It’s still early, but through three games, the Browns are playing like the best defense in the league.
Cleveland has allowed just one touchdown on defense in three weeks and overall has allowed a league-low 32 points. Teams have gained just 491 total yards on Cleveland, which is surrendering a league-low 3.5 yards per play. The club has also allowed a 19.5 percent conversion rate on third downs.
In Sunday’s 27-3 victory, the Browns let up just 94 total yards and six first downs to the Titans. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sacked five times.
“Our defense is playing lights out,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said postgame. “So, from the players to coach [Jim] Schwartz, the defensive coaches, we’re playing at a high level.
“Now, you have to continue to play at a high level. Every week is going be a different challenge. But the way we stopped the run, which we knew — we know that when you’re playing Tennessee, you have to stop the run and you got to stop it getting off the bus. And I thought the guys did a really nice job knowing what the challenge was in front of us and I thought they stepped up to the challenge.”
Stefanski noted he’s “running out of things” to say about defensive end Myles Garrett, who recorded 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble on Sunday. Garrett kept the Titans off the scoreboard at the end of the first half when he sacked Tannehill and Tennessee had no timeouts to stop the clock.
“Yeah, at the end of the half there, they don’t come away with any points, [that] was incredible,” Stefanski said. “Our defense, you run out of things to say. Stopping the run, playing great in the pass game, hitting the quarterback. And I’m sure coach Schwartz will remind them there’s always room to improve. And I think there are things that we will continue to evolve and do better. So that’s the exciting part.”
Cleveland will have another divisional test next week in playing Baltimore at home before a Week 5 bye.
