The Cleveland Browns' Week 2 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offered some reprieve from the early-season dread that fans are experiencing, but it's not fooling anybody. Todd Monken's Browns still have some glaring issues, especially on offense.
While the decision to start Deshaun Watson was met with plenty of criticism, and rightfully so, the quarterback hasn't been the main problem with the offense so far.
Monken's run game has been one of the most inefficient attacks in the NFL. If something doesn't change soon, it won't matter who is playing quarterback for the Browns.
Todd Monken's Browns running game is setting Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders up to fail
The Browns' offense has struggled through two weeks, ranking 28th in the NFL in yards per game. Watson himself has been hit-or-miss, following up his forgettable Week 1 performance with a solid showing in Week 2.
A deeper look at the Browns' passing game actually paints a slightly more optimistic picture. They rank 19th in the league in EPA per pass, 13th in passing success rate, and sixth in yards per attempt. It's not a fireworks show, but it's far from being the worst in the NFL.
The rushing attack, on the other hand, has been nonexistent. Cleveland's rushing success rate of 28.9% ranks last in the league. In fact, it would have ranked last in each of the past four seasons. The ground game has been both inefficient and unexplosive. The Browns have averaged 2.9 yards per carry, and their longest run of the year so far (a KC Concepcion carry) went for just 10 yards.
They've been unable to get anything going on the ground, consistently putting themselves in impossible situations on late downs. It's why their late-down success rate is so low.
Unfortunately, this isn't new for Monken. Even with an electric backfield of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, his Baltimore Ravens offense ranked 19th in rushing success rate last season. Of course, the Browns don't have anywhere near the talent that the Ravens have had on offense in recent years.
If this problem doesn't get fixed quickly, it won't matter whether it's Watson or Shedeur Sanders starting at quarterback. Even if Monken makes a switch, neither quarterback can overcome the Browns' current lack of efficiency in the ground game. The offense as a whole will never be as effective as it needs to be with one of the NFL's worst rushing attacks.
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