Party Like It’s 1946
Image credit to https://www.windycitygridiron.com, full link at the bottom of the article
All I can say is, what an early afternoon it was for the Cleveland Browns. Going into it, I was personally expecting a defensive battle due to Chicago’s stout run defense. I felt this would knock us out of our scheme a bit and that would make us struggle. Luckily, Kareem Hunt stepped up to the plate and had 155 total yards from scrimmage and played, in my mind, one of his best games in a Browns uniform. I also thought that Baker played really well, He took what the defense gave to him, and outside of one or two throws never really tried to force it which shows growth and maturity. He also worked in Odell Beckham Jr really well coming back from his injury. It didn’t feel like we were trying too hard to get him the ball, which is a terrific sign because it did feel like he was being forced the ball before his injury. The offense looked like a well-oiled machine, but now I want to discuss the surprise of the game, the defense.
image courtesy of cleveland.com, full link will be down below
The Cleveland Browns gave up a total of 47 net yards. 47. Justin Tucker had 19 more yards on his game winning kick against the Lions than the Bears gained all game. Going in, I felt this was going to be a relatively easy assignment for the defense given it was going to be Justin Fields’ first professional start and it was going to be in the Dawg Pound. However, I don’t think any of us expected 9 sacks and 1 net passing yard. I know that Matt Nagy didn’t do much to utilize Justin’s skillset, and that more than once Miles Garrett had one on one blocking from Jason Peters which is just asking for a QB pressure, but ultimately I felt like our defense is starting to mesh. I feel like we don’t have a liability at any level which should make it somewhat difficult to scheme against. This upcoming week, we have to face the much more formidable offense of the Minnesota Vikings, and I feel like we will get another chance, similar to the Kansas City game, where we can get to see the real capability of the defense as a whole.
Image courtesy of touchdownwire.com, full link will be at the bottom of the article
Image Links:
https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2021/9/29/22699511/chicago-bears-sackwatch-2021-week-3-vs-cleveland-browns-myles-garrett-justin-fields-wtf-matt-nagy
https://www.cleveland.com/galleries/DAPZIOQOIRDKHEEWE7JLXP4CTM/
https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2021/09/26/myles-garrett-set-cleveland-browns-single-game-sack-record-against-chicago-bears/