The Cleveland Browns have been all over the place during the first two games of the 2019 season. We will find out who they really are Sunday night.
The Cleveland Browns picked up a rare 20-point win Monday night in a total destruction of the New York Jets.
The problem is that the win is not being celebrated as much as it should be in Cleveland. Though that is a good problem to have for a city that has watched such miserable football for the past two decades.
Aside from a few penalties from Myles Garrett, the defense was not an issue. The poor Jets couldn’t advance the ball once the quarterback position was handed to Luke Falk. He never stood a chance and the Browns defense did their jobs in shutting down the beleaguered Jets offense.
The problem was the offense. The same offense that managed only 13 points in Week 1, led by Baker Mayfield, who gave up points to the Tennessee defense in the form of a pick-six.
Mayfield threw three interceptions in that Week 1 loss and took five sacks as well. He did manage 285 yards, but that came on a day when the Browns only ran the ball 20 times.
Mayfield finished 19/35 for 325 yards on Monday night, of course helped by Odell Beckham Jr.’s 89-yard touchdown sprint. He was holding onto the ball too long, a common problem for him, and his timing was clearly off with several receivers.
Meanwhile, Nick Chubb only received 18 carries, running for 62 yards and a touchdown. He only had 17 carries in Week 1. The confusing part came in the final minutes when Mayfield was still dropping back to throw passes. Ending the night on offense with a sack while up 20 points was bizarre and unnecessary.
This Browns team has been all over the place to start the season but fans can at least enjoy the fact the team is 1-1. I have witnessed enough 0-2 starts for a lifetime watching the Browns.
Yet there is zero indication, as of right now, that this team is the playoff contender hyped up during the offseason. The true identity of this team won’t be revealed until this Sunday night when the Browns take on the Los Angeles Rams in primetime. The Rams are 2-0 and are coming off a trip to the Super Bowl.
The Browns have to find some sort of rhythm on offense and either commit to running the ball with Nick Chubb or not. There has been a lack of consistency in the play-calling and struggles in the passing game. That should not be happening with arguably the best receiving duo in all of football on the roster.
Wins against the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints already have the Rams as three-point favorites for Sunday night. I would also guess that the Rams and their fans are expecting an easy win.
That belief is logical because the Browns haven’t proven anything so far. The loss to the Titans really put a damper on the hype and the win over the Jets was more of an expectation once we all saw just how bad the Jets were on offense without Sam Darnold.
Now comes the real test. Counting the Rams, the next five Browns opponents are all 2-0 to start the season. And right now every team would like be favored over the Browns as Cleveland sits at 1-1. Three of those games are on the road and two are in primetime.
The nation will soon find out if the Browns are true contenders or just the same ‘ole Browns. A loss to the Rams would drop the Browns to 1-2 with a Week 4 matchup against the dominant Baltimore Ravens. That would not be ideal.