For Pete's Sake -Browns vs Vikings Victory Wednesday
On this week's episode of For Pete's Sake, Nicole Chatham and I discuss the Cleveland Browns victory on the road against the Minnesota Vikings.
Initial feelings on being 3-1, Nicole noted this is a game the Browns have traditionally lost. My view was that this team is hard wired to win the way that would often have me frustrated seeing the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens win games they seemingly shouldn't.
We start by talking about the defense and the seemingly unending amount of good things we see from this group. Nicole compared it to an orchestra in how well everything is flowing together.
A huge game for Greedy Williams as he shows how deep the Browns can be. M.J. Stewart and Elijah Lee both factored in the game as well in reserve roles.
If there's one player that is representative of the job Joe Woods is doing, I think it's Jadeveon Clowney. He's a critical part of the defense and he's playing at a high level. He wasn't as effective with the Tennessee Titans or the Seattle Seahawks. It hasn't been since he was with the Houston Texans that he's been playing this well.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Grant Delpit continue to flourish.
Offensively, we delve into a number of issues. I start with Odell Beckham and how normally rational people are buying into the irrational. Baker Mayfield's poor game had nothing to do with Beckham. He just didn't play well.
Nicole, who watched every pass six times, was kinder than I was to Mayfield in terms of grading his performance, though she did argue that he's feeling pressure when it's not there as a result of not trusting what has inconsistent protection.
I give my analysis of where I think the shoulder is impacting Mayfield. It's not in what he's doing, but what the offense isn't doing since he injured his shoulder. The rest of it comes down to mechanical failures. Those are issues he needs to correct as well as simply playing better under pressure.
We also delve into the issues on the offensive line. The health issues at left tackle persist. Jack Conklin was playing an outstanding player in Danielle Hunter, which generated pressure. And Wyatt Teller's play continues to be mediocre.
We wrap up with a look at the special teams and Nicole's mom talk with Demetric Felton returning punts and her number one rule.
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