Browns Could Sweep Remaining Four Games
The Cleveland Browns are effectively out of the playoffs, but they could finish out the season with four straight wins and there is plenty of incentive to make that happen. Not only are the Browns seeing major strides from Deshaun Watson, which is going to improve the offense and they face four beatable teams.
It won't be easy. Nothing the Browns have done this season has been easy. That doesn't change the fact the Browns are playing with a renewed sense of purpose with Watson entering the lineup at the quarterback position. Both the defense and special teams are improving at the same time Watson is, which could make the Browns a formidable opponent.
Players are bought in, enthusiastically saying all the right things and leaders such as Myles Garrett have been clear in their message that the goal is to go 1-0 every week, echoing head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Most of the roster that isn't already locked in for at least the 2023 season is young enough that they need every opportunity to prove themselves. Further, some of the young players who are starting to come on such as rookie defensive linemen Perrion Winfrey and Alex Wright are going to try to keep growing to finish out the season.
Watson's private quarterback coach, Quincy Avery, estimated that Watson would need three weeks to return to his top form. The Baltimore Ravens at home on Saturday would be mark the third week.
The Ravens are hurting on offense. With both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley dealing with injuries, the Ravens may be forced to start Anthony Brown unless there's another quarterback they plan to utilize. It's been tough sledding for the Ravens to score points in recent weeks and this certainly won't help. The Browns under defensive coordinator Joe Woods have been effective against divisional opponents. If they can combine that with improvements the unit has made in the past few weeks, they could keep the Ravens offense in check.
That should provide Watson and the Browns offense time to figure out how to beat a talented Raven defense, which has improved in recent weeks. Not only have they added talent in linebacker Roquan Smith, acquired at the trade deadline, but they also got safety Marcus Williams back from injured reserve at free safety who played this past week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That represents a dramatic upgrade to the middle of their defense. Hardly a gimme, the leap Watson has made from game one to game two suggests the timing might be right for the Browns to grab a win here.
The other element at play here is this will also be three weeks of adapting the offense around Watson. There's a significant influx of inside zone to facilitate their run pass option looks. It's an adjustment for the offensive line, backs and receivers. At times, it has produced impressive results but there have been some clunky plays and penalties along the way.
Nowhere is this more important than the offensive front. One of the biggest strengths of the team for the last two and a half season, this group has struggled the past month. It's not any single player either. It's a group wide problem. Hjalte Froholdt is struggling at center when he's really a guard. Maybe they get Michael Dunn back this week and can play him. They also have Greg Mancz available.
The issue that's difficult to project is the health of players like Wyatt Teller and Jack Conklin. Both are limited by ailments and a short week probably won't help. Nevertheless, increased comfort in an adjusting offense could still see some improvement.
In the first matchup between these two teams, the Browns were horrendous on special teams and it was a major reason the Ravens won 23-20. The last three games, the Browns special teams has been an unexpected positive. They were the better unit against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens are one of the best in the league on special teams, so it's not likely the Browns are going to win that matchup. They simply need to avoid being a liability.
The following week, the Browns host the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have been largely awful, but they have mixed in some inspired performances. For example, they shut the Las Vegas Raiders out 24-0. The problem is they don't travel well with a road record of just 1-5 compared to a 3-4 mark at home. They are also currently on a series of road games. Coming off their bye to play the Atlanta Falcons, it will be interesting to see if there's any kind of bump in their play.
The Saints have a solid defense. It's been their biggest strength. In part due to injuries, the Saints have been a mediocre offense. Rookie wide receiver Chris Olave has been great, but it's an aging roster that isn't getting much production out of its veterans. On the season, the Saints have averaged 20.4 points per game, but in their last six games, they've managed just 15 per contest. It's unclear just how much better they can get.
This should be the most winnable game remaining.
Each of their last two games are on the road, starting with the Washington Commanders. This is likely to be the might be the most difficult game left on the schedule. Their defense is good led by a nightmarish front.
If the Browns offensive line continues to struggle, that game could be brutal. Montez Sweat, Johnathan Allen, Daron Payne and they might play Chase Young by then. The Browns were dismantled by the Cincinnati Bengals front. This could be just as bad, if not worse. However, it's possible the Browns might get center Ethan Pocic back by then coming off of his injury, which could make a difference.
Nevertheless, this is where Watson will need to be his best. The Browns must be able to create offense consistently while possibly getting little if any push up front. This is largely how the Browns had to operate against the Bengals. They had their chances, but couldn't execute enough. By this point, the hope is they are clicking and can cause problems, showing why they acquired Watson in the first place.
Adding to the difficulty, the Commanders also boast the NFL's best performing safety tandem this season with Kamren Curl and Darrick Forest. Once again, this is similar to the challenges the Bengals posed on that side of the ball with Jessie Bates and Von Bell.
The Commanders have also gotten a spark on offense with the switch to Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. They boast an excellent set of weapons, featuring a talented pair of backs and a dynamic receiver room, which could put stress on the Browns defense. If they struggle to control the line of scrimmage and put pressure on Heinicke, they could be in for a long day.
Washington has won six of their last eight and just had their bye. They also need to keep winning to keep their playoff hopes alive in a take no prisoners NFC East division. If there is good news, it's that they have to face the New York Giants again followed by a road trip against the San Francisco 49ers. That could prove grueling before they host the Browns on New Year's Day.
That game will be a difficult test, but it could provide the best showcase for what's to come from the Watson-led offense.
Finally, the season concludes with a rematch in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. The Browns were able to defeat them at home all the way back in week 3. The Browns didn't face rookie Kenny Pickett nor did they have future Hall of fame pass rusher T.J. Watt.
In the first matchup, the Steelers enjoyed success running the ball with Najee Harris in the first half, but simply stopped in the second. Some of that may have been dictated by an ailment Harris was dealing with, but when the Steelers went almost exclusively to a passing attack, the Browns took control of the game.
The Steelers defense has been good. Good enough to enable a half decent offense to win games. The problem is they don't have have a half decent offense, which has left the defense on the field to languish at times. The offense for the Steelers is going through a major transition that is headlined by the switch to Pickett.
On the season, they are averaging just 17.5 points per game, sixth worst in the league. It's been slightly better in recent weeks, but Pickett went into concussion protocol against the Baltimore Ravens. It's unclear if he'll be able to play against the Carolina Panthers of if he'll have to wait until they host the Raiders.
Critics have charged that this time hasn't played hard the whole season, extrapolating that as a means to undermine the coaching staff. This four game stretch should be illuminating since they are playing for themselves. But given the way the Browns have played in recent weeks and just how important these games are to Watson, it's more likely the Browns play their best football of the season.
The Browns want to set the tone for the offseason for themselves, but also to get free agents excited about the possibility of playing in Cleveland. Watson playing well would be their biggest selling point, but finishing 4-0 and coming out of this season with a 9-8 record certainly wouldn't hurt.
The 2022 Cleveland Browns season was almost entirely about Deshaun Watson and he's only played two of his six games. The remaining four are as important as any this season.
