Browns: 5 good things and 5 bad things from the Texans win
By Chad Porto
The Good
The running game
It was hard to get Baker Mayfield and the passing game going due to the wind. On more than one occasion, deep balls from both offenses went over the heads of the intended targets. This was not an accuracy issue, but a wind issue. Still, if the wind is so bad the passing game is unreliable, you have to run and run the Browns did. It took a few quarters to get going but the entire fourth quarter saw Kareem Hunt or Nick Chubb breaking off highlight-reel runs. Chubb’s 59-yard rush sealed the game in the process.
Nick Chubb going out of bounds
Speaking of that 59-yard run, Chubb took that handoff out of bounds at about the 1-yard line. The reason was simple; if he scores, the Texans get the ball back, if he goes out of bounds, the Browns take a knee and win the game. The extra touchdown wasn’t needed. It probably wouldn’t have mattered if the Texans had gotten the ball back down by 10 with less than 40 seconds to go, but still, you don’t know how that ends up. You can guess or assume, but you can’t know. Chubb took the guesswork out of the equation and simplified it. Kneel and they win.
Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett didn’t have a second half that was very memorable, part of that was due to him sitting out several drives because of what we can only suspect are lingering issues with his knee and or ankle. That said, he was still very much a factor in keeping Deshaun Watson contained during that half. His first half was a different story, as he had the proverbial leash off, and was allowed to chase the Texans down every play. He ended up with 6 tackles, 0.5 sack, and a win for his performance.
Adapting to the conditions
The Browns won their first game of the year without needing Mayfield to throw two touchdowns. The Browns previous five wins all game when Mayfield threw two or more touchdowns. In the games prior to Week 10, the Browns were 0-3 when Mayfield threw one touchdown or less. The conditions forced the Browns to use Mayfield only when absolutely needed, and because of that, the Browns showed they had the ability to adapt to situations and overcome adversity. All this on top of a week where Mayfield had to isolate due to Covid concerns, and the team facility got shut down for a Covid-cleaning a few days after Mayfield was cleared to return. This was a huge win for the Browns.
Seeing Romeo Crennell
He got us to our best regular season since coming back in 1999. Whether you think he’s a good or bad coach, it was great seeing Crennell walking the sideline as a head coach once again.