The AFC North-leading Cleveland Browns are now 5-2 after a 27-24 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The game wasn’t easy for Cleveland, which needed a walk-off kick to secure the victory. It was an exciting day for the offense, a somewhat concerning day for the defense, and an overall great day for the Browns.
One of the most promising things about Sunday’s win was that the team was able to overcome adversity.
Cleveland’s offense turned the ball over twice, and while turnovers are never good, it was great for the team to prove that it’s capable of winning, even when the offense is making what could be costly mistakes.
Browns winning despite multiple turnovers says a lot about Cleveland’s ceiling
On Cleveland’s first offensive drive of the game, Deshaun Watson threw an interception on a play where rookie receiver Denzel Boston didn’t cross the defender’s face on a slant. A few series later, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. lost a fumble while trying to fight for a first down.
Based on how the Browns have played all season, these turnovers could’ve been costly.
It’s no secret that Cleveland has been somewhat conservative offensively this year, leaning on the defense to stick around in games. That formula works best when the offense minimizes mistakes and, as head coach Todd Monken says, ends every drive with a kick.
For the most part, Cleveland’s offense has been pretty good about protecting the football this season — especially in its wins. The only win this season where the offense had a turnover was in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers (Cleveland had two). The Browns still managed to pull out that game, 27-24.
They won by the same score on Sunday despite two turnovers from the offense. While this doesn’t mean Cleveland should just go out and start being careless with the ball, it does show that they have a team that can withstand a few costly mistakes.
Obviously, the goal is always to protect the ball. But when an offense is too fixated on that, it could become restricting. The offense becomes very risk-averse, which limits a unit’s ceiling and gives a team a very small margin for error.
In the end, that could become just as — if not more — harmful as turnovers.
That shouldn’t be the Browns offense. With Cleveland showing multiple times it can win with turnovers, the offense shouldn’t feel this pressure that they have to play the perfect game.
Yes, try not to make life harder for a good Browns defense, but don’t avoid risky plays that could have a big reward.
Add us as a preferred source on Google