Grading the Browns defense in shootout victory over the Colts in Week 7

Browns Run Defense: C-

Against the run, the defense gave up 168 yards and three touchdowns with a 4.2 average per carry. A very lackluster performance, so you are probably wondering why they are graded at a C-. This is because the numbers for the Colts are inflated by three long carries of 24 yards, 21 yards, and 17 yards.

Take away those runs and the Colts rush for 106 on 37 attempts and take their average down to 2.8 per carry. Of course, these runs still happened, but the Colts weren't exactly running over the defense all game. They were still making tackles in the backfield and setting the line of scrimmage, along with having five tackles for loss. Did the Colts have a great rushing performance? Absolutely, but the Browns weren't allowing big run after big run.

The biggest knock on the defense is that they gave up three rushing touchdowns. Two of them to Minshew who isn't exactly your normal scrambling quarterback, and one to Johnathan Taylor. The 17-yard touchdown run by Minshew is something that the defense can not let happen. Missed tackles and bad angles allowed him to reach the endzone untouched along with an over-pursuit by Juan Thornhill that allowed Minshew to get his second rushing touchdown of the game.

As elite as the defense is they cannot have such crucial missed tackles that directly lead to opponents scoring. That being said, I still believe that for a majority of the game, they didn't allow the Colts to run all over them which is why the run defense is graded at a C-, which may be a little generous but when you look into it, the grade is fair.

Browns Defense Overall Grade: C

C+ is the grade that I believe the Defense deserves for their Week 7 performance against the Colts. Essentially they gave up a lot of yards and big plays but ultimately the plays they made were not just enough but a reason why the Browns emerged victorious on Sunday. The defense is going to be just fine, as long as injuries do not stack up and fans should expect to see them bounce back.

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