10/09/2024
Welcome to Raw Dogs Radio, your Browns fan based out of Atlanta.
The Cleveland Browns suffered a tough loss in their regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
The home opener for the Browns was a difficult watch from the beginning after the Cowboys quickly took over the 3-0 lead Cleveland claimed early on. This snowballed against Cleveland’s defense, as they couldn’t secure the opportune turnovers for a momentum swing. The Dallas defense also led the game in almost all defensive statistical categories while making their presence known against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and the offense. In a game where the Browns were unable to change the tide offensively, the turnover battle became a pivotal part of the final result in this game.
Deshaun Watson and the offensive coaching staff were never able to find their footing in their first game of 2024. The opening drive that resulted in a field goal by Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins showed promise, but things quickly went flat for the rest of the afternoon. Neither quarterback in this game performed their best, but Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott did just enough when it mattered for Dallas. This was also the summary of both teams’ run production throughout most of this matchup. Neither running back group produced highlight plays, but Dallas gained an additional nine yards, demonstrating the Browns’ challenges this afternoon.
The final score of 33-17 reflects a poor performance by the entire Cleveland team, one they’ll want to forget quickly before they head to Jacksonville for Week 2.
It’s no secret that the quarterback play of Deshaun Watson was not what we hoped for. After his ONLY standout performance against the Baltimore Ravens last season, he regrettably returns with one of his worst, which has been a staple since he was traded to Cleveland. Coming off his shoulder surgery, many were concerned with his lack of playing time in the preseason as well as the caution surrounding him in training camp, which was a mistake for a quarterback who hasn't shown any real growth or progress in three years, but has definitely shown a penchant for injury. Watson appeared very uncomfortable, unsure, inexperienced, and hesitant in the pocket. Some of the blame resides on both starting tackles being unable to play with Wills and Conklin both inactive, but that rests on the coaching staff for putting them in shotgun as well as 4 and 3 wide against a strong pass rushing team. Even so, he often failed to adjust in the pocket and be able to find his open receivers, to which he either overthrew or failed to see wide open.
The frustration around Cleveland grows as many still wait to see if the player they traded for will return to his former glory while in the 4th year of his 5 year contract. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski has done almost all he can to try and bring out the best in his quarterback. In a game where both quarterbacks had very rocky starts to their season, it still felt as if Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was the much better player today due to the Cowboys ability to adjust offensively. Watson will need to bounce back quickly to help restore faith and confidence in his game, but don't hold your breath.
The Browns run game still struggles to find their identity without their leader, Nick Chubb. Despite missing two starters on the offensive line, the running game had an average performance in an offense filled with lowlights. Starting running back Jerome Ford, who's a third down back at best, got the starting nod in the room and did a typically terrible job of finding the minimal gaps that were given to him as he continues to dance in the backfield instead of taking the 18 inches of daylight given. One of the Browns biggest mistakes was in not taking a flyer on a running back such as Derrick Henry during free agency as an insurance policy if Chubb wasn't able to come back. The lack of production from the passing game ultimately led to the stoppage of the run and forced the team to try and make more happen offensively.
The ground production on offense came to a halt after Cleveland found themselves down big to the Cowboys. Once the score overcame the offensive game plan, the team was forced to pass with Watson and abandoned the so-called ground-and-pound technique. We’ll see if having both starting tackles can help make the difference for not only the run game but the offense as a whole, but I doubt it.
While Deshaun Watson did not provide the most opportunities to make a play, there were some critical mistakes from the pass catchers as well. Early on, both David Njoku and Elijah Moore failed to come up with critical catches that stopped the momentum of the drive. These mistakes along with others seemed to destroy the Browns’ confidence offensively. Top wide receiver Amari Cooper was only able to collect two catches for 16 yards on a team-high nine targets. He also dropped a touchdown pass that summed up the Browns offensive woes. Though the biggest deficit was Watson's inaccuracy. That was the biggest issue the wide receivers faced.
With the looming question of who was going to play left tackle this Sunday, many were worried about how the offensive line would handle the Dallas pass rush. Deshaun Watson and the Browns running backs quickly realized that they were going to be in for a long day. With both Jack Conklin, who was announced to start at left tackle earlier in the week) and Jedrick Wills announced out before the game, it was down to James Hudson, who shouldn't be on an NFL roster, at left tackle to stop the All-Pro Micah Parsons. The loss of both offensive tackles resulted in a complete dismantling of the offense and its production from either the pass or run game. The coaching staff failed to adjust, continually putting the offense in bad situations with shotgun formations and abandoning the run, and by not relying on their guards to take control of the ground game. But then again, Jerome Ford is the starting back, so what would've been the point?
Cleveland's’ offensive line managed to give up six sacks to the Cowboys defensive line that came with 17 quarterback hits on Deshaun Watson. This was more than four times the amount of hits that the Browns defensive line managed to have on Dak Prescott. With this lack of protection in the trenches, it will be difficult for the offense to score in any way. Look for a rotation of offensive tackles before the matchup against Jacksonville and hopefully better situational coaching on offense.
One highlight of the day was that new Cleveland wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was able to collect his first touchdown in a Browns uniform in garbage time. This was the first of many for the former Denver Bronco as he looks to build off this solid start to the season. We’ll see if the rest of the pass catchers can join him in trying to find their groove.
After the first quarter, the Browns’ defensive line struggled to make an impact on the Cowboys offensive production due to a dead offense that couldn't move the ball if they were in a U-Haul truck. Dalvin Tomlinson kicked things off for the defense with the team’s first sack of the season on the Cowboys’ first offensive drive. This resulted in a three-and-out and led to a hot start for the Browns. The team was able to collect two more sacks throughout the game thanks to Za’Darius Smith and reigning NFL Defensive Player of The Year, Myles Garrett, who recorded a strip sack early, but was then neutralized by the Cowboys offense making adjustments with double teams and jet sweeps, things that wrecked the Browns defense last year.
The pass rush performance was overshadowed by the productivity of the Cowboys’ defensive front, who managed to make it a difficult day for the Browns on offense. Last season, many of the games Cleveland won were due to the dominance of the defense and the offense finally inserting Joe Flacco after picking him up in free agency. If they are going to try and produce similar results to last season, they will have to be the better offense in order to help out the defensive line in every game.
Newly extended linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was able to make a well-expected impact on the Cowboys’ offense this afternoon. The leading tackler of the game helped the offense get every opportunity they could to try and make a dent in the Dallas lead. But the heavy-run offense during the second half of the game led to a diminished clock. Along with him was new Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks, who collected seven total tackles behind Owusu Koramoah’s nine.
Despite doing a solid job of stopping the Dallas run game, the Browns linebackers were not in the backfield as much as they hoped. Last season, Owusu-Koramoah managed to lead the NFL in tackles for loss among all players and will look to regain that status. We hope to see him and the linebackers as a whole make a much larger impact in their second game against the Jaguars. Perhaps a game plan against the jet sweep?
The Browns defensive backfield was easily the best of the day in the home opener against Dallas. Despite giving up 33 points in the loss, the secondary did a very solid job of limiting the options for quarterback Dak Prescott. This task was well done along with limiting the production of All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The star wideout was only able to haul in 5 of his 10 targets in the contest, a task that many secondaries have not accomplished. The team also managed to limit the number of big plays on offense with the longest play of the day going for only 34 yards.
One of the downfalls of the secondary against the Cowboys was the lack of capitalization of turnover opportunities that were given to them. Early on, Denzel Ward, who almost had two interceptions, dropped a critical interception that would have provided a much-needed momentum swing for the Browns. Taking advantage of these limited opportunities can make the game for a team when they need it most. After relying heavily on defensive turnovers in 2023, the Browns’ secondary will have to be better and improve on this performance moving forward.
Special teams ace Hopkins nailed his kicks, much like he did last year, when the opportunities were presented, making him a calming presence when they have to attempt a field goal.
So what are your thoughts on week 1? be sure to drop your comments below, and be sure to like, share, and subscribe for your Browns news dump.
And of course, GOOOOO BROWNS!!!!!!
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