Cleveland Browns: 3 positive takeaways from Week 1 loss
By Greg Newland
Cleveland Browns Takeaway No. 1 – Super Bowl isn’t far fetched
All offseason fans around the league have talked about the Cleveland Browns being Super Bowl contenders. And while that sounded great, I think most still wondered if that was true. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, and Chiefs all playing great football, the Super Bowl is no easy feat.
However, what we saw on Sunday is a very complete team that can certainly beat any team in the league. If they play the way they did yesterday vs. almost any other team in the league, they come away with the W.
The defense played well against the run and put pressure on Mahomes all day. Unfortunately, Mahomes made multiple huge throws once flushed from the pocket. Denzel Ward, Myles Garrett, and John Johnson all played at All-Pro levels. All three of these guys must stay healthy, but if they do this defense could turn into a top-five in the NFL.
The offense responded to adversity so well. Besides the Nick Chubb fumble, they only had one drive where they went three and out. There was a lot of pressure to put up points and they did exactly that. They ran the ball well, and on third and shorts, Mayfield put the ball exactly where he needed to.
The Chubb fumble and Schwartz drop (would have been a tough catch) on third down are the only two plays where the offense struggled. If you play every game with two bad plays, most of the time you will like the outcome.
Next. 3 Overreactions to Week 1 loss vs Chiefs. dark
0-1 is a tough way to start, but this team showed early they are for real contenders to compete for a Super Bowl.