Cleveland Browns: Instant Reactions after heartbreaking Week 2
Cleveland’s Defense Is Legit
Let’s start with the biggest positive of the day for Cleveland, the defensive side of the ball. At times, it looked like the Browns were just having their way with Drew Brees and the Saints offense. Brees had an alright showing in the game, but compared to his normal self, the veteran quarterback was nothing special.
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For perspective, Drew Brees has over 71,000 yards in his passing career. Sure, he’s been in the game for a while, but his numbers are absolutely prolific. Normally, so is his offense. Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and a few other pieces made up one of the NFL’s high-octane units in 2017. Against the Browns, though, the Dawg Pound defense seemed to nerf New Orleans’ firepower.
The Browns forced two turnovers in this game, bringing their total up to eight on the year. Again, for perspective, the Browns forced only 13 total turnovers in 16 games last year. At the very beginning of the game, the Browns were able to pull the ball away from receiver Michael Thomas.
Later in the first half alone, Terrence Mitchell and Damarious Randall forced another fumble, before Randall was taken out on injury for a few plays. The Browns defense proved themselves today as legitimate.