3 Takeaways from Browns' Week 7 Win vs. Colts

The Cleveland Browns faced a potential trap game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7. The Browns were coming off a huge upset win over the San Francisco 49ers and were facing a competitive Colts team on the road.

However, the Browns successfully avoided the trap, winning a thrilling 39-38 track meet with Indianapolis.

It was anything but a pretty win. Cleveland's vaunted defense struggled to find answers against Gardner Minshew II, Jonathan Taylor and the Colts offense. Starting QB Deshuan Watson exited with another injury, and one could argue that the Browns benefited greatly from a very questionable pass-interference call on their final drive.

But Kareem Hunt provided the last of 77 combined points when he plunged across the goal line on 4th down with mere seconds remaining. Cleveland moves to 4-2 on the season and remains firmly in the AFC North hunt with the hard-fought victory.

Here are our biggest takeaways.

Watson exited the game in the first half after taking a hard shot and landing on the back of his head and on his injured shoulder. He was evaluated for a concussion, and while he cleared protocol, he did not return.

According to head coach Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland wanted to be cautious with its quarterback, who has missed the last two games with a rotator cuff strain.

"Deshaun took that big hit on the shoulder," Stefanski said, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. "He cleared concussion protocol, but I just did not want to put him back out there. I wanted to protect our franchise quarterback. That was my decision."

It's clear that the Browns have learned their lesson when it comes to quarterbacks and shoulder injuries. Baker Mayfield suffered a significant shoulder injury in 2021, tried to play through it for most of the season, and the offense suffered. Cleveland is not willing to go a similar route with Watson.

The fact that Watson wasn't playing particularly well (1-of-5 for five yards and an INT) likely made Stefanski's decision a little easier. For the second straight week, the offense relied on quarterback P.J. Walker, and for the second consecutive game, Walker helped lead a comeback victory.

The Browns defense came into Week 7 with plenty of hype. It had allowed the fewest yards (1,002) through five games of any NFL team since 1971. Opponents were converting just 23.1 percent of their third downs against Cleveland.

However, Minshew and the Colts carved up the Cleveland defense like no other team has this season. Indianapolis racked up 456 yards, 38 points and a 46.7-percent third-down conversion rate.

Yet, Cleveland's vaunted defense still found ways to lift the Browns to victory.

Myles Garrett led the charge with two sacks, two forced fumbles and one of the most outstanding blocked field goals we're likely to see this season. Tony Fields II recovered one of Garrett's strip-sacks in the end zone for a touchdown, and Denzel Ward chipped in with a pick.

Cleveland finished with four takeaways which equals their total from the first five games.

With Watson again injured and the passing game again struggling, the Browns desperately needed their defense to make big plays. While Jim Schwartz's unit didn't do it in shutdown fashion as it has for most of the season, it made enough plays to get the win.

If there's one truly alarming takeaway, aside from another Watson injury, it's that Cleveland's defense was hurt by several communication issues.

Several of Indianapolis' biggest plays seemed to come against blown coverages. The problem was compounded by an inconsistent tackling effort—which was on full display during Michal Pittman Jr.'s go-ahead 75-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

These were issues we saw under former defensive coordinator Joe Woods last season, not what we've become accustomed to seeing under Schwartz.

"The biggest thing is we all have to get on the same page," Ward said last September, per Easterling.

Cleveland defensive backs have mostly been on the same page this season, but that certainly wasn't the case for all four quarters of Sunday's win. The issue may not get a ton of media attention during the week, but it's a problem that Cleveland cannot ignore.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers at 4-2 and the Baltimore Ravens at 5-2, the Browns are locked in a brutal divisional race. The upcoming schedule will be tough, with a road trip to face the Seattle Seahawks preceding games against the Arizona Cardinals, Ravens and Steelers.

If Cleveland wants to win its first division title since returning to the league in 1999, it cannot give up easy yards missed assignments and poor tackling.