Joe Woods Defensive Gameplan Stifles Titans Offense
Both defensives entered the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans with a focus on stopping the opponents vaunted running attack and while they were ultimately successful, the defense led by Joe Woods was able to get key stops that enabled the Browns to build an insurmountable lead.
The Browns were going to struggle with Derrick Henry if he was able to gain momentum running to the line of scrimmage, so the entire focus for the Browns defensive scheme was to win at the line of scrimmage to make Henry alter his course. Any time Henry had to bounce, bend, or just hesitate, it was a win for the defense.
Woods simply chose to put a fifth defensive lineman in the game in Jordan Elliott. Larry Ogunjobi played a true zero over the nose and Sheldon Richardson and Elliott played in various gaps depending on the situation over the guards. For all intents and purposes it was a bear front, but with some flexibility.
Myles Garrett was still on one end and Olivier Vernon on the other, but the Browns had a defensive front that wasn't outsized and their group was more athletic. And by virtue of playing five on five, it made it virtually impossible to double team anyone.
On the 4th-and-1 play, Ogunjobi fired off and drove center Ben Jones into the backfield while Richardson knifed inside the left guard and was immediately driving on Henry's hip and forcing his legs to hit the ground short of the first down.
The following drive, Richardson is able to create penetration and rip the ball out of Henry's arms, the first for Henry this season. Karl Joseph recovers and the Browns offense takes over with a ton of confidence.
The Browns received the opening kick and went down the field for a field goal. After each stop, the Browns scored touchdowns and suddenly the Browns were up 17-0. Henry was effectively taken out of the game, enabling the Browns to focus almost entirely on slowing down the Titans passing attack.
Henry finished with 60 rushing yards on the day, his second lowest output of the season.
It cannot be understated how critical a role the Browns offense played in enabling the defense to focus on taking away one aspect of the Titans offense at a time, but the gameplan Woods used for this game did everything they hoped for in setting the Browns up to win.
The Titans were able to score a quick touchdown to get on the board at 17-7, but the defense, now focused on just slowing down Ryan Tannehill and their receivers were able to keep them off the scoreboard the rest of the first half.
The Browns secondary is an awful matchup for the Titans, because their weapons are simply enormous. Their receivers A.J. Brown and Corey Davis are built like linebackers with terrific speed. The Browns secondary was without Denzel Ward and Ronnie Harrison due to injury, so players like M.J. Stewart were pressed into duty.
Nevertheless, the defense largely able to focus on a one-dimensional offense made them more competitive, which helped limit Titans to just two of ten on third down conversions for the game.
The Browns took a commanding 38-7 lead into the half. Plenty will focus on the second half struggles of the defense and how easily the Titans scored 28 points, which is fair, but the Browns offense was just as culpable.
Arguably more so since the Browns offense is the side of the ball that's supposed to be good while the defense largely regressed to expectations. The Browns offense amassed 338 yards of total offense and 38 points in the first half to then create just 120 yards and three points in the second.
The Browns lost some of their intensity in the second half. They didn't play with the same focus and energy. The Titans regained their composure at the break, which enabled them to make the game closer than it should've been. A defense without a ton of talent found itself exploited and since holding and illegal use of hands were legal when applied to Myles Garrett, it made it virtually impossible for him to close out the game.
Joe Woods is probably more frustrated with the second half performance of the defense than anyone, but the defensive gameplan the Browns utilized allowed the offense to take total control of the game. This game might be Kevin Stefanski's most successful game of his head coaching career for what the offense was able to do, but this Browns completely outcoached the Titans on both sides of the ball.
