Browns Still Have One Major Problem To Address

Even though the Cleveland Browns are riding high and about to play for first place in the AFC North, things are far from perfect. They have trailed in the fourth quarter in both of their victories and were helped by penalties committed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers, respectively.

The Browns also didn’t help themselves in that regard, particularly in their 21-18 win against the Panthers. It didn’t cost them on Sunday, but it will eventually, perhaps as soon as Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As ESPN insider Daniel Oyefusi points out, the Browns still have one major problem to address, and that is the number of penalties they commit.

“The Browns were flagged for 14 penalties, including declined flags, in their Week 3 win over the Panthers. It was the most in a game for Cleveland since a Week 6 win over the 49ers in the 2023 season. Cleveland’s 34 total penalties are the second most in the NFL,” Oyefusi posted.

The Browns were flagged for 14 penalties, including declined flags, in their Week 3 win over the Panthers. It was the most in a game for Cleveland since a Week 6 win over the 49ers in the 2023 season.

Cleveland's 34 total penalties are the second most in the NFL.

— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) September 28, 2026

Strangely, this could actually be a reason for optimism for the Browns. Head coach Todd Monken is well aware of the issue, and he is warning the rest of the NFL that his team will be even more dangerous once they correct it.

However, it also could be seen as a major problem, particularly when you consider how much emphasis Monken placed on playing clean football during spring workouts, training camp, and the preseason. He is hyperfocused on the offense being on top of their operation, but they have committed two delay of game infractions and seven false starts.

The 12 accepted penalties against the Panthers cost the Browns 84 yards. They also committed six accepted penalties for 60 yards in their 23-19 win against the Buccaneers. By comparison, the Green Bay Packers lead the NFL with 32 accepted penalties, and they are 1-2.

The least penalized teams in the league — the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, and San Francisco 49ers — have a combined record of 11-3, with the Eagles, Vikings, and 49ers all undefeated. So, it is an important component of success.

The Browns still have a long way to go to reach the level of some of those teams, and one of the steps would be cleaning up their penalties sooner rather than later.