Coming into the 2023 season, a lot of the attention for the Cleveland Browns was on the offensive side of the ball. People were focused on quarterback Deshaun Watson and whether or not he would regain the form he showed earlier in his career with the Houston Texans.
That remains a topic of discussion, but not a positive one, for the Browns. Watson hasn’t gotten close to regaining that form and star running back Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland is also lacking a third option at wide receiver in the passing game.
But, for all the shortcomings the offense has had, the defense has more than made up for it. The Browns are currently fifth in the NFL in points allowed and first in yardage surrendered. Moving the ball against them this season has been extremely difficult, a big improvement from last season when they were 20th and 14th, respectively.
Over at PFF, the Browns have the No. 10 ranked overall defensive grade, buoyed by their 90.0 pass-rushing grade, which is third in the NFL. That pass-rushing has been dominant, led by Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith. Ogbo Okonkwo, Maurice Hurst and Dalvin Tomlinson have also chipped in.
That success in getting after the passer is a big reason why Cleveland has surrendered only 607 yards through the air in five games this season. That has played a big part in the Browns getting off to a historic start on that side of the ball.
According to NFL345, via JPAFootball on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Browns have allowed 1,002 yards through their first five games. That is the third-fewest total yards allowed since 1970, trailing only the 1971 Baltimore Colts, who gave up 836, and the 1970 Minnesota Vikings, who gave up 945.
Given how much the game has changed since then, becoming a more pass-happy league, that is quite an accomplishment for the Browns. Giving up 300 yards is considered a win by many people for a defense in the modern NFL; holding your opponent to about 200 per game is unheard of.
If the offense can start clicking, Cleveland is going to be a team no one wants to play as the season wears on. With one of the best defensive units in the NFL, they are going to be a tough out week in and week out.
