid the pass rush, and Indy used the Browns’ aggressive man coverage style against them.
I’m glad the Browns have played tighter coverage compared to what Joe Woods used to run here when he was the Defensive Coordinator. But one of the few drawbacks of an aggressive man coverage scheme, is that if opposing wideouts get behind the defensive backs, they can cause major problems. The Colts’ wideouts not only got behind the Browns’ DBs on several occasions, they routinely found any weak spot in the coverage scheme, whether it was on deep balls, in the middle of the field, or in the flats near the sidelines. They solved the puzzle of Jim Schwartz’ defense. They were the first team to really do that this season.
Not only that, but the Colts were also 7-15 on third down. The Browns got gashed so much because they couldn’t get off the field. The Colts extended drives and really hurt Cleveland. That can’t happen going forward if the Browns want to keep pace in the AFC Playoff race.
But for today, Cleveland somehow got it done. I’m still not entirely sure how they did. But they’re 4-2 on the season, and firmly in the AFC Playoff picture at this point in the year. Don’t care how they got the win, as long as they got it. Now they probably need about seven more just like it! And they’ll get a crack at another one when they face the Seattle Seahawks on the road next week.
GO BROWNS!
Statistical Leaders:
PJ Walker: 15-32, 178 yds., INT
Jerome Ford: 11 car., 78 yds., TD
Elijah Moore: 4 rec., 59 yds.
Source: ESPN
Picture Credit: lineups.com
