Grading the Cleveland Browns offense in their narrow Week 7 victory
Week 7 provided a little bit of everything for Browns fans. Peaks, valleys, highs, and lows. From utter disappointment to pure unbridled jubilation, the Cleveland Browns gave their fanbase every single emotion possible during their narrow victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The game started with a 69-yard house call from Jerome Ford and ended with P.J. Walker taking a knee in victory formation. There was so much action in between, that anything less than a monologue from Michael Pena’s character Luis from Ant-Man would be a disservice to the insane amount of craziness that took place in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
The bottom line is the Browns left Indianapolis with a win and a record of 4-2. And while there are plenty of questions that need to be answered before the Browns take the field in Seattle in week 8, it's always better to learn from a win than it is a loss. With that being said, it's time to grade the Browns offensive performance against Gus Bradley’s defense.
Grading the Cleveland Browns offense in their narrow week seven victory over the Colts
Offensive Line Grade: C+
The Cleveland Browns offensive line has been playing better since their bye week. Now the offensive line play is not where we thought it would be this season, but for the second week in a row, they were able to create some opportunities for the running backs. The offensive line paved the way for 150 rushing yards on 33 attempts.
Now it should be noted that 69 of those rushing yards came on one play, but there were many instances, including the one-yard touchdown run by Kareem Hunt to seal the game, where the Browns asserted their dominance up front. Going forward, without Jerome Ford for at least the next game, Cleveland will need to be more consistent in the running game up front to stay out of predictable passing situations.
The Browns were able to limit the effectiveness of the Colts’ pass rush, giving up only two sacks on the afternoon. Once again right tackle Dawand Jones played a stellar game in pass protection allowing one single pressure on 40 pass blocking snaps. If the Bill Callahan’s unit can stay on this upward trajectory, it could help buoy the Browns offense regardless of who the quarterback is.