Well, this game obviously didn’t go as planned for the Cleveland Browns.
The defense finally steps up and holds a team under wraps, but the offensive unit couldn’t put anything together.
Cleveland put together just 10 points in what ended up being a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8.
Somehow, the Browns were winning in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold onto the lead.
This was obviously not one for the record books, but the Browns did have some positive performances to take away from this contest.
1. D’Ernest Johnson
In Week 7, the Browns got an explosive game from running back D’Ernest Johnson.
The 25-year-old ran wild all over the Denver Broncos and finished with 146 yards in the win.
He was named Player of the Week for that epic performance against Denver.
#Browns RB D’Ernest Johnson was named the NFL FedEx Ground Player of the Week. Johnson had 146 yards rushing against the Broncos.
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) October 27, 2021
As expected, Nick Chubb took back a majority of the snaps in the backfield.
Although, Johnson did remain involved and had success with his limited workload.
Johnson rushed four times for 22 yards and one touchdown in the 15-10 loss.
It was not the same type of performance as the week prior, but still a successful game for Johnson.
He averaged 5.5 yards per carry and scored a touchdown, so the Browns will certainly take it.
2. Myles Garrett
As already mentioned, there wasn’t much offensive success for the Browns in this game.
However, the defense stepped up and played well on Sunday.
One of the key performances on defense was by superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett.
He was able to extend his sack streak versus the Steelers on Sunday.
Garrett finished with four tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack in the loss.
Myles Garrett is up to 10.5 sacks on the season.pic.twitter.com/RgYOUpjbEH
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 31, 2021
That sack marked the fourth game in a row that Garrett has taken down the quarterback at least once in a game.
He moved up his sack total to 10.5, which actually leads the league right now.
Honestly, the Browns couldn’t be asking more from their franchise pass rusher.
He is proving to be worth every penny of that massive extension.
3. Malcolm Smith
Last, but certainly not least is the performance by linebacker Malcolm Smith.
The veteran linebacker was a force to be reckoned with against the Steelers.
Smith recorded a season-high 10 tackles in what ended up being a close loss.
He also added a pass defended, but those 10 tackles were a team-high on the day.
This was a nice showing by Smith who has been a bit sluggish lately.
He came into this game with two tackles over his last two games.
To be honest, Smith could be someone worth using as trade bait at the deadline.
He is a veteran linebacker on a one-year deal and coming off his best game of the season.
Possibly, the Browns want to keep him and hope this gives him momentum going forward.
Regardless, it was a rough day for the Browns on Sunday, but at least there were a few hidden gems.
Hopefully, things will turn around against the Cincinnati Bengals next week.
NEXT: Jarvis Landry Has Honest Admission About His Performance