Browns’ schematic change resulted in better pass pro against Baltimore

Taking a look at what the Browns did differently along the offensive line in week 8

The Cleveland Browns' win on Sunday against one of their AFC North rivals was a major victory for the organization, and Cleveland’s pass protection was one of the driving factors for their success.

Over the past few days there’s been a lot of talk about why the Browns’ pass protection was better against Baltimore, and realistically, two things stood out most.

1. Jameis Winston did a great job of being patient and allowed plays to fully form before trying to escape the pocket, which is something that Deshaun Watson was very bad at.
2. The offensive line utilized Base/Man/BoB protection for most of the game, which simplified things and allowed each lineman to focus on blocking their assigned man unless an adjustment was made at the line of scrimmage.

As mentioned in the original tweet above, it also helped that Baltimore was unable to blitz due to their focus on stopping Winston and the passing game.

There were several occasions when the Ravens only rushed three to four guys because Winston was doing such a good job of spreading the ball around and attacking different areas of the field, which is something that Cleveland hasn’t had success with prior.

In previous games, the Browns used more slide/”SCAT” protection where three to four offensive linemen would shift or slide to the “strength” or overloaded side of the line of scrimmage. Though it can be very effective at times, it can also give the defensive line the upper hand on stunts.

By using Base protection, it forces the defensive line to “make the first move” across the entire front. The offensive linemen aren’t moving laterally as soon as the ball is snapped so it’s harder for defenses to get penetration when shooting gaps.

Based off of the overall pass protection success in week 8, it’s safe to say that we’ll see more of this gameplan up front going forward.

Having an offensive line that consisted of a lighter version (seemingly lost 20-25 Lbs.) of Dawand Jones at LT, Joel Bitonio at LG, Ethan Pocic at C, Wyatt Teller at RG, and Jack Conklin at RT also resulted in the unit’s best outing of the season. God willing, Teller and Conklin will be able to stay healthy and the Browns will be able to trot out this lineup for the remainder of the year.

Were you impressed with the offensive line against Baltimore? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.