Well, I hate to take a stab at the score for this game after the Week 1 debacle. I am going to base my projections (yes plural) on the Browns turnovers. Browns win 24-20 if they turn the ball over no more than 2 times. Browns lose 31-17 if they turn the ball over more than twice.
Keep in mind that the Browns got boat raced by the Titans in Week 1 (43-13) and then rebounded with a 23-3 win over the Jets to start of 2019. Both the Ravens and the Titans were/are legit Super Bowl contenders while the Jets and the Bengals were/are bottom 5 teams. No doubt in my mind that Cleveland can bounce back -- and even do so convincingly -- but the questions will still remain. Rallying back against a very bad Bengals squad doesn't mean we can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Even if Mayfield and Beckham manage to go out and torch them, I'm not feeling great about the current state of our QB's psyche or the relationship with Odell. Baker's mechanics and decision-making are broken right now. And Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt haven't had enough time-on-task with him to fix it yet. It's likely going to take some time, so what we need to see in real progress there game-to-game and a *heavy reliance* (stop me if you've heard this since 2009) on the running game. In no way is it hyperbole to say we have two of the top five running backs in the league and with a souped-up offensive line, there's no excuse for not running 40+ times a game while taking the right shots for Mayfield. There's no shame in that game and it's *literally* what Stefanski did in Minnesota with the highly-paid Kirk Cousins. Equal parts hands-on correction for Mayfield and confidence building will do wonders and there's no doubt he can get back to that incredible talent we saw as a rookie.
Running the dam ball would be a better idea than having Mayfield chuck it. You have two of the top five RBs on your roster, use them.
I hear you, @SAS . But . . . Our "souped up" O-Line is currently pretty battered. Wills, Tretter and Conklin are all nursing injuries and listed as "Questionable". The plus side is the Bengals have three RDT's (including Geno Atkins) that are not going to play tonight.
Gotta ask yourself two questions 1) how bad is this Bengals team? 2) how good are the Ravens? this is a different Browns team from Sunday
Okay then, it was a good victory last night. The defense is still rather shaky after this second game. Giving up 30 or more points a game isn't going to get this team to the playoffs. As for the offense, I'm a bit confused. Last night was a solid performance. But which Baker and Company is it? I get the Ravens are pretty much a top notch team and the Bengals towards the bottom. Top 5 vs. Bottom 5. It just makes me wonder which offense shows up the next time and will it just depend on the caliber of opponent (because that type of question doesn't make this a winning team). If you throw in a lack of preseason games and shortened training schedule, I think it leaves a lot of questions about when and if both sides of the ball will put it all together. Yes, we have yet another new HC and a new schemes on both sides of the ball to deal with as well. Washington next week should be another Bengals-caliber game performance with a long week to rest and practice.......so I don't think the Browns should get much of a test until they play the Cowboys in two weeks.
That was a lot better! I think we saw the O that Stefanski wants to run. That said, the D made a few plays (thank God) because they rarely "shut down" Burrows. The O line did a great job, but with Cinci missing some people, I can't trust it yet. Run run run! Let Odel and Baker take a back seat while they work on timing, connection. I hate to say it but up 12 with a minute to go, I was uncomfortable. I think it's the years of "oh shit" that makes me that way. Give me a few years of "oh yeah" and I'll be better.
My thoughts about the game last night: As we all suspected, the Achilles Heel of this year's Browns is the play of the LB's and Safety's. Denzel Ward had a good game . . . T.J. Mitchell, not so much. Didn't miss our $15M defensive end. Granted, the Bengals' O-Line is currently in shambles, but still. Chubb & Hunt looked good. But . . . Cincy played the entire game in a 4-3 defense and only had 3 DT's at their disposal. None of which are named Geno Atkins. They were gassed in the 4th quarter and it showed. Very little pass rush from the Bengals. Kudos to the O-Linemen who played. No Conklin, no Hubbard (?). Joe Burrows is the real deal. All in all, an entertaining game to watch.
On the flip side Takitaki seemed to be out of position, and unable to tackle. Am I focusing on the bad here. Anyone?
The questions to ask are: Would Delpit, Mack and/or Greedy Williams made a difference? Would Geno Atkins have made a difference?
Atkins definitely would have made a difference. I believe that the 3 you listed for the Browns would have made a difference but that Burrows still would have had about the same game. He really is a good QB. The Bengals had zero pressure on Baker so I’m sure Atkins would have improved that.
Love how my ex Vikings go elsewhere and have a career night... Sendejo, 10 tackles, 7 solo, good stuff.
correct me if I’m wrong, I’d have to do a little research, but most of not all of those were down field tackles. Tackles are good, it means they didn’t score on the play, but constantly allowing the receiver in front of you to catch the ball isn’t necessarily a great thing either. After two games, I believe we are missing Delpit and Greedy more than anything on this team. Though, that’s based on potential, so it might be false hope as well.
I agree. You have big losses in Delpit and Williams, but one thing you have is pretty decent depth. The oldest Viking DB is 24, I think... bunch of kids, lol, with no one but more kids on the bench. Anyway... time to get the defense in order for both of our clubs.
