Nick Chubb’s 92-yard touchdown is longest run in Browns history
November 11, 2018AL Central Division is not the issue: While We’re Waiting
November 12, 2018Today is November 11, 2018, and the 2-6-1 Cleveland Browns, having fired both their head coach and offensive coordinator after eight games, broke a four-game losing streak against one of the hottest teams in the league in a fashion we haven’t seen since 2014. The Browns dominated the Atlanta Falcons in FirstEnergy Stadium to the tune of 28-16, in a game that was never in question after the Browns scored their third touchdown with 10:27 left in the third quarter. That felt really good to type, and it felt even better to watch as the Browns lined up in victory formation, taking a win into a much-needed bye week.
For the first time since John DeFilippo was the coordinator in 2015, the Browns executed a cogent offensive gameplan that did not ask more from their players than they were able to provide. Freddie Kitchens continued the progress he made last week by expanding his take on the Jackson/Haley offense using varied formations and creative play designs that frequently resulted in easily earned yards. Baker Mayfield had his best game as a pro, ending the day with as many touchdown passes as he had incompletions. His QB rating, yards per attempt, and completion percentage all set career highs as he led the Browns to 28 points and a win on their home field. For the first time since coach Flip was on the sidelines, I felt our offensive coordinator gave us a schematic advantage and put our players in positions to succeed. And succeed they did, averaging 8.5 yards per play, a jump in efficiency that was plain to the eye to see. Cleveland’s offense was genuinely enjoyable to watch today. It wasn’t perfect, but it was actually fun to watch.
The Browns held an Atlanta Falcons offense averaging 412 yards and 28.5 points per game to 382 yards and 16 points, strangling the Falcons on third down which ultimately made the difference. Gregg Williams executed an impressive gameplan on defense, using zone blitzes to cause confusion at opportune moments to keep the Falcons in check.
Borrowing from last week, let’s hit the Good, Bad, and Ugly from Sunday’s win.
The Good
The Browns offense was efficient and varied, as Baker completed 17 passes to nine different receivers and Nick Chubb, Duke Johnson and Baker combined for 211 rushing yards, averaging 10.3 per pass and 7.3 per rush. Atlanta’s defense has been porous all season, but this is the first game where the Browns offense capitalized on on a favorable matchup with this kind of efficiency. The offensive line kept Baker out of hot water for most of the game and when pressure did come he was able to escape and make plays with his arm and feet. For the first time in his young career, Baker finished a game with zero(!) sacks and turnovers. The Browns had 7 penalties, but for a paltry 38 yards, which included an objectively awful pass interference call that went against the Browns and led to an Atlanta touchdown. Browns fans were reminded that Anthony Zettel and Chris Smith are, in fact, on the roster – and while I haven’t seen the final snap numbers my guess is that Garrett and Ogunjobi played their least amount of snaps of the season today.
The Bad
This is a game (for once) that is difficult to find the bad in. Greg Robinson struggled at times, the zone defense struggled at the linebacker level, and the return game was anemic though without the consistent penalties we’ve become accustomed to.
The Ugly
The only thing I can think of that may have been ugly today is the mood on the Falcons bus/plane on their way home to Atlanta.
For the Browns and their fans, as Ice Cube would say, “Today was a good day”.