Cleveland Browns: 3 Big takeaways from loss vs. Chiefs in Week 9
By Randy Gurzi
The defense has talent, but depth is starting to be an issue
At the beginning of the season, the defense of the Cleveland Browns was carrying them. While they weren’t shutting teams out, they were forcing turnovers and taking points off the board. The ultimate ‘bend, but don’t break’ defense has started to break.
Even with Gregg Williams taking charge, the defense couldn’t rise to the challenge of stopping Patrick Mahomes and his insanely-talented offensive counterparts. It started early with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Kareem Hunt and never got better.
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Heck, even when they had a perfect defense they couldn’t win as evidenced by a touchdown out of Travis Kelce despite defenders being in perfect position.
WHat’s really happening though, is this unit is wearing down. Their starting 11 is strong, but injuries have them going to the bench more than they would like. That and the extra snaps being taken by the starters are starting to take its toll.
Cleveland needs to figure something out on this side. They have to get a rotation to rest some of the playmakers — so they can make plays. They also have to figure out how to account for the lack of talent. Whether it’s more pressure, disguised coverages, or something else, this defense needs help in a bad way.