3 Takeaways from Browns' Week 9 Win vs. Cardinals

The Cleveland Browns got back into the win column on Sunday with a 27-0 dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals started rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune on Sunday, and they never found a rhythm against Cleveland's aggressive defense. While it was another subpar day for the Browns offense, it avoided the sort of game-altering mistakes that plagued Cleveland in its Week 8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

While it was a decisive win for Cleveland, it came at a cost. The Browns lost both wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (concussion) and left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) during the game.

The Browns moved to 5-3 with the win but they carry plenty of questions heading into a pivotal Week 10 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Here are our biggest takeaways from Cleveland's Week 9 win over the Cardinals.

Early in the season, the Browns defense looked like it might be the league's best. Over the past three games, however, opponents have found ways to make strides against Jim Schwartz's unit.

Cleveland had gone 2-1 since the bye week, but its defense allowed an average of 344 yards and 26.3 points during that span. The defense needed a chance to regain its confidence, and the Cardinals and their rookie quarterback provided it.

Tune threw for a mere 58 yards, Arizona netted just 50 yards, and the Browns recorded their first shutout since 2007. The Cardinals had just seven first downs and never drove further than the Cleveland 40-yard line.

This is exactly how a defense led by Myles Garrett, Dalvin Tomlinson, Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit should have performed at home against Arizona. This doesn't mean that the defense can't take a little momentum out of the game, and it should.

The upcoming schedule is tough, with road games against the Ravens and Denver Broncos sandwiched around a rematch with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson started and finished a game for the first time since Week 3. He's missed three of the last four with a shoulder injury and only played briefly against the Indianapolis Colts before being replaced by P.J. Walker.

In many ways, Sunday provided a tune-up game for Watson ahead of back-to-back AFC North showdowns. With all due respect to the Cardinals, Arizona hasn't exactly been a daunting challenge for opposing quarterbacks.

Coming into Sunday, the Cardinals ranked 27th in net yards per pass attempt allowed, 26th in total yards allowed and 27th in points allowed.

Watson did some good things on Sunday, finishing 19-of-30 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and a 107.5 passer rating—though his first touchdown was really a heads-up play by Amari Cooper who caught the deflection off of a defender's helmet. Watson's 49-yard strike to Cooper in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty.

However, the Browns offense was again out of sync, and Watson did little to prevent Arizona from focusing on stopping the run. The Browns averaged just 2.8 yards per carry and 4.6 yards per play while converting only six of 17 third-down attempts.

If the Browns hope to steal a victory in Baltimore next week, they have to get a better performance from their quarterback.

Injuries have been an issue for Cleveland all season. They lost starting right tackle Jack Conklin to a season-ending knee injury in Week 1. They lost star runner Nick Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. They may have lost left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. to a season-ending knee injury on Sunday.

Wills exited the game on a cart and with an air cast on his right leg and was immediately ruled out. We'll likely learn the severity of the injury on Monday, but Cleveland will probably be without both Goodwin and Wills against Baltimore.

That's a massive issue. While Wills has been average at best this season, he's the top option Cleveland has at left tackle. With the trade deadline in the rear view, the Browns may struggle to find a viable replacement—it was James Hudson III on Sunday.

That's obviously not ideal with the Ravens and Steelers looming.

Goodwin's injury further depletes a receiving corps that didn't have David Bell (knee) in Week 9 and dumped Donovan Peoples-Jones at the trade deadline.

The Browns are surely glad to come out of Week 9 with a win, but head coach Kevin Stefanski must now scramble to adjust.