BEREA — Good defense is not good enough for the Browns .
Not right now.
Not with a struggling offense hindered by poor pass protection and shaky quarterback play . The 2024 Browns haven't scored 20 points in any of their first three games. Deshaun Watson hasn't thrown for 200 yards in a single outing, but he has taken 16 sacks and 42 QB hits in three games combined.
The Browns need the strength of their team to be great. And the strength is a defense led by end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward .
The Cleveland Browns are seeking dominant defensive performances akin to ones they produced in 2023
So far, the D coordinated by Jim Schwartz has not met internal or external expectations. It must reverse the trend beginning Sunday when the Browns (1-2) visit the Las Vegas Raiders (1-2), or the climb toward the playoffs Cleveland has planned will likely be too steep to complete this winter.
“It's always our responsibility to be dominant,” reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Garrett said Thursday at club headquarters. “We have the players to do so.”
The Browns were dominant on defense for the majority of last season, when their defenders thrived, especially at home. They tied for 13th in the NFL in fewest points allowed a game (21.3) and finished first in fewest yards given up (270.2). They were sixth with 49 sacks and tied for fifth with 28 takeaways.
Yet, the early stages of this season suggest Schwartz's men are vulnerable to the type of regression often seen in historically good defenses from one year to the next.
The Browns rank 20th in fewest points allowed (22.3) and 12th in fewest yards surrendered (309.3) — 15th against the pass (195.7) and tied for 13th against the run (113.7). They're tied for 11th with nine sacks and 25th with two takeaways, although one of those was courtesy of special teams.
They are tied for 13th with 51 pressures and have missed 26 tackles, according to ProFootballFocus.com. The number of missed tackles is near the middle of the pack in the NFL because 17 teams have squandered more.
How many missed tackles did the Cleveland Browns have against the New York Giants? Pro Football Focus tracked an alarming amount
Several examples of lackluster defense cost the Browns in Sunday's 21-15 home loss to the New York Giants .
Schwartz lamented his defense's missed tackles. PFF counted 11 of them. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had three and cornerback Greg Newsome II two. Six other Cleveland defenders had one apiece.
Giants coach and former Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll called plays extremely well in his Cleveland revenge game. The Giants exploited the Browns' aggression with screens and other elements of a quick passing game.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones suddenly resembled John Elway, going 24-of-34 passing for 236 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, posting a rating of 109.4, taking two sacks and rushing eight times for 20 yards.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers caught eight passes on 12 targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns. He plucked an interception away from Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. for a 28-yard gain along Cleveland's sideline. Four plays later, he beat Emerson in the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:44 left in the second quarter. Safety Rodney McLeod appeared to be in zone coverage while losing Nabers in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard TD catch with 11 seconds left before halftime.
One specific part of the Browns' loss to the Giants bothered defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz more than the others
The final Giants touchdown was set up by a strip-sack of Watson. The Giants recovered the fumble at the Cleveland 30-yard line, and reached the end zone four plays later. The sequence headlines Schwartz's list of disappointing Week 3 developments.
“Whether it was our attitude wasn't right, when you take the field after that sudden change, that's when you really need to rise,” Schwartz said.
Prior to the last score, the Giants produced a 13-play, 81-yard touchdown drive and a 14-play, 93-yard TD march. The 81-yard drive would have ended with Browns safety Ronnie Hickman's interception at the Giants 24 if Newsome had not made blatant helmet-to-helmet contact with Jones and drawn a pick-nullifying roughing the passer call .
Schwartz conceded the hit is legitimately “a penalty all day long” because Newsome struck Jones in the helmet. Newsome blitzed and pressured Jones well, though a lack of discipline contributed to him unnecessarily prompting the officiating crew to throw a flag. In an absurd scene afterward, Browns defenders celebrated the turnover by dancing in the end zone, even though the takeaway didn't count.
Confidence is required. Cockiness is dangerous.
Cleveland Browns column: Punishment inflicted on Deshaun Watson at this rate is not sustainable
The defense adjusted and pitched a shutout in the second half. However, the Giants had done enough damage to lead 21-7 at halftime and held on despite a fourth-quarter Browns rally.
“We started fast last week, but we got a little bit comfortable,” Garrett said. “We slowed down and left off the gas a little bit and they jumped on us. They out-executed and they started making some big plays. So it's a combination of both us relaxing a little bit — allowing them to make those big plays — and them winning those 50-50 balls and plays. So we've got to stay on it the whole game, and there can't be any let off throughout.”
How many pressures does Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett have this season?
According to PFF, Garrett has 15 pressures this season, including nine he tallied versus the Giants. He has PFF's fourth-best 2024 season grade among all of the league's defenders, regardless of position, who have logged at least 50% of their team's defensive snaps. The Cleveland defense could use more from Garrett's supporting cast, though. Tackle Dalvin Tomlinson is next on the unit with five pressures.
This weekend would be a good time to turn up the heat in the desert.
Shame on the Browns if they underestimate quarterback Gardner Minshew II or lose focus against the Raiders. It would be inexcusable.
Like Jones, Minshew is a bottom-tier NFL starting QB, but he cannot possibly surprise Schwartz and Co. whatsoever. In the Browns' 39-38 win at Indianapolis last season, Minshew went 15-of-23 passing for 305 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, took four sacks, lost three fumbles and rushed three times for 29 yards and another two TDs.
Garrett is fighting through feet, Achilles and thigh issues. Ward is playing despite shoulder trouble.
Even with its leaders less than 100% healthy, the Cleveland defense possesses more than enough talent to be better than it has been.
The Browns need it to be great.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Good Cleveland Browns defense won't be good enough, given state of offense | Nate Ulrich
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