Things might have looked ugly at times for the Cleveland Browns offense on Sunday.
But it wasn’t like Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals were doing any better with a wet, heavy ball.
Cleveland got the best of Cincinnati in their 24-3 victory.
And as OBR’s Brad Stainbrook points out, the Browns offense was actually rather prolific in the rain.
#Browns had 17 offensive plays of 10+ yards on Sunday, which was third in the NFL for week one. Only Miami and Los Angeles had more.
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) September 13, 2023
Cleveland ran 17 plays that went for 10 yards or more, the third-best mark in the NFL’s opening weekend.
Those plays offset a lot of short runs and incomplete passes.
Their 350 total yards and Watson’s 16/29/154 line were nothing to write home about.
But if the defense looks half as good as they did Sunday, 24 points-per-week will win a lot of games.
Nick Chubb ran for 10 or more yards five times during the game and tacked on a 10-yard pass.
Jerome Ford’s 17-yard scamper and Elijah Moore’s 19-yard end-around were the longest runs of the day.
Watson completed eight passes that went for 10 yards, and he picked up 10+ on the ground three times.
PFF cited one big stat that shows the impact of the offensive line on the offense.
!!!! Wyatt Teller with a 🥞 20 yards downfield. pic.twitter.com/MPsPoXlXZE
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 10, 2023
Cleveland’s rushing total included 82 yards before contact, the second most of any team Sunday.
And this is despite sub-par run-blocking grades for both Jedrick Wills and Dawand Jones.
Jones held up perfectly in the passing game, allowing zero pressures on 20 pass snaps.
Cleveland hopes to show a national TV audience what they can do in better weather Monday night.
NEXT: Analyst Notes Key Change Browns Defense Made In Week 1
