There was a lot of concern for the Cleveland Browns' defense after the Jacksonville Jaguars had their way with the unit in Week 1, but the defense bounced back in Week 2. Cleveland had a much better game, holding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to just 19 points, and the defense is a big reason why the Browns were able to move to 1-1.
While the Browns offense was figuring itself out early in the Week 2 game, Cleveland’s defense held the Buccaneers to just three field goals in the first half, keeping the game in reach. Once the Browns offense was able to start scoring touchdowns and take the lead, the defense did its part, securing the victory with a late-game stand.
Now, entering Week 3, there’s hope that Cleveland’s defense is back, and that the team will be able to rely on the unit moving forward. The jury is still out on that. While it was great to see the Browns’ defensive improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, Cleveland still had some clear issues — it just wasn’t facing an opponent who could take advantage of them.
The biggest issue that was on display in Week 2 was the defense’s inability to defend the deep ball. While Tampa Bay couldn’t routinely capitalize, Cleveland needs to get that cleaned up before Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers come to town.
Browns must defend the deep ball better against the Panthers
While Week 2 marked all-around improvement for Cleveland, it’s important not to overlook the role of the opponent. The story of the game for Tampa Bay was how off quarterback Baker Mayfield was. On the Bucs’ first offensive series, Mayfield overthrew a receiver who could’ve scored a touchdown with a better throw. The quarterback did the same on Tampa’s final series of the game as well.
In between those two throws were several other deep shots where Mayfield had open receivers down the field, but he just put a little too much juice on the throws. Mayfield was just 2-of-10 on passes that traveled 20 or more yards downfield. If he had connected on half of those attempts, the game would look completely different, and the Browns would be having different conversations.
However, it’s not Cleveland’s fault that Tampa Bay wasn’t in sync. The Browns do need to worry about why there were so many open shots, though. The defense needs to figure out the answer and address it fast, because on Sunday, Cleveland is playing a quarterback who is hitting his deep shots.
Bryce Young has been playing really good football to start the season, currently sitting second in the league with 648 passing yards, and tied for the lead with six passing touchdowns. One of the strengths of his game so far has been his ability to connect with receivers down the field.
In Week 1, Young threw a 51-yard touchdown, but he really opened things up in Week 2. On Sunday, the quarterback was 5-of-7 on throws over 20 yards, highlighted by a 55-yard completion. The scary part is that it’s not just one receiver Young is targeting; he’s having downfield success with Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, and Xavier Legette.
If the Browns' defense allows receivers to get on top of them in Week 3 like they did in Week 2, it could be a long day. The secondary must be prepared to defend the deep ball against the Panthers, and prevent Sunday’s game from becoming a shootout.
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