Browns pummel the Bears: Everything we know for Cleveland
It wasn’t perfect but the Cleveland Browns pummeled the Chicago Bears in their Week 3 matchup in First Energy Stadium. There will still be some concerns, we will review in a bit, but the end result was a 20 point victory.
The Bears were forced to start rookie quarterback Justin Fields due to veteran Andy Dalton’s injury. The results were not what Chicago fans would have hoped. Fields ended up 6 for 20 for 68 yards and only one (1!) net passing yard due to all the sacks.
The Cleveland offense wasn’t perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but was methodical in their success with solid run and pass games.
Three games into the 2021 NFL season, the Browns are 2 – 1 with a lot of room left for growth.
What do we know for Cleveland coming out of Week 3’s game?
OBJ is Back
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Odell Beckham Jr. had not seen an NFL game for 11 months before Week 3. While he may have had some rust, Beckham showed that he is ready to contribute right away for Cleveland. While being targetted nine times, Beckham caught five passes for 77 yards. He also had a rush of 10 yards. With Baker Mayfield targetting eight pass catchers throughout the game, Beckham led the way in yardage and had the team's longest reception, 26 yards. Beckham will take a little time to get in top physical condition but his first action showed he is truly back and ready to make an impact.
OL Can Hurt the Offense, Quickly
(AP Photo/Kirk Irwin)
While Beckham looked good in his return from injury, LT Jedrick Wills continues to struggle with his ankle injury. In and out of Week 2 and 3's games, Wills hasn't looked like himself since getting hurt in the opening game of the year. Replaced by Blake Hance, the Cleveland offensive line looked even worse. Missing Chris Hubbard for the second straight week seems to have created a pressure to play Wills. Hubbard is out with a triceps injury but wasn't placed on the injured reserve. Jack Conklin, limited throughout the week, struggled as did Wyatt Teller against the Bears very good defensive line. At times, the line play disrupted timing on runs plays and caused discomfort for Mayfield. Chicago sacked Mayfield five times for 43 yards.
JOK the Real Deal
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Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had some ups and downs in the first two weeks of the NFL season. In Week 3, he showed that he is the real deal. JOK, as he is known, took a bad angle on an early David Montgomery run and then was close to flawless. The Notre Dame product had three tackles, a sack and at least two passes deflected as he was a force in all phases of the game. Starting for Sione Takitaki, the Browns second-round pick should have a starting role for the rest of the season. Owusu-Koramoah continues to be an important part of kick coverage teams as well. The Browns truly may have gotten a steal in with the 52nd pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Hunt Still a Stud
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Kareem Hunt is Cleveland's second-string running back and, often, many forget he used to be a top back in the NFL. His time with the Chiefs seems like so long ago but he led the league in rushing in 2017. In Week 3, Hunt reminded the league that he is still a stud. Hunt ran for 81 yards on only 10 carries with one rushing touchdown. He added six receptions for 74 yards as well. With Nick Chubb getting 22 carries, and leading the team with 84 rushing yards, the Browns were able to rush the ball 39 times (not including the three kneel-downs) for over 200 yards. Hunt was a vital part of that while helping Mayfield in the passing game as well.
Myles' Career Game
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Deciding not to lead the article with the same thing most articles would lead with but Myles Garrett's elite game was going to be noted. Garrett had 4.5 sacks on the day and made Fields' day miserable. Cleveland came in with three sacks in their first two games and Garrett eclipsed that himself. Setting his career mark, the former Texas A&M star was a one-man pass rush and almost got another late in the game but couldn't quite pull Fields down (Jadeveon Clowney got him instead). Facing a bad offensive line, Garrett led the attack and took advantage of the Bears weakness.
Wills Health a Season Long Concern?
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
As noted above, the Browns offensive line had their struggles much of the game. It is impressive that a line that struggled still had over 200 yards rushing and didn't lead to any fumbles or interceptions. Wills' injury has to have its own focus. The Browns have roled their 2020 first-round pick out on the field despite him being very limited the last two weeks. Both games had him going out, replaced by Hance, at times. While Cleveland wants to get off to a good start, risking Wills' ankle injury lingering through the season is a risky proposition. Perhaps the return of Hubbard will allow them to spell Wills for a week or two but, given his poor play and not being able to stay in the whole game, it is obvious he needs to get healthy or it could cause significant long term concerns for the Browns 2021 season.
Greg Newsome II Proving his Worth Gets Hurt
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Already noted the team's second-round pick but their top pick in 2021 has looked very good so far. That continued in Week 3. Newsome was credited with three tackles and a pass deflection in the game. Seemingly, teams are attacking Denzel Ward and Troy Hill more often than they are Newsome. Some of that may be due to those two taking on the opponents' top receivers but teams are not seeking to take advantage of the rookie out of Northwestern. That is a sign of respect and quality play. Sadly, Newsome left the game early (more information here) so we will hold a little concern until he is cleared of a major injury.
Denzel Ward Struggling Early in 2021
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As noted above, Denzel Ward has been targeted often in 2021. His play on the field has been tentative and lacking his usual top-end play. With Week 3's grades not available, Pro Football Focus has Ward graded at a 61.0 overall, good for 53rd best corner in the NFL. Even worse, PFF grades Ward's coverage down at 57.5 in the first two weeks of the season. If Cleveland is going to meet their expectations, they will need their top corner to play like it. While the Bears offense didn't do much in the passing game, Ward slipped a few times and, again, looked tentative and lacking the physicality we are used to seeing from the former Buckeye.
Browns Crowd Really Loud
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A quick side note but First Energy Field was rocking. It is possible that the crowd noise caused one of the sacks that Wills gave up as he seemed to miss the ball being snapped. All in all, Browns fans have listened to what the team's head coach has asked for by being in their seat by kickoff and being loud. Having such little experience cheering on a winning team, home fans need to learn to be quiet during their team's possession but that is just nitpicking at this moment.
Weapons, Weapons Everywhere
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It is hard to minimize how exciting it is to see all the weapons that Stefanski has a chance to use in 2021. While the offensive line needs to get back to their best and Mayfield needs to be crisper, the offense could be close to unstoppable when everyone is healthy. David Njoku, Jarvis Landry, Anthony Schwartz and Harrison Bryant didn't have a reception or touch in Week 3. Landry is injured but the other three were on the field. That isn't a knock on those three players. Donovan Peoples-Jones has two big receptions, Demetric Felton was involved in the pass game once again while Rashard Higgins and Austin Hooper seem to always show up when Mayfield needs them most. Add all of those players on top of Chubb, Hunt and Beckham and you can see why the ceiling is quite high for this offense. Can they put it all together when everyone is healthy? Will players be happy despite not getting the ball a ton? Time will tell.
Return Game is Back
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We end with two special teams notes. First, Felton has brought the return of the return game in Cleveland. The Browns have struggled to find returners since Josh Cribbs and Travis Benjamin. Felton returned seven punts for 103 yards with an average of 14.7 and a long of 24 yards. Felton's elusiveness makes him dangerous but even the short returns are better than constant fair catches that have been seen.
No Kicking Problems
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Chase McLaughlin wasn't expected to make the team coming out of training camp but in Week 3 he's a vital part of their win. McLaughlin hit all four of his field goals and both extra points. Not only did he hit all four of his field goals but his kicks were, mostly, lengthy: 57, 52, 41 and 28 yards. The 57-yarder was a huge kick to even the game at 3 - 3 in the second quarter. On the season, McLaughlin has made 14 of his kicks. Cleveland finally having a consistent kicker can help relieve a bit of stress on game days for fans. Finally having a field goal kicker
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