Cleveland Browns: 3 defensive takeaways from Week 3 loss

The Cleveland Browns’ young defense showed growing pains in Sunday’s 31-28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Andrew Luck didn’t play on Sunday but the Cleveland Browns defense acted as if he did.

Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett was a matchup nightmare against the defense, using his feet to extend plays throughout the game. Cleveland did a good job applying pressure but struggled to get their hands on Brissett while in the pocket.

This seems to be an ongoing defensive problem in the first three games of the season but something Browns fans can be hopeful for is the potential that Myles Garrett can solve it.

The defensive backs have been surprisingly impressive thus far, though, all good things come to an end. T.Y. Hilton burned Jamar Taylor and carved up the Browns secondary after the catch.

His 61-yard touchdown was his biggest play of the day as he accumulated 153 receiving yards. Rookie Jabrill Peppers also had a poor game and, well, looked like a rookie. His coverage skills remain a concern and his bad angle on Hilton’s big play debatably cost the Browns a touchdown.

There was also good play for the defense in their loss to the Colts. The run defense played well limiting the Colts to just 92 rushing yards on 36 carries. Veteran Frank Gore busted free for a large gain but aside from that, Cleveland remained strong. Danny Shelton graded well in PFF’s ratings scoring an 84.1 and had five run stops in his 19 snaps.