Instant Insights: Browns beat Dolphins, 41-24, to improve to 5-6

The third quarter was quite ugly at times, but the Cleveland Browns took care of a bad Miami Dolphins team, 41-24, to improve to 5-6. Now, a matchup against the Steelers in Pittsburgh awaits next Sunday.

PREGAME POSTURINGS

Gilbert: Well, we are finally back to football and not talking about a fight or suspensions. This game needs to be about the offense. The Browns offense must carry this team with all the defenders missing on defense. There is no excuse for the Browns offense to not dominate this depleted Dolphins D. I think the Browns win this game.

Poloha: Browns defense has their hands full given the injuries, but the Dolphins are without plenty of guys as well. Have a feeling that Baker and company will score 30-plus points today and even with an injury-riddled defense, there’s no way the Browns give up more than four touchdowns.

Gerbs: It feels like a major win is necessary here against Miami, which feels weird but with last week’s catastrophe at the end of the game, getting back into “good Browns” mode is imperative.

FIRST HALF

Gerbs: What a drive already. A great dump off to Nick Chubbs got the majority of yardage and then a really nice stick to Jarvis Landry on the sideline. Get a touchdown here in the red zone and set the tone.

Gerbs: Good red zone offense again! Running plays to the front of the goal line is so much better than fades or routes against the back of the end zone.

Poloha: There we go. Solid first drive that resulted in a touchdown. We’ve all seen this before though, it’s important that the offense doesn’t stall after this opening drive of the game.

Gilbert: Solid start for the Browns. Good mix of run and pass plays. And, I cannot go without saying that the Browns actually had success out of the empty backfield set!!!

Gerbs: Sione Takitaki!! He lives!! Great defensive stand by the Browns with Sheldon Richardson stepping up and Takitaki helping Chad Thomas get the sack.

Gerbs: This has the feel of a huge Chubb game.

Gilbert: A bad snap and penalties derail what was a promising second drive by the offense.

Gerbs: There’s your big-play potential! An OBJ seam route right down the middle of the field gets the Browns six. A great throw 35 yards downfield.

Poloha: Not covering OBJ is one heckuva strategy to use, Dolphins. I’ll take it.

Gilbert: Downfield is wide open today. We should see a lot more of these deep shots to OBJ and co.

Poloha: An absolutely dominant first quarter by the Browns. They not only have a 14-0 lead but are also outgaining the Dolphins, 169-7.

Gerbs: The Browns are enforcing their will on this game and have the ability to do whatever they want on both sides of the ball.

Gilbert: ‪The Dolphins may have given up with that fake punt‬.

Gerbs: A defensive pass interference on Miami kept Cleveland from getting another touchdown to Juice Landry. And then the next play, they go back to him from the five. He’s been a beast in the red zone for the last three weeks.

Gilbert: I love this Landry revenge game.

Gerbs: PICK! JoeScho again! Great job at defending the pass and tipping it up. Then another Joe Schobert interception.

Gilbert: Lol at these Dolphins.

Gerbs: Trickeration almost cost the Browns the ball just before the two-minute warning. Up 21-0 with Miami looking feeble on offense, it makes sense to open the playbook a bit, but let’s not give them hope.

Gerbs: This is the only instance of DPI being overturned by a challenge.

Poloha: This is fun. The Dolphins are really, really, really, really, really bad.

Gilbert: The offense is rolling and I love it.

HALFTIME HINDSIGHTS

Gilbert: This is exactly what the Browns needed to do, dominate the Miami Dolphins. The Browns offense is imposing their will on the Dolphins, doing whatever they want. And the Browns defense has been exceptional without some of their biggest stars on the field. This is what good teams do to bad teams.

Gerbs: A legal beat down was needed after last week, as I said above. A nice big game for Baker, almost 200 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone, two big touchdowns in a revenge game for Jarvis Landry, exactly what you need.

Poloha: The Browns look really good and it’s nice to see them dominate a bad Dolphins team. Hopefully, they keep this performance going in the second half.

SECOND HALF

Gerbs: As good as Baker has been today, that interception is on him. Threw it too far behind his receiver when he should have been leading him.

Gilbert: ‪First bad throw of the game for Baker‬. Threw it behind OBJ and it gets picked off.

Poloha: That interception is on both Baker and OBJ. The throw was behind the WR, but Odell could have still caught it as well.

Gerbs: Browns gonna Browns. Give up a turnover and they basically let Miami throw the ball all over the defense. Surprising that they weren’t run over, but for sure they let them do what they wanted. That‘s 10 unanswered points by Miami.

Gilbert: ‪The Browns pass rush was nonexistent on that series, leading to the Dolphins first TD‬.

Gerbs: This game should just be the Chubb and Hunt show going forward, but good on Baker for reminding everyone of his abilities with these big throws to Beckham and Landry. But as we see, the offense started predicating on the pass and it became an issue on this drive. What could have/should have been an easy touchdown drive ends with a missed field goal.

Gilbert: The Browns are still moving the ball this half just not finishing drives.

Gerbs: What a crap penalty on Mack Wilson. He hit helmet first but that can’t be how the rule-makers had in mind when they wrote that penalty.

Gilbert: Mack Wilson made a sound tackle and got penalized for it.

Gerbs: Nothing like letting a team tanking their season get back in the game you were blowing out. Fitzpatrick is not a fast runner, but you have to be able to cover the middle of the field against any opponent. Make that 17 unanswered points.

Poloha: Browns clearly thought the game was over when they took a 28-0 lead with a minute to go in the first half. Don’t look now, but the Dolphins have scored 17 unanswered points and the score is 28-17 heading into the fourth quarter.

Gilbert: ‪Ugh. The defense has lost Fitzpatrick way too often‬ today. The Browns offense must get a TD on this series.

Universe: Hey, here's an easy win.#Browns: Nah.
Universe: No seriously, take it.
Browns: I said no.
Universe: But…
Browns: NO.

— BrownsDailyMockDraft (@BrownsMockDraft) November 24, 2019

Gerbs: Oh hey, Nick Chubb is still on offense.

Gilbert: I’ll take that FG. It was going to get ugly in the stadium if he had missed it.

Gerbs: Juice! Having the game of his life against the team that shipped him away.

GIlbert: Jarvis has been fun to watch. Dominating his old team.

Gilbert: ‪Joe Schobert has been amazing in the past two weeks. Please extend him.‬

Poloha: Joe Schobert, again! Back-to-back games with two interceptions. Solid.

Gerbs: NICK CHUBB LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

Gilbert: Chubb is the man.

Poloha: Nick Chubb is so damn good.

POSTGAME PONDERINGS

Gilbert: Well, the third quarter was a mess, but the Browns took care of business. The Browns controlled the game and it was really never in doubt. Now bring on the Steelers!

Poloha: The third quarter was less than ideal and the Browns can’t allow that kind of ugly quarter to happen against a good team, but it was nice to see the playmakers step up for much of the game. At 5-6, Cleveland is right back in the playoff hunt. Next Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh is huge, both because of what happened a week and a half ago in Cleveland, the rivalry, and just the fact that both teams are hoping to make the postseason.

Gerbs: This is more like it. Copying the Buckeyes is not a bad idea: having a bad third quarter and allowing the lesser team back into the game is hardly good for fans but when you can dominate in every other quarter, you’ll take it. Jarvis Landry has the revenge game of all times and Baker looked so much more like last year’s Baker. The defense was everything you would want, especially with so many missing parts due to suspension or injury.