The Cleveland Browns defeated the Houston Texans by a score of 10-7 on Sunday, and despite the weather, it wasn’t all bad.
The Browns are now 6-3 for the first time since 2014 but unlike that fluke of a year, the Browns are actually a good team this year. That may not have been completely obvious if you were watching the boxscore but the Browns were actually very efficient against the Texans on Sunday. The problem wasn’t so much anyone’s play necessarily, but the weather.
The weather was horrifically bad, just like two weeks prior with the Las Vegas Raiders. The big difference between the games, however, was the Browns’ offense was back to full strength after the returns of Nick Chubb, Wyatt Teller, and Austin Hooper. On top of that, Kareem Hunt seemed to have had a new spring to his step. The announcers and pundits on Twitter wondered if Hunt had recovered from his nagging injuries over the bye week.
It’s more likely that the Texans’ defense was as bad as expected.
It did take Chubb longer to get going than some had hoped but once he did the game was over. Baker Mayfield looked surprisingly good considering he was throwing into winds that exceeded 40-50 MPH outside the stadium, and presumably much faster inside due to the way the building funnels wind flow. Both Mayfield and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson couldn’t get much going through the air.
The wind was so bad that there was a bird on the field of play for at least two-quarters because it couldn’t take off in the conditions. The wind was also so bad at points that the hard-cameras, which are cameras that are weighted to the ground, were shaking while the game was going on. It made the entire game feel like an episode of Star Trek.
Despite the weather, which produced severe thunderstorms, severe wind advisories, and even a few tornado warnings in the surrounding counties, the Browns were able to get past that and the Texans, proving that they can tackle adversity.
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.
The Bad
The announcers
Matt Millen is a good guy, but he’s a bad commentator. His partner was not much better, either. The two constantly mispronounced the Browns’ player’s names, and Millen had some sort of vendetta against Mayfield all game. Whenever Deshaun Watson struggled, it was the weather, but oftentimes when Millen would talk about Mayfield it was how “HE NEEDS TO DO THIS”. That’s not to say that he didn’t mention the wind affecting Mayfield once or twice but not to the degree in which the wind actually did affect things. Millen minimized the weather greatly.
B.J. Goodson and Sione TakiTaki’s inability to make plays
Sione Takitaki was arguably responsible for the Texans’ lone score. He was shallow in the flats right in front of the endzone, which allowed the Texans receiver to take advantage of the fac that Takitaki was eight yards in front of him Factor that into what was essentially a screen on Terrence Mitchell, and former Browns tight end Pharaoh Brown ends up with a touchdown. The other “what the heck” play came when B.J. Goodson gave up on a running play in the second half. Something completely unacceptable to do.
The weather
It’s Cleveland weather in November, what did people expect to happen? You know it’s bad though when surrounding counties were reporting tornado warnings, severe winds, and the constant presence of thunderstorms. The worst part is how little this was mentioned on the broadcast with regards to how it affected the game. You’d think the teams were just bad if you listened to the commentators.
Jarvis Landry
Jarvis Landry caught two passes but his biggest of the two catches saw him spike the ball and get called for taunting. Landry has not looked right all season, and his performances have affected Mayfield far more than people are aware of or are wanting to admit. The penalty came as the Browns were trying to get distance from their own endzone, something the taunting call made so much harder.
Three big bungles
While the line did a great job most of the game, there were three big mistakes that cost the Browns. One was early and belonged to J.C. Tretter. While trying to hike the ball to Mayfield, the ball got caught and dragged against the turf, causing the ball to fling from Tretter’s hand. Mayfield recovered the fumble but his throwing away the ball caused an intentional grounding call that stifled the drive. Another big issue came when Wyatt Teller got beat off the snap by Texans defensive tackle Corey Liiget, blowing by Teller while Mayfield was still dropping back for an easy sack. The third was Jedrick Wills’ false start call, his third in two games.
Conclusion
The Browns won an ugly game but their win cemented their ability to win games no matter the situation. That’s going to be pivotal in the coming weeks as the Browns schedule is smattered with a few tough outs. The team has the Titans, Steelers and Ravens left on the roster, making it each game a must-win if the Browns are going to stay in the playoff race. Going 10-6 isn’t going to be good enough, the Browns are going to have to beat the Titans at the very least, on top of winning at least four other games across the stretch.
The Browns have the perfect offense to be successful, however. The Browns running game is top-notch and even though it took Nick Chubb time to get going, he eventually did and he looked wonderful doing so. Tack on Baker Mayfield making good decisions with the ball, and Kareem Hunt finally looking healthy and you have yourself the making of a playoff team.
The defense will continue to be an issue, still having issues getting off the field for the second straight game. The major difference, however, was that the Browns were able to prolong their own drives.
A clash with Philadelphia awaits the Browns next week at home, but after that their next six games will see the Browns away for four of those games. Luckily though, the Browns will be in New York for two straight weeks (away against the Giants and away at the Jets), while getting the Ravens and Steelers at home. So it’s a best-case scenario.