Cleveland Browns: 3 takeaways from Week 8 loss to Las Vegas Raiders
By Sam Penix
The defense needs work…plenty of it
16 points and 309 total yards seems pretty good. Derek Carr passed for just 101 yards on 24 attempts. The Browns also came into the game having allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the league. However, this was the first game that the run defense was actually tested outside of garbage time, and they failed miserably. Las Vegas ran for 208 yards on 45 carries, despite coming into the game as one of the poorer rushing teams in the NFL.
The Raiders were without starting guard Richie Incognito and starting right tackle Trent Brown, and backup RT Sam Young left the game, replaced by third-stringer Brandon Parker. And still, the Browns defensive line was completely dominated. Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi were both consistently washed out of their gaps, and the linebackers were again making tackles seven-plus yards downfield.
Joe Woods doesn’t have a ton of talent to work with, but this is still the worst Browns defense in recent memory, and they have the best pass-rusher in the league. There is no reason to fire Woods eight games into his tenure with the team, but the early results are not impressive. The secondary and linebackers consistently leak into each other’s coverage zones, and busted coverages are commonplace.
It’s unlikely that general manager Andrew Berry will do much, if anything, at the trade deadline, so Woods will just have to make do with what he has. He’s not been put in a great spot, but the fact remains that the defense is terrible and needs to be much better.