New York Giants Week 3: A Look at the Cleveland Browns Offense

The New York Giants face a struggling Cleveland Browns offense led by Deshaun Watson.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) warms up before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Giants defense played a solid game against the Washington Commanders despite taking the loss. With the Cleveland Browns offense struggling, the Giants have the opportunity to have another strong showing.

Personnel

The Browns gave the Giants competition for the worst QB contract in the NFL with the deal they gave Deshaun Watson.

To this point, Watson hasn’t been the saving grace that the offense was looking for and while he’s still a clearly talented QB, things just aren’t clicking.

It’s not all on Watson so far as the Browns receivers have eight (8!) drops so far this season. Daniel Jones has the second-most dropped passes with six, for comparison.

Amari Cooper has 15 targets and three drops. Elijah Moore has 14 targets and 3 drops. 

Jerry Jeudy, who’s struggled with drops throughout his career is currently leading the Browns in receiving with 98 yards.

The trio of Cooper, Jeudy, and Moore has been underwhelming so far as the offense is seriously struggling to finding their rhythm.

Jerome Ford is the lead back while Nick Chubb is still out and he’s got the Saquon Barkley “boom or bust” style. 

Ford has the 15th-highest EPA per rush so far but he’s down at the 29th-highest success rate so far. 

It’s important to acknowledge that the Browns offensive line has been dealing with injuries as neither Jedrick Wills nor Jack Conklin have made their season debuts yet.

Their line from left to right has been James Hudson III, Joel Bitonio, Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller, and Dawand Jones.

The left side of that line has been nothing short of a mess so far in the passing game - which Giants fans should recognize could be because of one weak link leading to chaos.

When Wills returns and Hudson III goes to the bench, the line should be much improved. I’m still skeptical of Pocic but Bitonio should provide some more stability next to Wills.

Scheme

The Browns offense is an interesting to watch with the way that they seem like they’re still trying to figure out ways to generate consistent gains.

One thing they do often is put a sixth or seventh offensive lineman on the field, put one of the linemen in motion, and try to run behind him as a lead blocker.

Nick Harris and Zak Zinter, both interior linemen, will usually be the pullers on those plays.

One thing Giants fans can expect to see as well is receivers motioning in and out of the backfield.

The Browns can create free releases and mismatches by motioning someone like Jeudy or Moore into the backfield and putting the defense in a situation where there might be a linebacker matched up on a receiver.

It’s hard to tell if this is because of the offensive line injuries or trying to get Watson back on track but the short passing game has been the focal point in Cleveland.

50.6% of Watson’s passes have been thrown between the line of scrimmage and ten yards downfield, the sixth highest-rate in the NFL.

That strategy hasn’t worked either as he’s completed just 62.5% of those passes, third-lowest in the NFL with one touchdown and two interceptions for a 58.3 passer rating.

Watson’s legs have been part of the gameplan as well as he’s got ten carries for 59 yards and a touchdown this season.

His touchdown came in week two: 

Touchdown 1️⃣ today… 🔥

The @Browns offense eats up a ton of clock in the first quarter with this drive that ends with a Deshaun Watson keep for the touchdown!#CLEvsJAX x #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/fekmqX9iia

— BROWNS OR DIE 💀 (@BrownsorDie) September 15, 2024

Once on the goal line, the Browns empty the backfield and run QB power to easily score. 

Overview

I think the Giants should pull a page out of former defensive coordinator (and current Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator) Steve Spagnuolo’s playbook: if a team is going to run a condensed set against us, we are going to blitz a DB.

The fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line and giving your fastest players that path should benefit you. Against the Jaguars, the Browns frequently would bring their outside receiver just outside the shoulder of a tight end - blitz a corner or nickel there and you can wreak havoc early in the play.

After blitzing just 23.1% of the time in week one, the Giants blitzed on 31.6% of snaps against the Commanders in week two - the 10th-highest rate in the NFL in week two.

The issue in week two was allowing yards after the catch and for as often as the Browns throw short, that has to be corrected in week three.

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