Ball security required

If you're looking for a formula for the best way to knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers, stop right there. There is only one way. It's quite simple.

Don't turn the ball over. Do so and the odds of winning plunge significantly. It's so simple you'd think teams would preach holding on to the football when facing them. Get careless and pay the price. The Steelers tug and punch whenever the ball is exposed and succeed more often than not.

When the Browns and Steelers get together on the lakefront Sunday afternoon for the 145th time, ball security will be the prime factor in the outcome. The Steelers are the poster child of the National Football League in that category with 18 takeaways.

The Browns have played giveaway all season with 19, including four in the first game in Pittsburgh on a Thursday night in week two. Even then, they had a 22-19 lead midway through the fourth quarter before a strip sack and fumble return for a touchdown secured a 26-22 Steelers victory. 

The Pittsburgh offense posted only nine first downs, a paltry 55 yards on the ground, only 255 yards overall and turned the ball over twice. On the other side of the football, the Pittsburgh defense outscored the offense, setting the tone for the season.

That's why they are in contention, almost improbably, in the AFC North with a 6-3 record. Their hallmark is opportunism, making timely big plays when big plays are needed on defense and doing just enough to find ways to win despite an awful offense, whose statistics indicate they should be almost winless.

The Browns at 6-3 are right there with the Steelers mainly because of a terrific defense, though not nearly as opportunistic as the Steelers', and an offense with spare parts that's surprisingly productive in spite of losing their best running back for the season, both offensive tackles and now their QB1.

The Steelers can't hang with the Browns on defense with regard to the stunning numbers they have compiled this season. All they do is win because, well, because they make plays when you least suspect them. 

Just about all their victories are of the one-score variety. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, now in his 16th season in Pittsburgh, is 13-5 in one-score games in the last season and a half and a remarkable 48-22-2 in the last seven seasons. Two facts: He plays them close; and he wins. When it happens that often, that's not luck. That's good coaching. (He's also 26-6-1 against the Browns.)

This time, the Steelers will be without regular inside linebackers Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb who had strong games in week two. Both are now on injured reserve. Disgustingly healthy, however, are outside linebackers T. J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, who are looking to replicate their game two destruction.

Watt had a sack, four quarterback hits and a touchdown; following a strip sack Highsmith checked in with a sack, seven tackles, a quarterback hit and a pick-six touchdown. Both are extremely opportunistic players who make teams pay when they get careless with the football. They own half the Steelers 30 sacks.

This time, though, the Browns personnel on offense will be somewhat different than the first meeting. Geron Christian and Dawand Jones, will man the tackles. Jones made his NFL debut in the first game in place of Jack Conklin and did not embarrass himself against Watt. 

Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr. handle the ground game in the absence of Nick Chubb, whose devastating season-ending knee injury occurred in the early stages of the first game. And the air game has been placed in the hands of rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Thompson-Robinson said he has learned from his starting debut in week four  against Baltimore in relief of Deshaun Watson, a 38-3 disaster. "I know what it takes now to be an NFL quarterback," the brash rookie said. "I think I've taken that next step." The young might regret sharing that with the media.

(By the way, Tomlin is 25-5 against rookie quarterbacks.)

On defense, the Browns should have little trouble keeping Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett in check. The second-year player has thrown for only 1,600 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. George Pickens and Diontae Johnson are his most reliable receivers, although tight end Pat Freiermuth is back off IR.

On offense, a warning. The Pittsburgh ground game has awakened after a slumbering start with 371 yards in the last two games led by Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, who has picked up 189 of them. He's averaging 7.2 yards a pop.

Defensively, expect the Steelers to pay special attention to Myles Garrett, who has recorded just three sacks against Pittsburgh in the last eight games. They shut him down with only one solo tackle and a quarterback hit in week two. Overall he has only seven career sacks in 11 career games against them..

Watt, on the other hand, has 42 solo tackles, 16 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a touchdown in his 11 career games against Cleveland. 

This one, as are most Browns-Steelers games in the last few years, will be close and low-scoring. The Steelers have won four of the last five games. The Browns have won three of the last four in Cleveland.

It's so tempting to predict a repeat of the first game. But one of these times the Browns are way overdue to play a statement game against their archrival. Cant remember when they imposed their will and won an important game with so much on the line. Their comeback victory against Baltimore last Sunday proves it can be done. 

So with fingers crossed and a religious moment or two, the Browns turn the ball over just once and take it away twice. Dustin Hopkins continues his kicking mastery and DTR overcomes a bad early interception to lead the Browns to a second straight last-second victory. Make it:

Browns 19, Steelers 17

It's time for Brissett

There are times, few fortunately, where I did not thoroughly check what I had written before posting. From the department of woulda, coulda and shoulda, I blew it again with the following  piece, headline and all. Certain norms have to be in place before I post. I rushed this without thinking. No excuses. 

For reasons I cannot explain, I never took into consideration that trading for Jacoby Brissett would not be possible. The NFL trading deadline was Halloween. We're just days away from Thanksgiving. The thought was there; the thinking was totally absent.

Apologies.

So unless there are backroom shenanigans that exist in the NFL that I am not aware of, it looks like the Browns have to finish the season with a career backup and raw rookie at the most important position on a football team.

*     *     *

Rather than sulk and feel self-pitied, there is only one move that makes any sense for the Browns after the 2023 season was dealt what could be a death blow Wednesday with the news Deshaun Watson is done for the season with a broken bone in his throwing shoulder.

He has a displaced fracture of the glenoid, a socket joint of the shoulder that supports the labrum and requires surgery to correct it. Just when he appeared to be on the road to recovery following a rotator cuff problem in the same shoulder earlier this season that robbed him of three games, the $230 million man is gone. Just like that.

Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, which wouldn't be wrong considering the misfortunes that have dogged the Browns this season, General Manager Andrew Berry must, if he already hasn't, grab his cell phone, call fellow GM Martin Mayhew of the Washington Commanders and put together a deal to bring Jacoby Brissett back to the team.

That's what this team needs right now. Check that. This is what this team deserves right now. To be 6-3 at this point of the season with all these major injuries is remarkable. To not make this move now would be a slap in the face of every player on the roster. 

Berry and Mayhew spoke earlier in the season about Brissett when it was uncertain whether Watson was going to fully recover from a rotator cuff injury that hampered his throwing motion and prevented him from drilling the football.

It was reported Berry balked at surrendering such a high draft pick and decided to move on by elevating P. J. Walker from the practice squad. And the veteran journeyman has come through with a couple of victories thanks largely to the terrific defense. 

But this solution makes too much sense to pass on. Brissett had the Browns' huddle last season for the first 11 games while Watson sat out a suspension and won four games. He could easily have been 6-5 or even 7-4, but was saddled with a defense that blew three games. He knows head coach Kevin Stefanski's system.

It's incumbent on Berry to do whatever it takes. Desperate times call for desperate measures. This overwhelmingly qualifies. If the Commanders want a second-day draft pick -- probably a third-rounder -- for Brissett, so be it. 

It very well could mean the difference between qualifying for the postseason and falling short if the GM obstinately draws the line at giving up a draft choice. (He loves stockpiling them.)

Mayhew definitely has Berry by the short and curlies and has to do what's best for his club. He's set at quarterback, though, with second-year man Sam Howell, who is having a decent season. And he's got Jake Fromm on the practice squad in case he and Berry agree on a deal on Brissett.

Pending Berry's decision, the Browns will navigate the rest of the season with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson or journeyman P. J. Walker in charge of the huddle. The rookie, whose starting NFL debut in week four at home against Baltimore was a disaster, gets the first shot Sunday at home against division-leading Pittsburgh.

The main difference this time is DTR knows he's starting against the Steelers. He'll have a full week of preparation. He didn't know he was starting against the Ravens until minutes before the game when Watson shut it down after making a couple of throws warming up.

The rookie declared it will be different this time. "Night and day," he said. "It'll be a clear difference, I finally got my feet wet. I know what I do. I know what to study when I go out there."

Just another mind-numbing chapter in this saga.

Monday leftovers

The greatest concern fans had entering the Browns game in Baltimore Sunday was the offensive line. And with just cause.

The main engine of the offense was badly damaged on the flanks. Injuries robbed the plug uglies up front of their three best tackles. Add a Ravens defense that leads the National Football League in sacks and pending doom loomed.

But when the dust settled on a 33-31 Browns upset victory that few saw coming, the statistics reveal the fans really didn't have that much about which to worry. Tackles James Hudson III and Geron Christian, neither of whom are used to playing a full football game, were silent factors in the win.

Playing in the trenches is more than dropping back in pass protection. Moving the football infantry-style plays a large role in setting up the forward pass. And this patched-together unit was a major factor in the 178-yard ground output against a good Ravens run defense.

Many fans probably don't pay much attention to the denizens of the trenches on either side of the ball, focusing instead on the so-called skill players. The only time they think about them is when the referee announces a penalty against them and it's by uniform number.

Hudson was flagged three times against the Ravens, twice for holding (one was declined) and a false start. Former Brown Jadeveon Clowney gave him fits, sacking quarterback Deshaun Watson twice, including a late first-half sack that injured the quarterback's left ankle.

Christian, whose movements belie his 6-5, 320-pound frame, played very light on his feet and graded out well, according to PFF. The street free agent, who signed on just two weeks ago, also appeared to learn the system quickly and more than held his own with the Baltimore pass rush.

It will be interesting to see what moves head coach Kevin Stefanski makes once Dawand Jones, the rookie who has played very well after taking over for Jack Conklin at right tackle in the season opener, returns to the lineup. He's day to day with shoulder and ankle problems.

There's a good chance Hudson returns to his swing role when Jones is green-flagged to return and Christian stays put on the left side based on his impressive debut.

* * *

It's time to recognize the loss of Nick Chubb in the second game of the season hasn't been nearly as disastrous as initially thought. It took a three-headed monster to do it, but the Browns are awfully impressive running the football.

They have rushed for 1,331 yards in nine games (148 yards per), good enough for second place right behind the Ravens (with Lamar Jackson leading the way). Seven of those games produced 100+ yard efforts. The 178 yards generated Sunday is the third-most of the season.

The troika of Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr. has been money, especially Hunt, who has booked six touchdowns thus far. Lately, though, Ford has become the workhorse back, Stefanski taking advantage of his speed and slashing style.

The second-year man out of Cincinnati had a season-high 107 yards on 17 carries Sunday afternoon and has blended into the offense nicely with his pass-catching ability, grabbing 21 of the 29 passes directed his way for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

And the best part? Only one fumble -- by Ford and he lost it.  Ball security is clearly not a problem in the Cleveland ground game, at least not for the backs. Watson and P. J. Walker have combined for three.

* * *

A couple of firsts that might have gone unnoticed. Elijah Moore finally scored his first Cleveland touchdown in the midst of the Browns' fourth-quarter comeback. And third-year cornerback Greg Newsome intercepted his first NFL pass. 

Moore broke open a few yards shy of the goal line as Watson began scrambling after escaping the Ravens' pass rush. The quarterback appeared to have enough running room to get to the end zone. He pump-faked  a couple of times and just when it appeared he would take it in, he spotted Moore and delivered to pull the Browns to within 31-24. 

Forty-one seconds later, Newsome, running at full speed, picked off a Jackson pass that bounced high into the air off the helmet of Ogbo Okoronkwo on the dead run and sprinted untouched 34 yards for the score. It was after that TD that Dustin Hopkins miss his first point-after of the season and set the stage for the dramatic finish.

* * *

It's still too early to get excited about Watson's performance Sunday. Yeah, he was terrific in the second half despite working on a bad left ankle. Adrenaline might have had something to do with that. You can't underestimate a rush of that hormone.

We'll find out a lot of more about him Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town. Their defense might not be as good as the Browns and Ravens statistically, but the main reason the Steelers are 6-3 is they have the most opportunistic defense in the league.

Perfect example: The Steelers got more points from their defense than their offense in the second game of the season against Cleveland, a nationally-televised affair that saw the Steelers come away with a 26-22 home victory on a lat fumble return for a score by T. J. Watt in the fourth quarter. The Browns turned the ball over four times.

The Steelers have been outgained in a large majority of their games this season, only to be rescued by the defense. That's been their M.O. this season.

* * *

Finally . . . The Cleveland secondary pretty much held Mark Andrews in check Sunday. The big tight end, who has killed the Browns multiple times in the past, caught only two passes for 44 yards, That's a  victory. . . . The same can't be said about rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers, who caught five of his six targets for 73 yards. . . . Ex-Brown Odell Beckham Jr., who missed the first game of the series, really enjoyed his 40-yard catch and run score, ending it with an interesting celebration. . . . A couple of interesting stats: The Browns owned the football more than eight minutes longer than the Ravens; ran 25 more plays (75-50); and converted five of seven opportunities on third down in the second half after a three-for-nine start. . . . The victory was the second-largest blown fourth-quarter lead by the Ravens in John Harbaugh's 16 seasons as head coach.

Kinda surreal

What happens when the best two defenses in the National Football League collide? Certainly not what happened in Baltimore Sunday when an explosion of points broke out between the Browns and Ravens in one of the most improbable Cleveland victories in the last 25 seasons.

In a remarkable display of battling through all kinds of adversity, the Browns were justly rewarded with a comeback 33-31 victory, a triumph that was achieved the hard way. They never gave up.

They overcame penalties at the most inopportune moments (one wiped out a pick), a muffed punt lost deep in their territory, a pick 6 on the second play of the game, a terrible first half for Deshaun Watson and mediocre pass protection by a banged-up offensive line.

But they responded with a pick six of their own, as well as three clock-draining possessions that put 17 points on the board and kept their defense fresh. The injury-riddled offensive line was instrumental in putting up a 178-yard afternoon on the ground.

To make the story more dramatic, the Browns' only lead of the game arrived when Dustin Hopkins drilled a 40-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, as time ran out. His first missed point-after of the season earlier after Greg Newsome's pick six in the final quarter enabled the Ravens to keep a one-point lead.

Newsome's thievery came just 41 seconds after Watson had brought the Browns to within 31-24 with a 75-yard journey, highlighted by throws of 25 yards to Amari Cooper and 23 yards to David Njoku with Elijah Moore on the scoring end of a 10-yard touchdown pass.

The final margin was made possible by the defense, which had seized the momentum for the offense, forcing a punt with 4:55 left in regulation. One could sense something good was about to happen, probably wondering at the same time how they're going to blow it.

At this point, head coach Kevin Stefanski masterfully strategized how the game would end, relying on Watson, who completed all of his 14 second-half passes, the running of Jerome Ford and Watson's scrambling wizardry. The Ravens, in his mind, were never going to own the football again.

Converting a couple of third downs forced Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh to burn his last two timeouts. The biggest play that kept the drive alive saw Watson hook up with Cooper for 17 yards after being sacked for a nine-yard loss.

When the Browns reached the Ravens' 20 after Watson's 15-yard scramble and a 12-yard burst by Ford, Stefanski was not thinking touchdown. Oh no. He had -- using his words here -- tons of faith in Hopkins, who has missed only one field goal this season.  And with three seconds left, he rewarded that faith, directly between the uprights.

What made the victory even sweeter was the Browns could have easily folded after the Ravens jumped out to a 14-0 lead with the game barely five minutes old and headed for another one of those Baltimore blowouts that heavily dot the series between these two rivals.

Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton elicited one of those "here we go again" moments from Browns Nation when he blitzed and batted a Watson pass up in the air, grabbed it and ambled 18 yards for the score with the game 40 seconds old. Easy and peasy.

It became 14-0 when flashy rookie running back Keaton Mitchell danced 34 yards untouched down the sideline for a TD to culminate the initial Baltimore offensive possession and 17-3 when Hopkins and Justin Turner traded field goals. 

It was as though the Ravens had all the momentum and nothing was going right. In the past, these kinds of long uphill battles against a division opponent were usually never won. This one, however, began to feel different in the second quarter when the Cleveland defense woke up and shut down the Baltimore offense.

The lengthy possessions totaled 46 plays (17, 17 and 12), 203 yards (75, 70 and 58) and a ridiculous 22 minutes and 20 seconds (10:09, 7:16 and 4:55). The 10-minute drive put seven points on the board (Kareem Hunt from three yards on play 17), wore down the Ravens defense and kept their defense fresh. It paid off in the second half, the Browns outscoring the Ravens, 24-14. 

The victory buried the Ravens' four-game winning streak and moved the Browns to within a half game of first place in the AFC North. (Feels strange to type that.) It was time to make a statement and avenging the 28-3 loss in Cleveland earlier in the season easily qualifies. 

Winning must-win games is one of the hallmarks of elite teams in the National Football League. Not saying this is the beginning of something big here, but it's a start. Another must-win lies directly ahead next Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the lake front

This team proved something very important Sunday. They knocked off one of the big boys. And the toughness with which they did so is the one attribute that really stands out. 

The enjoyment of this revenge victory also has to be extra special for Browns Nation as well. These are the moments that in the past 25 seasons have been too few and too far between and definitely have not lasted long enough.

So is this a turning point? Not yet. Still too early to tell. And when is too early no longer in play? Great teams win in November and December. Those are the money games. That's when. And the Browns are now 2-0 in November.

Not this time, either

The Browns have played eight games this season. They have lost three. You can argue they should be 7-1 at this point, blowing opportunities to win two of them (Pittsburgh and Seattle) with huge blunders by an offense that has yet to hit its stride on a consistent basis.

The only game in which they were thoroughly outplayed and outcoached occurred in week four at home against division rival Baltimore, the Ravens taking advantage of three Cleveland turnovers for an easy 28-3 victory that became inevitable as early as the second quarter.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski was basically forced to start rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in that one when starter Deshaun Watson, battling a bad throwing shoulder, bowed out after warming up and almost immediately pulled the plug on the start. 

An unfair fight broke out with the Browns ultimately generating just 166 yards of offense against a Ravens defense that wanted to prove it was better than Cleveland's, which started out strong but had problems as the game wore on with quarterback Lamar Jackson, who ran for two scores and hooked up with tight end Mark Andrews for two more.

The Cleveland run defense, which had surrendered just 156  yards in the first three games, was gashed for 165 by the Ravens. Jackson and company toyed with that defense in the first half. Jackson needed to throw just 19 passes, connecting on 15. 

Sunday afternoon in Baltimore, it will be another battle of wills between these two great defenses. This  time, Watson is still nursing the shoulder and chipping off rust after almost a month of inactivity, but throwing more freely.

The Cleveland defense, which seemingly has recovered from a temporary down period in totally shutting down Arizona last Sunday, is as healthy as it has been all season and in a revengeful mood. The offense not so much. In fact, the offensive line resembles a mini M*A*S*H unit.

How bad can that be? Here we are in week 10 of the season and Cleveland's offensive tackles Sunday will be Jerome Hudson III at left tackle and most likely Geron Christian at right tackle. 

Hudson, now in his third season, has been with the team all season but is not ready to be a starter or else he would have been by now. Christian, who has bounced around the NFL since 2018, was signed as a street free agent to the practice squad on Halloween and promoted to the main roster seven days later.

Jack Conklin, who started the season at right tackle, has been on injured reserve since the opening series of the season. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. had more staying power and lasted until the Arizona victory, sustaining a severe knee injury that landed him on IR. Rookie Dawand Jones, who replaced Conklin and played well, is out indefinitely with a knee and shoulder.

Also out are wide receivers David Bell and Marquise Goodwin, prompting the Browns to promote Austin Watkins Jr. -- the phenom during the exhibition season -- from the PS in the event Stefanski needs more bodies for heavy wide receivers packages.

His greatest concern, though, should be the security of his quarterback. He has to know the Ravens have a distinct advantage on defense in the trenches. Hudson's main weakness is pass protection. And Christian is the X factor. Guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller are much better in the run game than the passing game. 

Wondering if Stefanski has any plays with a moving pocket in his playbook because Watson will be on the move most of the day against a relentless Baltimore pass rush that has dropped opposing quarterbacks a league-leading 35 times. One of the best weapons against a strong pass rush is the screen pass, which worked nicely when P. J. Walker ran the offense. Watson is more inclined to run.

The Baltimore offense, which has averaged 32.5 points during their current four-game winning streak and  35 per in the last three, presents another tough challenge for the Cleveland defense.

Jackson is completing a career-high 71% of his passes with a receivers corps that might be his best with Andrews, rookie Zay Flowers, ex-Brown Odell Beckham Jr., who missed the first game, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor.

On the ground, the Ravens have their own three-headed monster with Gus Johnson, Justice Hill and Jackson who shredded the Cleveland front seven in the first game. And rookie running back Keaton Mitchell burst onto the scene last Sunday against Seattle, ripping off 138 yards on only nine carries in garbage time.

The stingy Ravens defense, meanwhile, has given up only nine touchdowns this season. And only two touchdowns in four home games. No team has scored more than one TD against the Ravens in nine straight games. The big difference between these two defenses is one has not just a better offense, but a terrific offense.

There are a few pundits on the NFL landscape brave enough to pick the Browns to upset the Ravens, one reasoning they next play Thursday night at home against the hard-charging Cincinnati Bengals and might be looking past the Browns to that very important game.

Of course that's ridiculous. (Full disclosure: I actually contemplated picking an upset here. The loss of Wills and Jones sobered me up.) 

The Browns are too beat up on offense, and the defense will face a better and healthier Ravens team than in week four to even think they have a chance of improving to 6-3. The return of Watson will make little difference if at all. It will be closer, though, than the first game. The Ravens sweep the season series for the umpteenth time. Make it:

Ravens 27, Browns 3

Mid-week thoughts

Remember during last summer's training camp how Browns fans were fed daily doses of how exciting the offense was going to be in the 2023 season now that Elijah Moore was finally in the Seal Brown and Orange?

There was nothing the wide receiver couldn't do. His versatility quotient jumped off the charts. You guys are going to love this guy, we were told. It was as though head coach Kevin Stefanski couldn't wait to choreograph the direction he believed Moore was headed.

He could line up just about anywhere in the various formations and have an impact. Catch the football? Check. Run sweeps? Check. Sudden quickness to make tacklers miss? Check. Talent bursting at the seams all wrapped up in one dynamic package? Check. He was genuinely excited about the new phase of his career.

We are now at roughly the midpoint of the season: Eight games in the books, nine left beginning with Sunday's trip down to Baltimore to face the Ravens, arguably the best team in the AFC. Time to check in on Moore's progress since training camp.

Before looking at the telltale figures, a hint: The silence with regard to that progress has been deafening out of Berea. A lot of head-scratching by Stefanski and his offensive staff wondering when Moore will get started and weaponize what has been an underperforming offense thus far.

In those eight games, Moore has touched the ball 37 times for 282 yards: 29 pass receptions (50 targets) for 270 yards and 12 first downs, a long of 33 yards; eight carries for 11 yards (in five games), and one first down, a long of 19 yards (in the season-opening victory). He has yet to score a touchdown.

The most surprising aspect of this is Moore's silence. One of the reasons he's now in Cleveland was his extreme displeasure with how infrequently the New York Jets targeted him after a nice rookie season in 2021. He wore out his welcome after a shouting match with his offensive coordinator at a practice.

Browns General Manager Andrew Berry tried to get him last season, but was rebuffed. He persisted and finally landed Moore about a month before the 2023 college draft, shipping the Browns' second-round selection for the wide receiver and the Jets' third-round pick.

That's when the Browns' PR machine was revved up. The Browns finally had a young, speedy wide receiver who could stretch the field and make dynamic plays with the football in his hands. We're still waiting.

It has become a failure no one saw coming with no apparent solution in sight. It's almost as though Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt are flummoxed as to how to get Moore going. They seemingly have tried everything.

That Moore hasn't run the ball at all in the last three games could be an indication Stefanski and Van Pelt  have given up on that aspect and are concentrating on what he does best: Catch the football. That's how he got to the NFL.

And now that Donovan Peoples-Jones has been traded and Marquise Goodwin has contributed less than zero to the cause, it's time to let Moore complement Amari Cooper, who has been spectacular but could use a little help to shake some of the frequent double teams he's seen recently

Deshaun Watson definitely needs help to revive a passing offense that seems to have fallen precipitously below expectations. Ramping up Moore's reps would not only add some electricity to this offense, it would help prevent a repeat of what happened to him with the Jets.

If he is as dangerous as Stefanski and his men believe, it is time to start him and make him one of the focal points on that side of the ball. He needs the chance to make plays. After all, isn't that why they got him?

Monday leftovers

The newest member of the Browns' Next Man Up Club is James Hudson III, who has been pretty much a swing offensive tackle and sometimes run blocker in jumbo formations this season. 

The third-year pro will start Sunday's game in Baltimore somewhere along the offensive line after the Browns placed left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. on injured reserve Monday after suffering a high-grade MCL sprain, low-grade PCL sprain and bone bruise in his right knee in Sunday's 27-0 victory over Arizona. 

Wills is expected to miss at least the next six games with the injury, which occurred on the second series of the second half when running back Kareem Hunt rolled into the back of Wills' right leg from behind with about 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Hudson, who began his collegiate career at Michigan before transferring to Cincinnati, has played both tackles for the Browns, booking seven starts in his fist two seasons. The former defensive tackle, who switched to offense at Cincinnati, was drafted by Cleveland in the fourth round of the 2021 college draft.

He was in consideration to replace veteran right tackle Jack Conklin, who went down in the second quarter of the season opener against Cincinnati with two tears in his left knee. Head coach Kevin Stefanski opted instead for rookie Dawand Jones, who has been solid.

Chances are good Hudson will wind up on the left side, becoming Deshaun Watson's blind-side protector, which is a scary thought. Pass protection is not one of Hudson's strongest attributes. He's much more comfortable in the ground game

An option for Stefanski would be moving Jones to the left side because he is much better at pass pro than Hudson. The only problem there is Jones has a strong background on the right side for most, if not all of his career. The difference between the two sides from a blocking angle standpoint is sizable.

Either way, the overall strength of the offensive line has dropped significantly since the beginning of the season. Here we are at the halfway point of the season and one tackle is in the hands of a rookie, albeit a  solid showing this season. The other has flaws that could wind up disastrously.

Then there's Alex Leatherwood on the practice squad. Selected in the first round of the 2021 college draft by the Las Vegas Raiders as an offensive tackle, the well-decorated college lineman struggled in training camp and was moved to right guard, where he started and played every game. Apparently not too well. He was waived in training camp the following season.

After a brief stint with the Chicago Bears last season, Leatherwood was released in this year's training camp. Three days later he was a member of the Cleveland PS. Right now, he and Leroy Watson are the other tackles on the entire roster. The fact no news of his progress has been noted is a bit concerning.

So for the next six weeks at least, barring any movement by the front office with regard to the structure of the main roster, Stefanski almost surely has to game plan differently for no other reason than to protect his quarterback, who is one major shoulder injury away from being done this season.

* * * 

Special teams received a significant boost against Arizona Sunday with the debut of James Proche II, a veteran wide receiver who doubles as a return specialist. The ex-Baltimore Raven is the Browns new punt  returner based on that performance.

The Browns defense forced nine punts from Arizona's Blake Killikin, six of which were fielded by Proche (pronounced pro-SHAY), who flashed smooth open-field moves while heading north and the ability to slip arm tackles during his busy afternoon.

He had returns of five, 17, 12, 20, 16 and 10 yards, which equals 80 yards, but two (20 and 16) were wiped out by holding penalties, bringing the net yardage down to 55. Still, it is an element of special teams that needed -- and received -- improvement.

The Ravens cut Proche at the end of summer training camp and the Browns signed him to the practice squad on Halloween. He was promoted shortly after the Browns traded Donovan Peoples-Jones, who had been their punt-return specialist, to the Detroit Lions.

* * * 

Remember when Stefanski lamented the lack of takeaways by his defense? He also bemoaned his offense played giveaway way too often. Well, one of those problems has been solved and the other shows similar signs.

The offense, which regurgitated the football an alarming 17 times in the first seven games (costing them victories against Pittsburgh and Seattle), finally achieved offensive perfection with regard to ball security in the Arizona victory Sunday.

As for takeaways, that wonderful early defense produced only three in first four games before the bye. Did everything but separate the football from the opposition. All that accomplished was making the offense, which has yet to reach topnotch status this season, work that much more.

But it's like a switch went on coming out of the bye with the San Francisco and Indianapolis victories. The last four outings have produced eye-opening results. The defense has recorded 10 takeaways (six interceptions and four fumble recoveries en route to a 3-1 record).

* * * 

Finally . . . Notice how well Corey Bojorquez is punting this season? The left-footed booter is ranked fourth with 50.5 yards with a net of 43.6. His high, deep punts kept the Cardinals pinned in their territory for pretty much the entire game. . . . Bulletin: Dustin Hopkins finally missed one.  The veteran kicker was wide left from 48 yards early in the fourth quarter, snapping a streak of 12 straight successes. He's still 20-of-23 overall and perfect in seven attempts from 50+.

Don't get too sanguine

There are two ways to look at the Browns' thoroughly-dominating 27-0 victory over the undermanned and marginally talented Arizona Cardinals Sunday by the lake.

The defense that began the season in spectacular fashion but has played inconsistent football the last month or so, splashed back into prominence with a smothering display that completely neutralized the Cardinals, who were without their top two running backs. It was not a fair fight from the first snap.

In recording their first shutout since a Dec. 6, 2007 8-0 home victory over Buffalo in a blizzard by the lake, they limited the Cardinals to seven first downs, 58 net yards on 48 snaps, 1 of 13 on third down, 41 yards on the ground, less than 24 minutes of ball ownership, recorded seven sacks, 10 quarterback hits and forced nine punts in 14 possessions.

It was so bad, the Cardinals ran only five  plays in Cleveland territory all afternoon, the deepest penetration to the Cleveland 44. They had only two splash plays. Both were wiped out by penalties. 

Now flip that coin and you realize who was on the opposite side of the field and the football in this one The Cardinals are now 1-8 and in great shape to get the first overall selection in the next college football draft. So let's not get too excited.

This outcome was expected, but certainly not to this extent, as the Cards delayed the return from off-season knee surgery of Kyler Murray until next week and presented the short straw to rookie Clayton Tune to face the Browns' relentless onslaught in his first professional start.

Considering their overall inconsistency, it's not time to jump back on the bandwagon just yet and declare the defense is back. That would be premature, especially with a trip to Baltimore to face the division-leading Ravens up next.

The offense, capitalizing on three takeaways, made life easier for the return of Deshaun Watson from a month-long, is-he-ready-yet-and-why-not journey as he re-established his role as QB1. His second effort was significantly better than his awful stint in Indianapolis a couple of weeks ago. 

Playing virtually the entire game, Watson looked more confident, comparatively speaking, with many of his throws, especially when he cut loose on completions of 59 and 49 yards to Amari Cooper. He wound up 19 of 30 for 219 yards and touchdown strikes to David Njoku and Cooper on a pass that bounced off the helmet of rookie defensive Dante Stills and into his waiting arms in the end zone.

But he left some plays on the field, lack of timing the biggest deterrent. He needs to work on his mid-range game, the short- and intermediate-range throws that keep chains moving. That's where timing and rhythm play a huge role. Playing every Sunday, in theory, should help.

One of the big differences between Sunday and the Indy game was Watson's ability to navigate the pocket much better, make smarter decisions and plays with his feet without getting hurt. It was also the first time this season that side did not turn the ball over.

The whole unit seemed to run better, not necessarily smoother, with him at the controls, the ground game once again coming through with a solid effort that kept the Cardinals defense guessing. There is still a lot of rust to chip off. But this was definitely a step in that direction.  

Now that he's back, Watson needs to familiarize himself with members of the wide receivers and tight ends room not named Amari or Cooper in order to develop the kind of rhythm this offense requires to get respect from the opposition.

Only five of his targets, outside of Cooper, to wide receivers gained only 14 yards. Cooper grabbed every one of his five targets for 139 yards. That situation needs to change in a hurry.

Sunday's victory featured a cavalcade of stars. The seven sacks were spread among six men, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson leading the way with four tackles, 2.5 sacks and three hits on Tune. Cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Sione Takitaki joined the fun with picks and defensive tackle Shelby Harris strip-sacked the rookie.

The three-headed monster at running back -- still miss Nick Chubb? -- contributed another 90 yards -- Watson added 22 yards with two scrambles and a designed run to give the Browns an unexpected weapon the rest of the way.

Kareem Hunt, proving extremely reliable in the red zone, capped the scoring with his fifth touchdown of the season (all in the last four games), while Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. handled most of the grunt work to keep the chains moving.

What that side of the football needs most of all now is for Watson to remain vertical, work on his timing and finally become the quarterback they thought he'd be at this stage of his career.

Watson saga, Chapter II

Well, well, well, look who's back trying to make another comeback as the Deshaun Watson Saga unspools again Sunday at home against the almost-winless Arizona Cardinals.

The Browns' $230 million quarterback, who sustained major rotator cuff damage to his throwing shoulder in a week three victory over Tennessee, tried to come back two weeks ago from the injury that shelved him for two games.

He shouldn't have. He wasn't ready even though reports from practice that week indicated he looked good. The Indianapolis Colts defense made him look just the opposite, pretty much like a practice squad player. He was tentative, confused and victimized by the speed of the game. He belonged on the bench in street clothes that day.

In what eventually became a 39-38 victory at Indianapolis thanks to a strong relief effort by P. J.Walker, head coach Kevin Stefanski finally called it a day after Watson landed on his bad shoulder during a hard sack on his fourth -- and final -- possession of the game and aggravated the original injury.

Back to rehab and day-to-day status during which he occasionally skipped practice the last couple of weeks, leading to daily questions regarding his availability. It was day-to-day until Stefanski surprised everyone Thursday and Watson was back as QB1.

All of a sudden, we should believe Watson is ready to face game-speed action after just two weeks? He proved last time -- he admitted he might have pushed it trying to come back too soon -- that it was a big mistake.

The question now becomes whether Watson is, indeed, healthy enough to risk attempting it again. His strong (Stefanski's label) practices this week gave the coach the confidence to green-flag it again. "I have a ton of confidence in him," he said. "His teammates have a ton of confidence in him. The important part was having a really good Wednesday, Thursday and Friday." 

Even so, this move smacks of desperation. The Browns are a tenuous 4-3 and beginning to morph into an average, at best, football team with dates against Baltimore (at home) and at Pittsburgh lurking.

The defense is slowly beginning to look vulnerable, not like the unit that stunned the National Football League in the early stages of the season. It would not be incorrect to suggest the rest of the league has caught up to the Browns in all phases of the game and the proper adjustments are not being made.

And now that Watson's back, we surely can expect Stefanski to make some adjustments for an offense that has looked anemic this season no matter who has the huddle, correct? Not exactly. When healthy, Watson has booked just one good game (Tennessee) in 10 games as a starter.

Stefanski's primary goal for this one has to focus on keeping his quarterback vertical at all times with a secondary goal of a clean uniform at the end of the game. Absolutely no toying with this young man's health. Keep it simple.

The plays need to be quick, crisp and on time. No seven-step drops. Ball gone in less than three seconds in the passing game. Lots of pounding on the ground with the three-headed monster of Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr. Lots of misdirection, draws and counters with moving pockets for passes.

In last Sunday's loss in Seattle, Stefanski called a half dozen screen passes. All were successful, catching the Seahawks by surprise and keeping the Browns in the game. No reason not to dial up a few more against the Cards. 

This latest move with Watson is a huge gamble and smacks somewhat of desperation by Stefanski. Starting him against the Colts when he was nowhere near 100% was the first sad chapter of the Watson saga. There's no reason to believe he's that much better now even though he says he's confident this time that he's ready.

Chances are Stefanski will have him on a short leash and a pitch count and ready to yank him if there are any signs he's carelessly placing himself in harm's way. 

It's tempting to say chapter two of the saga will not end well. In theory, though, this one should be easy. The Browns are definitely the better team. The Cardinals have played some close games, but the 1-7 record speaks for itself. 

And with rookie quarterback Clayton Tune making his National Football League starting debut, the Browns falling to 4-4 would be a brutal setback. It will be close, but Dustin Hopkins comes through late in the final quarter once again in a low-scoring game. Make it:

Browns 16, Cardinals 13

Mid-week thoughts

It has become apparent lately that Kevin Stefanski has moved to the state of denial.

The Browns' head coach and wannabe offensive coordinator continues to say, "I like this team, I like the guys we have." It's difficult to think he really believes that. 

There are those who would argue that of course Stefanski likes his players and likes his roster. What else would you expect him to say? He can't say he doesn't. That messes with team morale and the fan base. Gotta keep up a brave front.

Good point, except his team and the players on that team, are slowly falling apart before our eyes and their spectacular start on defense has lost its shimmering luster. If anything, it has become spectacularly inconsistent.

In fact, and this has been pointed out here before, the Browns are a missed field goal with seconds left in the game (San Francisco victory) and two highly questionable calls by officials that helped the Browns  late in the game (Indianapolis victory) away from being 2-5, not 4-3. 

There are other ways to handle something like this. Like not really answering the question posed in a way that sounds plausible. Stefanski is very good at that.

Truth is the Cleveland offense has been mundane the entire season. It is now run by a low-level quarterback who has the job as a starter primarily because the other healthy quarterback on the roster is a wet-behind-the-ears rookie who was terrific in the exhibition season facing bottom-of-the-roster players.

P. J. Walker is at best a practice squad quarterback who has been thrust into a starting role because the Cleveland front office foresaw no one but Deshaun Watson as QB1 for 17 games. With one exception (torn ACL in his rookie season), Watson has answered every bell in his National Football League career when healthy.

Don't blame Walker for being inadequate to the point where every snap becomes an adventure because you never know what you're going to get, especially when he drops back to throw. He is what he is historically. He arrived in Cleveland as a 57% passer from Temple who threw 44 interceptions in his four seasons.

In three games with the Browns, he has completed 49.5% of his passes with one touchdown and five picks (not counting the myriad others that should have been swiped). That's why he has bounced around the NFL for several years.

So unless Stefanski turns to rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Watson, whose rehab is moving at a snail's pace and won't be ready until who knows when, the erratic 5-11, 215-pound Walker is your man. Watson admitted Thursday he wasn't ready to start the Indianapolis game in week seven.

And even if Watson miraculously is ready to take snaps as early as (wishful thinking alert) Sunday (end wishful thinking alert), there is no guarantee he will be the gunslinging quarterback the Browns traded for and gifted with a fully-guaranteed $230 million contract.

So who should own the blame for the current status of the offense? The Cleveland front office, notably General Manager Andrew Berry who had the opportunity to bring back Jacoby Brissett, who signed with Washington as a backup in the offseason. The thinking was Brissett would immediately fit in perfectly having run the Cleveland offense last season.

Berry reportedly attempted to get last season's QB1 for the first 11 weeks of the season, but was rebuffed. Again reportedly, Berry offered a future sixth-round pick. The Commanders supposedly would take nothing less than a late second-day (round three) pick for Brissett, who has not thrown a pass this season.

The Cleveland defense, meanwhile, has sprung a huge leak along the front seven. After surrendering a mind-blowing 156 yards on the ground in the first three games (52 a game), that unit has been gouged for 521 yards in the last four games (130 a game), including an embarrassing 168 in the Indianapolis victory.

The offense gives the ball away, the defense has trouble taking it away. A -7 turnover ratio that shows no signs of turning that minus into a plus is something else that genuinely bothers Stefanski. It's a lack of discipline that shines brightly on the coaching.

If it weren't for the golden leg of kicker Dustin Hopkins, who knows where the Browns would be in the  standings. And with hard-charging Cincinnati making lots of noise now that Joe Burrow is healthy, and Pittsburgh finding ways to win with an anemic offense, it's only a matter of time before the Browns find themselves looking up at the rest of the AFC North.

And now injuries have struck at key spots on the offensive line. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. has foot and ankle injuries. And a shoulder injury sidelined rookie right tackle Dawand Jones in the Seattle loss. Their status for Sunday's home game against Arizona is questionable.

It's hard to like a floundering team like this. The bloom is clearly off the rose.