The Browns weren't able to pull off an upset in Baltimore despite a tremendous start on defense. Offensively, Cleveland didn't get anything going when the game was still in the balance, and a few game-changing turnovers ballooned the final score to 41-17. Here are three takeaways about the Browns' offense after consuming the all-22 film from the game.
Offensive takeaways from Browns' film from Week 2 loss at Ravens
O-line needs to create more push up front & handle stunts/sim pressures better
The offense was bad all around in Week 2, but perhaps the primary root of their issues starts up front with the offensive line. It would be remiss not to mention the great game plan for the Ravens, as they seemed to always have the right play call against a certain look and found ways to create pressure with ease.
However, the offensive line was not able to displace defenders in the run game all day. If they are able to win their matchups, they aren't able to move defenders back to create the necessary running lanes for explosive plays.
In the passing game, Baltimore showed blitz looks all game, but often would still only bring four rushers by dropping edge rushers or mugged linebackers into zone coverages and play zone behind it. Other times, they would rush four and run a defensive line game, which the Browns handled pretty well in Week 1. That wasn't the case against the Ravens, as they often were put into mentally taxing reps where the rush was disguised and they didn't pass off assignments properly.
Quinshon Judkins brings a needed element to this offense
On the bright side, Quinshon Judkins totaled 61 rushing yards and 57 yards after contact in his debut. Even though there was rarely a ton of running room, his burst and tough running style instantly impacted this offense and will be a huge boost for the ground attack moving forward.
Receivers struggled creating separation consistently
Baltimore ran man coverage, specifically cover one, 37.3 percent of the time (per FantasyPoints data) against the Browns. It was another game where Cleveland faced a man-heavy defensive approach, but the receivers didn't create nearly as much separation this time around. This allowed the Ravens to run a variety of cover-one packages, including double-mugged fronts with blitzes, which put Joe Flacco under duress and ended the play.
Flacco wasn't great by any means, and he often seemed to rush through his reads because of a rushed internal clock with the offensive line's struggles. It was one of those days where it seemed like one part of the offense didn't do its job on too many plays, and it led to a horrendous offensive outing.