Week 1 is here, and the Cleveland Browns take on the Carolina Panthers. For the Browns to get the win they’ll need to avoid these three things
On Sunday the Cleveland Browns will battle the Carolina Panthers in their first game of the 2022 season. All the waiting and speculation are over. The game will be played and one team will win and one team will lose.
Sometimes for fans, it’s easy for us to do a little coaching in our comfortable living room or man caves. We won’t be on the sideline Sunday but there are some key aspects of the game that are important that I’m sure the Browns coaching staff is aware of as well.
Let’s tackle a few of those issues that need to be avoided at all costs for the Browns to come out the winner.
3 things Browns need to avoid on Sunday
No. 3: Allowing Baker Mayfield to get off to a good start
Back in 2018, Baker Mayfield entered the Week 3 game against the New York Jets and electrified the Browns fanbase as he started throwing darts with pinpoint accuracy. From that point forward, fans were hooked on Mayfield’s capabilities as a quarterback. But injuries and the ups and downs of his career have now left him with a new team in the Panthers.
His new fans are more than excited to see what he can do in this first game of the season against his former team. Some Browns fans might be a little nervous in thinking about what Mayfield might do on Sunday. If he gets off to that fast start and gets his team in a lead early that can only add to Carolina’s momentum.
Cleveland can also take advantage of that hype that Mayfield brings into a game. Can they get Mayfield to make a few of those typical mistakes when he gets overconfident? Cleveland defenders had a lot of practice time learning his tendencies, so look for a very confident unit on Sunday ready to make some noise, especially in the Panthers backfield.
He hasn’t had much success over his career when his team is losing to mount comebacks. If Cleveland can slow down the train at the beginning of the game, then they will be in good shape for the win.
No.2: Penalties
When Kevin Stefanski landed in Cleveland, the hope was that he would bring more discipline than previous regimes. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case as the Browns still hover in the bottom tier of the teams when it comes to penalties.
In 2021, Cleveland was ranked 27th averaging 6.6 penalties per game. In 2019 when Freddie Kitchens was in charge, they finished 29th, with 7.6 penalties a game. When you start looking at rankings in these categories like penalties, you quickly notice that the teams that make it all the way to the Super Bowl — such as the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals — averaged far fewer penalties per game.
Good teams don’t make that many mistakes and although Stefanski and his coaching staff come across as students of the game, it’s not reaching their players.
Cleveland’s coaching staff needs to find a better way to keep the players focused and disciplined. Being one of the bottom dwellers in penalties isn’t just an embarrassment but it’s what separates a team with talent — such as the Browns — from the contenders.
As for this Sunday, they need to find some discipline and keep the penalties at a bare minimum, if so, they will have the advantage.
No. 1: Relying on Brissett to win the game
Jacoby Brissett wasn’t brought to Cleveland to win a Super Bowl. He’s a game manager who was brought in to substitute for Deshaun Watson, who is currently sitting out on his suspension for the next 11 games. The journeyman quarterback has plenty of starts for three different teams and has been decent at each stop.
No, he doesn’t have a stellar starting record with a current 14-23 mark, but he brings knowledge and experience that will be valuable for the Browns as they move forward.
Cleveland has an impressive defense which will probably be better than last year. They also have an offense that can boast the best running back duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt — and they added a new wide receiver in Amari Cooper. In addition, they have a strong offensive line, including players Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio, and Jack Conklin.
Brissett doesn’t have to do a whole lot, especially in this first matchup of the season against the Panthers. If the Browns lose the game Sunday and we look back at the box score and Brissett has thrown the ball 40 times that’s not a winning formula.
Cleveland doesn’t have to be that creative to beat Carolina, but they do need to control the ball, not turn the ball over, and move the sticks. Handing the ball off to two reliable running backs in Chubb and Hunt and involving other players like Cooper and tight end David Njoku are enough to get this team a win.