3 huge Browns takeaways from Week 1 victory over the Panthers

Nothing is more valuable in the NFL than wins and the Browns went out and found a way to win. Here are three huge takeaways from the Week 1 victory. 

For the first time since the 2004 season, there will be a Week 1 victory Monday celebration for the Cleveland Browns and the fans. The game was seemingly well in hand until it wasn’t, but the team did not give up and found a way to leave Charlotte with a win.

All three phases helped lead the Browns to the 26-24 victory. Not only did Cleveland end an 18-year opening week skid, but they also won a season opener on the road for the first time since 1994.

Here are the three huge takeaways from the Week 1 victory over the Panthers.

3 huge takeaways from Browns Week 1 victory over the Panthers

3. The Wide Receivers Were Open All Day

Over the past couple of seasons, the Browns have had issues with the wide receivers being able to get open and create separation. On Sunday afternoon, that was far from the case as the receivers were getting open at will.

Donovan Peoples-Jones led the way with six catches for 60 yards. He made a handful of tough, diving catches to help keep the offense rolling. Year three will need to be a big one for DPJ as he’s the No. 2 wideout in Cleveland.

Amari Cooper, who the Browns stole from the Cowboys (Thanks, Jerry!) in the offseason, was making Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn look silly a lot of the game. He finished with just 17 yards on three catches, but he was open a lot.

Even Anthony Schwartz was schemed open and made a huge third-down catch to extend a drive. That was a big-time moment for him that hopefully he can build off of and get his confidence back.

There were some good passes thrown from Jacoby Brissett that were dropped and there were also just bad throws, one of which would’ve been a Cooper touchdown. One thing is for certain, you cannot watch that game and come away with the take that the offense stalled at times due to head coach Kevin Stefanski. He schemed guys open all day long, which will be even better the more comfortable Brissett is until Deshaun Watson makes his season debut in Week 13.

2. Kareem Hunt being healthy is a huge boost for the offense

The Browns sorely missed Kareem Hunt last season in the nine games he was sidelined due to injuries. In Week 1, Hunt looked very healthy and was responsible for both of the touchdowns scored by Cleveland.

Hunt rushed the ball 11 times for 46 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown dash. This came nearly six game-time minutes after he caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Brissett after lining up at the fullback position. He finished with four catches for 24 yards and the score.

A game like Hunt had on Sunday is the exact reason that they didn’t acquiesce to his trade request from early August. They know how valuable he is to this club and that he is the perfect, complimentary player to Nick Chubb. If it were up to me, I would look to give Hunt an extension this season. Yes, I know that paying two running backs isn’t wise in today’s NFL, but when you have the best duo in the league, you keep them together for as long as possible.

Speaking of Chubb, he had a dominant game. He rushed for 141 yards on 22 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He hit the 100-yard plateau for the 23rd time in his career. In those games, the Browns are 17-6. It’s safe to say that the Brown should utilize Chubb and Hunt to their advantage until Watson arrives.

Not for nothing, the offensive line was fantastic all day long. They opened up holes for Chubb and Hunt to rush through and protected Brissett pretty well, allowing just one sack. This was with starting right tackle Jack Conklin and his backup Chris Hubbard. James Hudson III was great in their absence.

1. The defense looked elite at times

Outside of some busted coverages, the Browns defense looked elite on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, Carolina. They did allow 24 points, but again, broken coverages will do that to a team every now and again.

Myles Garrett had back-to-back sacks in the third quarter, the second being a strip-sack recovered by the Panthers, as he creeps closer to Cleveland history. He’s now just two sacks away from passing (should be Hall of Famer) Clay Mathews for the all-time sack record in Cleveland.

He could get that as soon as next Sunday against the Jets as he will face a rookie offensive lineman for the second week in a row. He also compiled six pressures, which three per game is a good pace to have for Defensive Player of the Year honors.

The Browns sacked their former quarterback Baker Mayfield four different times. John Johnson III, Ronnie Harrison, Tommy Togiai, and Jadeveon Clowney all had 0.5 sacks. Clowney also had two pass deflections at the line of scrimmage.

The defense forced just one turnover as Grant Delpit picked off Mayfield, but that led to the first Hunt touchdown of the game. They also forced the Panthers to punt five times in the game, including two three-and-outs.

After Carolina got the game within six points with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, the Browns answered with a field goal to put the deficit back to nine for Carolina. That was shortlived as the first play on the Panthers ensuing drive resulted in a 75-yard hookup from Mayfield to Robbie Anderson to get the score within two.

Cleveland’s defense stepped up on the go-ahead field goal drive by the Panthers, as they didn’t let them get in the endzone. They left the field down two with 1:13 on the clock, giving Brissett and the offense just enough time to go down and get in field goal range and win the game.

The defense will need to continue its good play, outside of the busted coverage plays, to keep the Browns close in games. We now know that Cleveland finally has a kicker and that will be huge in these close games, especially within the division.