Browns: 3 good and 3 bad things we saw against the Texans

In conclusion

The Browns are rolling offensively. They’ve done everything they needed to do and have proven that the issues they may have on offense are negated by the depth they have. It took Nick Chubb nearly half the game to get going, in part due to sloppy line play but eventually, they made some corrections, got guys settled, and by the time the third quarter was about to end, the offensive line returned to form.

The receivers are not producing as hoped and Anthony Schwartz has proven that he’s far more of a project than we may have thought. The good news is that Baker Mayfield is throwing the ball well, maybe as good as anyone in the NFL. Both of his two interceptions were not throwing mistakes but caused due to extenuating circumstances. Against the Chiefs, he was hit while he was throwing, and against the Texans, his loan interception came when Schwartz stopped abruptly instead of trying to make a play on the ball.

The big issue that is facing this team is the defense, still. Even when Tyrod Taylor left the game, the Texans were still competitive against this team. Either the Texans have the best coach in the league in David Culley or the Browns’ defense is as bad as ever. Letting this team keep it close was bad enough but to get beat by guys like Brandon Cooks is not a good look.

What made it worse was how easy it was for Taylor to pick on Denzel Ward through the first two quarters. While we’ll never know, I have no doubt this game looks very different if Taylor doesn’t go down hurt. The Browns’ defense is a wreck, and there are no excuses left for it.