When was the last time a Browns team finished a game by rushing the ball right down their opponents’ throats? When those numbers were on the helmets every game? Maybe not that far back, but it sure seems like it.
Today’s topping of the Texans wasn’t as thrilling a game as we’ve come to expect from the ’07 Brownies, but it was energetic, effective, and encouraging.
The ground attack started off slow. Seems like Chud wanted to disguise the smashmouth game plan by keeping the fullback off the field in the first drive. It wasn’t until Anderson’s first pass downfield, a 20-yard strike to a leaping (what else?) Braylon Edwards on their third drive, that the running game began to loosen up.
By the fourth drive, the play-action pass was there for the taking, and Jurevicius took 25 yards on third-and-one. This balanced threat in turn gave Jamal Lewis all the edge he needed to patter and pound the rest of the game. The final play epitomized the entire effort: carrying the ball for the sixth straight play, the heavyweight halfback wrestled across the first down stripe on fourth-and-five to kill the clock once and for all.
Complementing the rugged running was a flawless, fearless game from Kellen Winslow, whose hands in traffic are as quick and sure as a big-city cabbie who just got cut off. Catches of 21 and 20 yards up the seam were key to the fourth-quarter scores that put this game away.
Derek Anderson had a good game, though far from great. Occasional inaccuracy proved less important than Big 3’s ability to drive the ball through defenders into the hands of his playmakers.
For the sixth straight game, the Browns racked up at least 27 points. After 11 games, they can finally say they’ve scored more points than they’ve allowed. Today, that’s largely due to the best defensive effort of the season.
Rookie corner Brandon McDonald was matched up mainly with one of the game’s most dangerous receivers. He broke up four passes, intercepted the first pass of his young career, and added two tackles on special teams. With this high-calibre performance and fourth quarter catch, 22 has proven worthy of the jersey once worn by Ken Konz, Clarence Scott and Felix Wright.
D’Qwell Jackson, returning to form after his ankle injury, and Kamerion Wimbley each created turnovers and played very well overall. The defense once again mustered multiple sacks and got play-changing pressure several other times. The catchy statistic known as “quarterback hits” was seven to nothing in Cleveland’s favor.
Forcing seven turnovers in the past two games has helped the Browns begin to win those time of possession battles. It’s a stat that doesn’t mean much in itself, but if you saw the Browns march down Baltimore’s field in overtime last week and grind out those clock-bleeding first downs in the second half today, you surely appreciate the difference that a rested defense makes.
Despite a few glitches (short punts, short routes, avoidable penalties), the Browns took care of business at home against a decent team. We can now safely say that they are more likely to make the playoffs than miss them. If the quality of their play today is repeated over the next five weeks, the Browns will end the regular season with 10 or 11 wins.
I won’t say that I predicted it, because this season has turned out better than any pre-season prognostication I’ve seen, but I am glad that I at least admitted the possibility.
