Josh and Joe (along with special guest Brandon Natale) discuss the Browns’ 26-6 win over the Bears
September 27, 202110 Musings from the Browns’ victory over the Bears
September 29, 2021In the first two games of the season, the Cleveland Browns offense carried the way while the defense struggled. During Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears, the offense took care of business and the defense absolutely dominated, making it even easier for the Browns to advance to 2-1 on the season.
Baker and the boys did what they had to do with the ball in their hands, but it was the defense that deserved all of the praise after making it look easy against the Bears, both with their pass defense and run defense. It was by far their best game of the season on that side of the ball and it wasn’t even close, such a dominant performance that it will likely be hard to replicate. While it was a low-scoring game for the most part, the defense made it quite fun, especially as a fan that was in attendance on Sunday.
Let’s dig into some of the numbers following the Browns’ 26-6 win over the Bears:
4.5 – Myles Garrett is good. We already knew that. It’s the reason the Browns gave him a five-year, $125 million extension that will keep him in Cleveland until at least 2026. On Sunday against the Bears, the freak of nature proved yet again that he was well worth the money. Whether it was giving Justin Fields no time in the backfield, dominating the opposing offensive line, or getting a sack, Garrett was unbelievable Sunday afternoon, so much so that there was even a “Myles Garrett!” chant throughout FirstEnergy Stadium when the Browns had the ball in the second half. With his 4.5 sacks, Garrett set the franchise’s single-game sack record, which was previously owned by Andra Davis (2003).
“Myles is a great player. He is a team leader. We are going to need him to be great. He was great today,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said of Garrett’s 4.5-sack performance.
9 – Led by No. 95, the defensive line made things extremely tough for Fields, who was making his NFL debut as a starter. Cleveland had nine sacks total, but even when they were getting the rookie down behind the line of scrimmage, they were making things extremely tough. Jadeveon Clowney (two sacks) had his best game as a Brown, granted it was only his third game.
Fields became the first quarterback in nearly two decades to throw at least 20 pass attempts in a single game and get sacked more times (9) than he had completions (6).1
47 – Thanks to those nine sacks and an absolutely dominant performance by the defense as a whole, the Browns were able to bottle up Chicago’s offense, allowing them to get just 47 total yards, including just one (1!) net passing yard.
“Our defense, six points allowed, the nine sacks and 1-of-11 on third down, which was a huge emphasis for us,” Stefanski said. “Some unbelievable individual efforts, but I thought the guys played sound, played together, ran to the ball, and obviously did a nice job to hold that team to six points and 47 yards.”
Those 47 total yards are the fewest for a Cleveland opponent in franchise history. What a game by the defense.
1-of-11 – In the first two games of the season, the Browns defense struggled. Third-down conversions were a big part of that. Third downs also played a huge part in Cleveland’s defense dominating against the Bears as well. Chicago converted just 1-of-11 third-down conversions on Sunday, which is about as perfect as you can get when it comes to an NFL defense.
“As we talked about, third down was a huge emphasis for us this week,” Stefanski said following the game. “It will be next week and the week after that. It is just the nature of the game. It is the money down. I thought the guys did a nice job of getting off [of the field] today.”
It’s worth noting that four of Garrett’s 4.5 sacks on the day occurred on third down.
4, 0.5, and 1 – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s numbers might not stick out all that much, but if you watched the game, the rookie sure did. No. 28 was all over the field. Whether it was in the backfield, in pass coverage, or just making certain reads look easy, there’s a reason JOK has such a high ceiling.
“I felt like I played good on my snaps,” Owusu-Koramoah said. “It’s always good to get more of a feel for the game. As it slows down and as I prepare more, it will get better hopefully.”
0 – When Cleveland’s defense is as dominant as it was in Sunday’s win, if the offense doesn’t turn the ball over, that’s even better and makes things even easier for the defense. Obviously, turnovers are always a bad thing, but in a low-scoring game like this week, reducing mistakes and penalties is even more important.
215 – The win over the Bears was just another example of how lucky the Browns are to have the best one-two punch at running back. Nick Chubb (22 carries, 84 yards) and Kareem Hunt (10 carries, 81 yards, one touchdown; six catches, 74 yards) are legitimately the perfect combo. They bring two different types of playing styles to the game and Stefanski knows exactly how to utilize each of them.
“Great game. Me and (RB) Nick (Chubb), we celebrate it together,” Hunt said of the duo’s performance. “I root for him all of the time, and I want to see him succeed. Same goes my way.”
5 for 77 – Man, was it nice to see Odell Beckham Jr. back in action. Without Jarvis Landry, OBJ’s return was certainly needed and, although he didn’t have any big-time plays, No. 13 still had a team-high 77 receiving yards on five receptions (team-high nine targets).
Whether it was lining up in the slot, which he did quite a bit, or just out wide, Beckham was all over the field for the offense on Sunday.
“Just the scheme that we had. We had a couple of throws, but there are definitely things that I can work on,” OBJ said of his first game of the season. “Like I said, for the first game back, I just felt like I could never get my legs underneath me. It was definitely a tough game, but I got my feet wet. Glad to get that one out of the way. 1-0 and move onto next week.”
Just wait until the receivers group is fully healthy, folks.
4-for-4 – Did the Browns *finally* find their kicker? It sure looks like it. Chase McLaughlin was not only 4-for-4 on Sunday, but he made both a 57- and a 52-yard field goal. The 57-yarder was the longest in Browns Stadium history. Please continue with that efficiency. He is currently a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals and 9-for-9 on extra points through three games this season.
“Absolutely. Having (Head Coach Kevin) Stefanski have the trust in me to put me out there and just give me the opportunity, I am super thankful for it,” the kicker said of his performance. “I am glad I could make it for the team.”
103 – Demetric Felton proved yet again that he was a steal as a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Whether it’s his ability to be a hybrid RB-WR or as a returner on special teams, it’s very clear through three games that the rookie will be a playmaker no matter where he is on the field.
Against the Bears, it was most noticeable as a punt returner, where Felton had 103 punt return yards on seven opportuntities. For comparison’s sake, the Browns had 115 total punt return yards throughout the entire 2020 season.
78 to 42 – With the defense absolutely dominating and the offense taking care of business and not turning the ball over, the Browns had78 plays on offense while Chicago had just 42. Whether it’s just keeping the ball and time of possession (39:34 to 20:26) or just keeping the opposing defense on the field, as the game went on, it makes things much easier for Baker and the boys when the number of plays is as lopsided as they were on Sunday.
1-for-4 – If you are looking for a negative part of the Browns on Sunday, it’s certainly their effectiveness as an offense in the red zone. They were just 1-for-4 inside the 20-yard line, a number that certainly has to improve and become much more efficient as the season goes on.
7 for 98 – Another thing the Browns must improve on: Penalties. While they only had seven in the game, penalties on special teams will likely be something that Stefanski and company focus on going forward.
- The last time that happened was to David Carr in 2003. [↩]