CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns enter the bye week with more than enough on their plate.
The underwhelming performances through their nine games have piled up. The Browns have created discussion as to why or how their play has been bad, and if they can escape the deep hole they’ve dug themselves into.
But what statistical categories really describe the play we’ve seen in the first half of the 2024 season from the Browns?
Here are 10 of them: five for the offense, five for the defense.
Offense
Yards per play: (4.2) Ranked last
Maybe the most glaring area is the lack of yards this team gains per play. They’re one of seven teams to average less than 5.0 yards per play.
Take the Baltimore Ravens, for example. Despite the Week 8 loss to the Browns, they lead the league in yards gained per play (7.1).
Multiple factors have led to this Browns offense being unable to move the ball. From a conservative offense for most of the season, to shorter routes that didn’t spread the field much, to a lack of blocking.
False Starts: (16) Tied for second most
The offensive line is the one position group that not only has yet to play up to par, but has played this way since the season started.
The numerous penalties that have hampered a series because of the offensive line is immense. The one area they’ve really made a mark in is false starts.
As a unit, the O-line is currently tied for second in false start penalties (16) and tied for fourth in total yards lost from false starts (79). Offensive tackle Dawand Jones, who had two false starts through 11 games in 2023, is tied for fourth in false starts (five) through nine games.
Third-quarter points: (3.0) Ranked 26th
While the Browns aren’t the worst in this statistical category, it does touch on a subject regarding how they’ve come out offensively in the second half.
Their 3.0 points in the third quarter is their lowest quarter per game.
This implies a lack of cohesion coming out of halftime, which is usually a time when a team is expected to come out better to clean up mistakes.
Third-down conversion rate: (28.68%) Ranked last
Cleveland’s lack of yards gained on the first couple plays leads to third-and-long scenarios.
This also results the Browns having the worst third-down conversion percentage in the league (28.68%).
What’s even worse is the Browns average the most third-down attempts in the league (14.3). Within the top 10, they are ahead of six teams with winning records, but Cleveland is unable to convert.
Red zone scoring attempts: (1.8) Ranked last
The Browns’ inability to move the ball has also resulted in a lack of opportunities in the red zone. They currently average the fewest red zone scoring attempts per game in the league (1.8), and are the only offense to average under two attempts.
For comparison, you have four teams in front of them tied for 28th in red zone attempts (2.4), and two of those teams defeated the Browns (Raiders and Chargers).
Some of these red zone opportunities for the Browns come at the end, or when the game is pretty much decided.
Examples include their late touchdown in the Week 5 loss to Washington, the late score in the Week 7 loss to Cincinnati, and the touchdown with 44 seconds left in Week 9.
Defense
2nd quarter points allowed: (10.0) Ranked fourth most
Before going into the half, the defense hasn’t been productive in keeping points off the board.
An example was in Week 9, when the Chargers scored 13 of their 27 points in the second quarter.
What’s interesting is Cleveland allows the fewest points per game in the fourth quarter (3.0).
This only provides further proof that more times than not, it’ll take the defense the first three quarters to wake up before locking in during the final period. We were used to this unit playing that way all through all four quarters last season.
Missed tackles: (68) Tied for fourth most
Completing the tackle hasn’t been a strong suit for the defense this year, as it is tied for the fourth most missed tackles with the Giants and Colts.
Pro Football Focus ranks the Browns 31st in missed tackle percentage (30.4%) as well.
Among qualifying players, Ogbo Okoronkwo leads the team in missed tackle percentage (40.0%). But within the top five on the Browns, three of them are cornerbacks, and Cameron Mitchell leads all defensive backs in this area (30.8%).
When you go back to 2023, the Browns finished the regular season 24th in missed tackle percentage (48.0%). So while they weren’t that good in this category last season, when they were praised as the league’s best unit, it’s even more visible this season.
Total penalties: (57) Tied for 13th most
Penalties are part of the game, but you want to keep a low amount of them.
The Browns defense has accounted for 57 penalties, which is tied for 13th with the Jets. They rank 18th in penalty yards against (450).
Though 57 looks like a lot, this is actually an improvement off last year’s 118 penalties, which ranked first.
Opponent completion percentage: (59.85%) Ranked third best
The one area this defense has excelled in is making it difficult for the opposing quarterback to complete passes at a high rate.
Opponent completion percentage this season is a slight decrease from their 2023 rate of 58.17%, which ranked first.
Opponent red zone scoring percentage (TD only): (62.96%) Ranked 24th
The Browns defense can be better when it comes to defending the red zone.
They are one of 12 teams to allow a 60% or higher red zone scoring rate.
The Browns did even worse in this area in 2023, ranking last (71.11%), showing it’s something that still needs improvement.
Looking Forward
Ahead of their last eight games of 2024, these areas on both sides of the ball need some serious retooling.
Offensively, it’s been a big downgrade compared to last season, for obvious reasons. While defensively, there’s been some good spots to analyze, but it’s been the little things that’s hurt them in the long run.
If the Browns even want to sniff any more wins the rest of the season, they must improve in these statistical categories.
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