Anyone near the lakefront who has spent the last six Sundays sweating out one-score finishes knows the Cleveland Browns are living on the edge. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon went further this week, picking the Cincinnati Bengals to win the AFC North and writing that the Browns lack “the talent or experience to sustain what they’ve done.”
His skepticism is easy to follow. Under first-year head coach Todd Monken, Cleveland is 4-2 and tied with Pittsburgh and Baltimore atop the division, but all four wins came by four points or fewer, and the Browns have been outscored 122-106. A 34-10 opening loss in Jacksonville did much of that damage.
Where Cleveland’s 4-2 start could crack
The offense is the biggest problem. Cleveland ranks 28th in scoring at 17.7 points per game and has converted 30.8% of its third downs. Deshaun Watson has thrown seven touchdown passes against two interceptions, but his 53.0 PFF overall grade ranks 29th of 35 quarterbacks, and PFF has charged him with 11 turnover-worthy plays. He has also been sacked 24 times, the most in the NFL.
Monken didn’t pretend otherwise Monday.
“I would just say you’re expecting it to go a lot smoother than it’s gone. I would just say that. But I’m not frustrated,” Monken said, per The Associated Press.
The defense is the part that looks sustainable. Cleveland ranks seventh in points allowed and has 19 sacks spread across 11 players. Maliek Collins carries a 71.0 PFF pass-rush grade with 18 pressures. Carson Schwesinger made 13 tackles and forced the Derrick Henry fumble that flipped the Ravens game in Week 6. Jared Verse, acquired in the Myles Garrett trade, is still searching for his first sack in Cleveland despite 12 pressures, per PFF, and sack leader Mason Graham (four) has missed two games with knee and ankle injuries.
Robert Saleh’s 1-5 Titans offer a chance to bank another win, though Jeffery Simmons will test the Browns’ leaky line in Nashville. Gagnon’s argument rests on close games eventually breaking the other way. With a big quarterback decision still looming and an offense this thin, Cleveland has little cushion if those games turn.
More on the Cleveland Browns
- Cleveland Browns Face a Credibility Test in Tennessee
- Here’s What Should Scare the Cleveland Browns About the Tennessee Titans in Week 7
- Todd Monken Sends Strong Deshaun Watson Message After Shedeur Sanders Move
- Unexpected Shedeur Sanders Update Emerges After Deshaun Watson’s Party
