3 Takeaways from Browns' Week 3 Win vs. Titans
For the second time over the first three weeks of the 2023 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns put on a dominant performance. They completely outplayed the Tennessee Titans in all facets of the game on Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
The Browns cruised to a 27-3 victory and improved to 2-1, as they won in lopsided fashion. It was a similar performance to Week 1, when they defeated the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals 24-3 at home.
Cleveland held a 10-point halftime lead against Tennessee, then scored all 14 points of the second half. The only points scored by the Titans came on a 44-yard field goal by Nick Folk 46 seconds into the second quarter.
Here are three takeaways from the Browns' impressive Week 3 showing.
The Defense Is Proving to Be Among the Best in NFL
Cleveland's defense has gotten off to quite a strong start in its first year under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. And Sunday's performance was its most impressive yet.
Not only did Tennessee score only three points, but it finished with 94 total yards and only six first downs. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 13 of his 25 passes and was sacked five times as the Titans went 2-for-12 on third downs. The Browns didn't force any turnovers, but they also didn't need to because of how dominant they were on that side of the ball.
"I think it's a pretty good glimpse of what we can be," said defensive end Myles Garrett (who collected 3.5 sacks), per The Athletic's Zac Jackson.
According to ESPN's Jake Trotter, Cleveland is the first team since at least 1978 to allow no touchdowns or field goals in the red zone through its first three weeks of the season. The Browns are allowing an NFL-low 163.7 total yards per game and has been effective at stopping both the pass and run, which should bode well for them moving forward.
Ford Contributes, Still Has Room to Improve
Without star running back Nick Chubb (left knee injury), Cleveland's offense is missing its top offensive playmaker. But Jerome Ford is proving he could become a key contributor now that the 23-year-old will have a larger role in his second NFL season.
Ford, who entered Sunday with only career touchdown, got into the end zone twice against the Titans. He notched a 19-yard receiving TD in the second quarter, then scored his first NFL rushing touchdown in the third.
"Jerome is a heck of a player," fellow Browns running back Kareem Hunt said, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. "Talented, can catch the ball, run it, too. And I think he did a great job."
Hunt re-signed with Cleveland last week, but Ford is the starting RB for now. However, he'll need to be a bit more effective in future weeks. Despite his pair of TDs, he had only 18 yards on 10 carries and two receptions for 33 yards. So there's room for him to improve down the line.
Watson Takes Big Step Forward as Offensive Leader
Sunday marked Deshaun Watson's ninth start for the Browns, and it may have been his best yet. That shouldn't come as a surprise, as the 28-year-old quarterback is likely to continue to get better as he becomes more comfortable in Cleveland's offense.
Watson went 27-for-33 for 289 yards (his most in a game with the Browns), two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was his first time with multiple passing TDs this season, as well as his first game in which he wasn't picked off.
"That's Deshaun, that's who he is," Cleveland wide receiver Amari Cooper said, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press. "He's just going to continue to amaze us all every week."
There's a good chance that Cooper is right. Watson is playing well early in his second season in Cleveland, and with so much talent around him on offense, he's set up to have quite a bit more success in 2023.