Cleveland Browns: Keys to a Week 2 victory in Baltimore
It doesn’t matter the tight end, Cleveland has had a very hard time with their current secondary holding these big targets in check, especially in the red zone. Just last week was another example, as the Browns gave up two touchdowns to tight end Jesse James, the only points the defense surrendered. While James had just six receptions on the afternoon, two were touchdowns, including one on a third-and-goal play which proved to be the difference in the game.
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Baltimore comes in with veteran tight end Benjamin Watson and third-year player Maxx Williams. Both of these can be capable red zone targets which Cleveland’s defense must pay attention to at all times over the middle of the field.
Gregg Williams’ defense can be very aggressive, which is refreshing, but when too many are sent to rush the passer and the tight end releases, it doesn’t matter how soon the pass rush can collapse the pocket. While the Browns may have tight coverage on the outside against the receivers thanks to the speed and agility of their cornerbacks, they don’t have the size to isolate their cornerbacks or safeties on tight ends releasing from the line of scrimmage.
There isn’t really a clear-cut solution to this, as the perfect defense comes with a balance. What Cleveland can do though is pay careful attention to the tight ends in the game on every play and adjust accordingly. They can’t overreact and leave other receivers wide open, but they need to realize that failing to adjust is setting up a major mismatch which the Ravens know about and will try to exploit.
Whether the Browns back off from sending the house on some plays in order to guard the tight end position, or they find a way to jam them at the line, they must make sure that size mismatches don’t lead to costly mistakes in the red zone.