Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns: 4 defensive takeaways vs. the Ravens

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:57 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden (23) gets up after intercepting the ball intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman (18) during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Browns 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns did some things right on defense against the Baltimore Ravens. Here are 4 takeaways from Sunday’s loss.

While much of the focus is on the Cleveland Browns offense following Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the defense needs to take its share of the credit as well.

The defense allowed 22 first downs – including 17 via the pass – 382 yards of offense and saw the Ravens convert 10 of their 16 third downs. They also failed to stem the tide as the Ravens scored 17 points over about a five-minute period between the close of the second quarter and start of the third.

There were some positives, however, including corner back Joe Haden‘s two interceptions and the defense keeping the Ravens out of the end zone for the game’s final 27 minutes.

“I definitely think we fought out there. Nobody went out there with a mindset that we’re just going to let them walk away with a win,” defensive lineman Danny Shelton said after the game. “We definitely missed some opportunities that would have helped us as a team. We still have that mentality that we’re going to keep fighting and we have a long season and will continue to improve.”

Here are four quick defensive takeaways from the game.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns free safety Derrick Kindred (30) just misses an interception during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

A week after only being on the field for 23 defensive snaps (but posting five tackles), rookie Derrick Kindred saw his playing time increase significantly against the Ravens as he was on the field for 62 plays, adding another five tackles and breaking up two passes.

Kindred’s increased playing time came at the expense of Ibraheim Campbell, who was benched in the second half and was only on the field for 20 plays.

This could be attributed to three things:

It is only two games, so it is a bit early to draw definitive conclusions, but based off what occurred against the Ravens, expect to see much more of Kindred on the field in the coming weeks. (h/t to Dawgs by Nature for the snap count totals.)

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta (88) catches a pass over the defense of Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Chris Kirksey (58) during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Every time the Browns undergo a coaching change the new group comes in and promises to fix what ails the team.

On the defensive side, the most talked-about problem is the run defense, but the ongoing inability to cover the tight end is almost as big of a deal as the Browns have been plagued by tight ends for as long as anyone can remember.

That has continued so far this season, as Baltimore’s Dennis Pitta and Crockett Gillmore combined to catch 10 passes for 124 yards, including a 30-yard reception by Pitta and a 22-yard reception by Gillmore.

Through two games, the Browns have allowed 17 receptions for 193 yards to tight ends, numbers which may skyrocket in the coming weeks as the Browns still have to face New England’s Rob Gronkowski, Washington’s Jordan Reed, Cincinnati’s Tyler Eifert and Dallas’ Jason Witten.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West (28) is tackled by Cleveland Browns nose tackle Danny Shelton (55) and inside linebacker Chris Kirksey (58) during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns did a better job against the run on Sunday, holding the Ravens to just 80 yards and 3.1 yards per carry.

More from Dawg Pound Daily

It helps, of course, that they got to face running back Terrance West, who continues to average 3.8 yards per carry no matter which team he plays for, but the Browns did what they had to do.

Leading the way were linebackers Demario Davis (team-high nine tackles) and Christian Kirksey (seven tackles), along with Shelton, who had eight tackles and continues to get things done along the defensive line.

Davis (75.3), Kirksey (75) and linebacker Nate Orchard (79.1) were three of the five highest-graded defenders, according to Pro Football Focus, which offers hope for the run defense this season.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

While the run defense looked better on Sunday, the pass rush remains a work in progress – at least in terms of sacks.

Through two games the Browns have recorded just a pair of sacks. Against the Ravens, the Browns hit quarterback Joe Flacco five times, but were not able to sack him as they are quickly turning into a defense that gets to the quarterback just a second too late.

Hitting the opposing quarterback can have an accumulative effect, of course, and sacks are not necessarily the best indicator of a defense’s success. But the inability to bring down the opposing quarterback could quickly turn into a problem.

“This is a young football team that showed fight and grit a little bit. We just have to learn how to finish,” head coach Hue Jackson said. “That is my job and that is this staff’s job. We make no excuses. We are an 0-2 football team right now. We have a lot of work to do to continue to get better, but I saw us get better from Week 1 to Week 2, and hopefully, we can continue to do so.”

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from Baltimore Ravens Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

National Football League