After a poor performance against the Washington Commanders in Week 5, multiple questions about the Browns’ defense came to light as the unit had suffered a significant drop-off from last year’s performance in comparison to the start of the season.
The Browns surrendered 34 points to the Commanders, and Cleveland was searching for answers as the unit that was supposed to be among the league’s best ranked as a middle-of-the-road pack to start 2024.
Those fortunes seem to be changing, however.
In back-to-back weeks, the Browns held their opponents to only two touchdowns, not allowing their opponents more than 20 points in losses to Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
While the Browns allowed 24 points against Baltimore, the Ravens were scoring over 31 points heading into the contest.
One thing that helped the Cleveland defense show some life was their defensive front’s ability to put pressure on the opposing quarterbacks.
Cleveland did just that on Sunday against Baltimore.
PFF shared that two Browns defenders – Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith – led the league in the most quarterback pressures in Week 8 with the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year ranking first with nine pressures.
The most QB pressures from Sunday Week 8 👀 pic.twitter.com/uN0ZjnKbXq
— PFF (@PFF) October 28, 2024
Smith notched eight quarterback pressures against the Ravens, equaling the second-best mark for the squad.
The defensive ends helped to rush quarterback Lamar Jackson, and the 2023 MVP had one of his poorest performances this season.
Jackson completed a season-worst 60.5 percent of his passes and was sacked three times on the afternoon, the most times he’s been sacked during a contest in 2024.
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