Going against one of the greatest pure passers in NFL history requires some adjustments. However, it looks like Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg either didn't get the memo or just didn't care.
With Aaron Rodgers in town, Rutenberg decided to play the NFL's heaviest rate of man coverage on the young season. He forced the future Hall of Fame quarterback to make his guys look good, and the Browns' defensive backs won that battle more often than not.
While this game went down to the wire and Rodgers had some big moments, Cleveland's risky approach ultimately got the job done. Even Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy was surprised to see the Browns' approach.
"It was a five-man pressure, man-to-man game," McCarthy said. "They established that right from the beginning. That's the challenge that we went up against all night. It was herky jerky."
The Browns trusted their defensive backs against Aaron Rodgers more than any team has dared to
The Browns got absolutely cooked while deploying a more zone-heavy scheme in Week 1. Props to Rutenberg for going back to basics and returning to what worked under Jim Schwartz, adapting the play-calling and scheme to his personnel and not the other way around.
According to Next Gen Stats, the Browns played man coverage on 73.3 percent of Rodgers' dropbacks. That's a bold gamble against a quarterback who has always been a master at recognizing coverage, adjusting plays at the line, and throwing with elite anticipation.
The message was simple: Get in Rodgers' face, get him on the ground, and force the Steelers' mid-tier wide receiver group to beat you. Outside of a couple of explosive plays, it proved to be the right approach.
Denzel Ward is already following star receivers around the formation more than he has at any point in his career. That might take a toll down the stretch, but Rutenberg has done a solid job of mixing things up throughout the game and adjusting situationally. He had cornerback Tyson Campbell on top Steelers wideout DK Metcalf for a while, but went back to Ward once Metcalf started to get going.
Rodgers fell 1 yard shy of snapping the Browns' streak of 49 games without allowing a quarterback to throw for 300 yards. They sacked him five times and hit him often, messing up his timing and rhythm.
Rutenberg has shown the best of both worlds thus far. He can get fancy, move some pieces around, and play some disguised coverage. He can also just line the guys up and dare the offense to beat them. More often than not, it has gone the Browns' way.
This defense, like the whole team, is still taking shape, but they've looked better every week. Mason Graham's absence will require some adjustments, and it might finally lead to a much-needed Jared Verse breakout. As for the secondary, the guys are being much more aggressive than ever before, and rookie safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren may have played his way into a bigger role in Week 4.
Some coaches stick to their philosophy, even when things aren't working. Rutenberg could have run it back with a zone-heavy approach until the Browns figured it out.
Instead, he hit the drawing board again and cooked up a scheme much better suited for the hand he's been dealt.
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