Just like any other team, the 2022 preseason for the Cleveland Browns is underway.
They defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first week of preseason thanks to the efforts of Joshua Dobbs and Jerome Ford.
The Browns would like the same result against the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears to build momentum coming into the regular season.
However, they cannot afford to commit several blunders if they are to rack up more victories.
The Athletic’s Jon Machota pointed out how the Browns’ infractions against Jacksonville compared to teams with the most penalties in their first preseason game this year.
Most penalties in first preseason game this year:
Cowboys: 17 (129 yards)
Patriots: 12 (89)
Browns: 11 (139)
Bengals: 11 (104)
Texans: 11 (99)
Bills: 11 (90)
Chargers: 9 (120)— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 14, 2022
The Browns are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills with 11 penalties.
However, Cleveland has the most penalty yards among the group with 139.
The Bengals follow with 104 while the Texans and the Bills have 99 and 90, respectively.
Even the Dallas Cowboys who had more penalties (17) had fewer yards (129) than the Browns.
Completing the list are the New England Patriots with 12 penalties for 89 yards and the Los Angeles Chargers with nine penalties for 120 yards.
Penalties Can Kill A Team’s Momentum
Luckily, the Browns still have time to reverse this trend.
After all, preseason is when teams come together again to test what they’ve been working on at training camp.
However, it isn’t reassuring that penalties are like a recurring sickness for the Browns.
Last season, Cleveland ranked ninth in penalties against with 112.
However, their ranking goes up to seventh in yards against with 1,035.
They were also eighth in total flags with 134.
Therefore, it’s like the same problems from 2021 are manifesting for the Browns.
Correcting those lapses before the regular season starts will give them higher winning odds.
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