Victory Monday Opening Drive 9/22: Browns Defense Shows Remarkable Resolve and Following the Winning Blueprint
The Browns defense refused to give in and the blueprint proved it can work.
Welcome to the first VICTORY MONDAY edition of the Opening Drive in 2025, as the Browns achieved a remarkable upset yesterday, defeating the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers 13-10 at Huntington Bank Field.
Jake and I have talked endlessly about the blueprint that this team has to follow to win games. While the operation wasn't as clean as one would like, there were aspects of that blueprint that the Browns were able to execute, and it was enough to push them over the top for an improbable upset win against the Packers.
So let's examine.
Play good defense? CHECK. A freaking dawg check in that category. This defense has the potential to be the best in the league, and there are still places where they can get better. The Browns were in Jordan Love's mug all day long. The defensive front was unrelenting, applying a pressure rate of 41.9% and five sacks. There is an abundance of recognition that deserves to go around on the defense, but the blueprint calls for this defense to be good and opportunistic. When the Browns needed a play, Grant Delpit intercepted Love on a critical third down with 3:13 left in the game, returning the ball to the Packers' four-yard line and setting up the game-tying touchdown run from Quinshon Judkins.
Play complementary football? Yes. They did play complementary football despite their offensive struggles for much of the game. Special teams played a pivotal role, as Shelby Harris blocked the would-be game-winning field goal with just 27 seconds left. Andre Szmyt didn't miss in the kicking game, making his only extra point and two field goals, including the game winner from 55 yards out as the clock expired.
A better job of converting on third downs (4-13) would have helped in the time of possession department, which would have helped the defense get off the field for longer; however, they extended enough drives via Packers penalties and some timely first downs that the defense's time on the field never really became an issue. Time of possession went to the Packers, 34:14 to 25:46.
Don't beat yourself? The Browns committed eight penalties for 90 yards- Still plenty of room for improvement there. Flacco's interception was more of an arm punt at the end of the half than anything, and didn't lead to a short field or scoring opportunity for the Packers as the first half subsequently came to an end. Not all turnovers are created equally. When we compare that to the enormity of Delpit's interception, even with a 1:1 turnover ratio, I am giving the Browns the edge here. Some things can always be cleaned up, and a bigger discussion needs to be had about the offense, but the Browns' ability to not make the big mistake is what helped them hang around long enough in this game to make some things happen and pull off the wildly thrilling victory.
Can they improve on the recipe for victory? That is always going to be the case. Was this what we were talking about when we compared the Browns' path to victory to the way they beat the 49ers at home in 2022? Yes. In fact, the games felt decidedly similar. Great wins. Both of the season-changing variety.
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The Browns' defensive performance on Sunday was one to remember. The game plan was sound, and they played a tremendous game with individual performances across the map that deserve to be recognized, but it was this unit's unwillingness to give in that was most remarkable.
With an offense that did not inspire much reason for hope through much of the game, the defense continued to harass Jordan Love and stop Josh Jacobs in the run game. That is two weeks in a row that they have shut down the opponent's running gam, this week holding Jacobs to 30 yards on 16 carries. They often were faced with moments that would test any unit's resolve, but they never blinked.
Down by 10-0 in the fourth quarter, the Browns elected to punt from the Packers' 40-yard line, pinning the Packers inside their own five. On third down with a chance to get the ball right back to the offense with excellent field position, Love hit Matthew Golden for 34 yards and a massive first down with the clock winding under 11 minutes left in the game. A back-breaking play, but the Browns defense never wavered, and instead forced a loss of one and two incompletions to force a punt.
The Browns got two massive runs from Judkins, followed by a great catch and run from Harold Fannin Jr., eventually working their way to the Green Bay one-yard line, but with a combination of penalties, they were pushed back and held to a field goal. A deflating missed opportunity, only to be answered by the defense again, who forced a third down, and then Delpit made the play that changed everything. See Jake's Film Breakdown on Delpit's Interception.
Still, after tying the game, Green Bay drew a DPI penalty on Myles Harden and hit on an 18-yard completion to Tucker Kraft, setting them up in field goal range at the 22-yard line as the clock struck the two-minute warning. After all they had overcome to get to a tie game and to be backed up with a field goal coming, the defense remained resolute. Over the next three plays, the defense stepped up again, pushing the Packers back five yards, making what would have been a 38-yard field goal a 43-yard kick, and Shelby Harris got his hand on the kick, blocking the field goal, which would set up the magical ending.
Time after time, this defensive unit was faced with situations that would have forced many teams into submission; yet, every time, they had one more play in them, and they never gave in to the emotions of the situation. Faced with adversity, they pushed back and were rewarded in a major way. There is some real belief in that kind of resolve, and it is something to get excited about as a fan of this team.
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