The Cleveland Browns’ defense was bad against the Titans last week, and they were even worse against the Bears this week. It seemed like Chicago couldn’t be stopped in that first half, as they out-gained Cleveland 250 yards to 57 yards. Sometimes, I make excuses for certain plays or moments that tipped the game, but not this time: Chicago was just comfortable with everything they were doing.
Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 15 game against the Chicago Bears.
Defensive Line
- I think our interest level for the rest of the season is pretty low now, but the one big thing we’re hoping for every play is for Myles Garrett to get oh-so-closer to the NFL sack record. This week, he had 1.5 sacks, and now needs 1.5 more sacks over 3 games to break the record. Garrett was the Browns’ third-highest graded player on defense, per PFF, grading out to a 73.1.
- Alex Wright had 3 quarterback hits, but PFF wasn’t so impressed, grading him out to a 43.9. They also had a bad grade on Shelby Harris (33.2), as both players were dinged big-time with their run defense.
- Even though he only played 38% of the snaps, PFF finally awarded a solid grade to Mike Hall (68.6), which ranked 4th best on the defense.
- Maurice Hurst made his season debut, playing 4 snaps.
Linebacker
- Carson Schwesinger led the Browns with 14 tackles, a season-high. He now has 5 straight games with 10+ tackles. He was also the Browns’ highest-graded player on defense, per PFF, grading out to a 76.5.
- Mohamoud Diabate had an uptick in playing time this week, playing in 52% of the snaps, as did Jerome Baker, playing in 26% of the snaps. In turn, Cleveland went with two cornerbacks and two safeties for much of the day.
Cornerback
- As a nickelback, Myles Harden was playing decent. As an outside cornerback (filling in for Denzel Ward this week), he’s had a rough go at things. He was the Browns’ worst-graded defender by PFF this week, grading out to a 30.8.
Safety
- It’s been pretty up-and-down for Grant Delpit this season. He didn’t have a full tackle against the Bears for the first time this season, and was PFF’s second-lowest graded defender (31.9), suffering in run defense, tackling, and coverage. Not the hat trick he’d like.
- Ronnie Hickman, on the flip side, was the Browns’ second-highest graded defender by PFF, grading out to a 74.1.
Dawgs By Nature
