Browns finish the preseason with 35-17 blowout win over the Lions

The Cleveland Browns finished off their 2018 preseason in great fashion, beating the Detroit Lions, 35-17. Cleveland sat most of their starters in the final preseason game, but the rest of the team showed off an impressive performance. Mayfield got the start. What was nice to see was the return of right guard Kevin Zeitler. He played in just the first series, but his presence on the field was important to see as we head into the regular season. In his only series, he helped lead a touchdown drive that featured a lot of yards on the ground. Overall, it was a good final impression for the Browns.

The Browns were pretty dominant in the first half. Cleveland outgained the Lions 167 yards to just 21 yards in the first quarter, leading to a 10-0 first quarter lead. The Browns were able to move the ball through the air and on the ground, while the defense stymied the Lions offense in their two first quarter drives. The dominance continued into the second quarter as the Browns extended their lead to a 25-0 halftime lead.

In the half, the Browns had 261 total yards, while only allowing the Lions to gain 108 total yards. The Browns had 13 first downs, while Detroit had just four all half. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who played the entire first half, completed 9 of 16 for 138 yards. The run game was strong for the Browns, leading to 123 total rushing yards in the first half. Matthew Dayes was outstanding, rushing five times for 70 yards and a touchdown. The Browns averaged 6.2 yards per carry.

He gone.#CLEvsDET @dizzydayes_21 pic.twitter.com/rvztJ8KJEm

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 30, 2018

On the other side of the ball, the Browns defense allowed just two rushing yards in the first half. The unit never let the Lions into the redzone during the first half. The defense even scored points when Nate Orchard picked off a pass late in the second quarter and ran it back 64 yards to the endzone. The Browns defense continued its strong play that they have shown throughout the preseason.

Take it to the house, @nateorchard44!#CLEvsDET pic.twitter.com/XFxwIWkrw2

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 31, 2018

The highlight of the second half was getting to watch the Brogan Roback show. Roback had an up and down performance, but he finished the game by completing 7 of 14 for 130 yards and a touchdown. Even though Roback, aka Brobie, will most likely not make the squad, it was fun watching the former Eastern Michigan quarterback get an extended period of playing time.

In the end, the Browns won the game, 35-17, finishing the 2018 preseason with a 3-1 record. The Browns defense was probably the standout of the preseason, but overall there are many things to be excited about for the Browns regular season. The team will now enter an important couple of days in which Browns General Manager John Dorsey has to trim the roster down to 53 players. Cleveland will scour the waiver wire and trade market to look for players outside the organization to possibly improve the team.

Going forward, the games will now count! The Browns begin their 2018 regular season at home versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.