Browns: Recapping the Vikings game with the 3 good and 3 bad of Week 4
By Chad Porto
The Browns struggled offensively but dominated on defense against the Vikings.
Cleveland was able to defeat Minnesota 14-7 on Sunday. The Browns saw themselves struggle to move the ball all game, in part due to poor execution, as well as poor play calling, and frankly poor chemistry. It was easily the worst game the offense has played all season. The Browns also saw themselves dominate on defense, causing the Vikings high powered unit to struggle offensively. It was easily the best game the defense has played all season.
To say this was a tale of two units would be a dramatic understatement.
The Browns offense couldn’t get into a rhythm all game, withholding penalties, false start penalties, some over-thrown balls, and a few times receivers didn’t check back to locate the ball. Something Odell Beckham did twice. The running game was limited in big plays but was consistent enough to still get their yards.
Defensively, the Browns did their job. Outside of the opening drive, the Browns didn’t really let the Vikings do much offensively. Some late-game penalties kept some drives alive but the Vikings couldn’t figure out the defensive schemes. This was partly due to Joe Woods doing more man-on-man coverage instead of zone. A small change that allowed the Browns to be more effective in the pass coverage.
Overall it was a bad game for the Browns offense but there are many variables for why, and for the defense, it really looked like the team is finally gelling.