The Cleveland Browns picked up a huge victory in Week 11 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That pushed their record to 7-3 on the season, making them one of five teams in the AFC with three losses to this point.
Chasing down the 8-3 Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North race is certainly easier said than done. Accomplishing that without three key players on offense, quarterback Deshaun Watson, running back Nick Chubb and left tackle Jack Conklin, makes it an even taller task.
However, their defense will give them a chance to win the division and be the No. 1 seed in the conference. Cleveland has been dominant on that side of the ball, ranking sixth in points allowed and first in yardage.
Star defensive end Myles Garrett has been leading the charge as the highest-graded defensive player in the NFL per PFF with a 93.2 overall grade. Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers are right behind him with grades of 92.8.
One of the most impressive stats for Garrett and the defense ties into their yardage prevention. As shared by Dan Murphy of the Browns PR team, Cleveland is first in the NFL with only 125 first downs allowed. How impressive of a number is that? The second-place team, the Dallas Cowboys, sits at 163, allowing 28 more.
On top of the first downs allowed, Cleveland is also leading the NFL with an opponent third-down conversion rate of 25.4 percent. The impact that Jim Schwartz has had on this unit has been incredibly impressive. The Browns’ record in 2022 was as poor as it was in large part because their defense was unable to get stops consistently.
That has not been an issue in 2023 as they are getting the job done week in and week out. This is a championship-caliber defense that can lead the team to promised land even with a shaky quarterback situation led by rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
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