Cleveland Browns: 3 defensive takeaways from the Week 6 loss

Another week goes by and the Cleveland Browns add another loss to the record book. The defensive side of the football once again looked miles ahead of the offense but still struggled with consistency.

The Cleveland Browns defense entered Sunday’s contest with hopes of proving themselves against rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson. However, Watson went 17/29 for 225 yards and three touchdowns. The defense looked competent, yet several plays left fans scratching their heads.

Myles Garrett continues to live up to the hype surrounding him as he tallied his third sack of the season along with two tackles and three assisted. Garrett, despite only playing in two games, now leads the Browns in sacks.

Veteran Jason McCourty also continues to impress as he came up with Watson’s lone interception and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown. That now marks three picks and two forced fumbles on the season for the veteran.

Linebacker Joe Schobert set a career high with 12 tackles in Sunday’s loss against the Texans. Schobert, who was a fourth-round pick in 2016, wasn’t expected to play this well but now leads the Browns on the season with 42 tackles.

Watson was a perennial star in college with Clemson, leading them to two consecutive National Championship games. Many questioned his potential as an NFL quarterback, though. Of course, during Sunday’s game fans learned Browns head coach Hue Jackson was not among those doubting Watson’s talents.

In fact, Jackson allegedly sent Watson a text the morning of the 2017 NFL Draft reading, “Be ready.” when the Browns were on the clock with the No. 12 overall pick back in April the team elected to trade the pick to the Houston Texans. Houston would proceed by selecting Watson and the Browns continued to stockpile draft picks.

The disconnect is real. Finding the positives is difficult for this team, but here are three reasons to keep hope alive for the defense.