Monday Observations: Depleted Browns impressing with spirited start
Brian Hoyer and a stout defense are carrying the depleted Browns to strong finishes, including an impressive win over the Saints, while the Bills look for real.
Brian Hoyer didn't have his elite tight end or his All-Pro receiver or his starting running back a week after a heartbreaking loss to arch rival Pittsburgh and facing a popular Super Bowl pick in the New Orleans Saints. The Browns had lost nine straight home openers and when the Saints took a 24-23 lead late in the game it looked like it might be a second straight crushing defeat for Cleveland.
It wasn't.
Instead, it was Hoyer flashing the kind of gutsy flair he displayed last year before tearing his ACL, capping off what had been another stout defensive performance with a last-minute drive. It included a perfect pass to Miles Austin on fourth down and a rain-maker to Andrew Hawkins to set up the game-winning field goal.
After a disastrous opening half against the Steelers, the Browns have now strung together six very strong quarters and host Baltimore next Sunday in what shapes up as a very intriguing early-season divisional game. Rookie head coach Mike Pettine looked calm and cool as another wild game went down to the wire, and if anything, his club's performance through two weeks has erased all the angst and handwringing about his supposed quarterback controversy from training camp.
This is Hoyer's team (Johnny Manziel's three plays under center a diversionary tactic), and he continues to defy the odds. And even without Josh Gordon, Jordan Cameron and Ben Tate, the Browns have been rolling offensively and Pettine's attacking mindset has taken an already strong defense and added even more bite. Drew Brees was harassed a ton early in Sunday's game, getting hit, sacked, forced to move all over the place and pressured into errant throws. That tempo and rhythm Saints coach Sean Payton covets was never quite there, and the Browns pulled off a fairly shocking upset.
Consider the following over the past six quarters for this outfit. Cleveland fell behind 27-3 to the Steelers at the half of the opener, and allowed 16 first downs and 364 total yards in 30 minutes of play. In 90 minutes since, the Browns have allowed 27 points, doing so against top quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger and Brees. The Browns have held the Saints to just 237 passing yards Sunday -- this after New Orleans lit up the Falcons for well over 500 total yards last week -- and really, the only damage was done by monster tight end Jimmy Graham (10 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns), who is just plain unstoppable at times, as evidenced by the jump ball he caught over stud corner Joe Haden Sunday.
Hoyer has shown a knack for making huge throws in the clutch and he has yet to turn the ball over this season, which has been vital given the slim margins within which the Browns have been operating. Given the ever-changing cast he's had around him, that alone is very impressive. He rises in the clutch and seemed even more fired up than usual down the stretch after moving aside for Johnny Football for three plays earlier in the game.
"Knowing the competitor he is, he probably wasn't real thrilled to have to come off the field," Pettine said after the game. "That's the nature of who he is, as he should be."
This team is playing with all kinds of spirit and its defense is not a unit I'd want to be facing right now. If they manage to hang around for another few months, the opportunity to get Gordon back for the stretch run just might make things interesting. They could very easily be 2-0 right now. If they happen to be 2-1 after next week, look out. And, it's worth noting, the longer they keep this up, the more Hoyer's price tag goes up as he plays out the final year of his deal for just $1M.
Are the Bills for real?
Did I get it totally wrong with the Buffalo Bills? Are they the team that will come out of nowhere to win a division or reach the playoffs? A few weeks back I would have had them pegged for a top-five pick before I'd consider either postseason scenario, but it's hard to be impressed with what this team is going right now.
In their victories against Chicago and Miami, the Bills have given young quarterback EJ Manuel, who had a rough camp and preseason, ample room to operate. Manuel's decision making has been sharp, his accuracy has been much improved. Led by a ferocious run game, he's been in the kind of down and distances that are conducive to success. Kudos to all involved for that.
Defensively, losing Kiko Alonso for the season with injury and safety Jairus Byrd to free agency left questions about that group, but new coordinator Jim Schwartz has them playing excellent football and they ate up Miami's offensive line Sunday after controlling the line of scrimmage against the Bears in the opener. You could make the case those are two suspect lines, but it doesn't matter. The Bills have been imposing their will, and if you peak at the schedule, it bodes well for them to make things interesting as well.
Here's what they have coming up: San Diego at home, at the Texans, at the Lions, home to the Pats, home to the Vikings, at the Jets, home to the Chiefs, at the Dolphins, home to the Jets and Browns. The last four weeks could be fairly brutal, but if the Bills remain competitive in their division, and, biggest if, Manuel can come close to keeping this up and protecting the football, then just maybe the Pegula family will have more to savor than most expected when they take over control of the team next month.
Bengals can be even better
The Bengals have a lot going for them -- aside from some horrible injury luck with AJ Green and Vontaze Burfict joining Tyler Eifert and Marvin Jones on their injury list (many of them possibly long-term) -- but even with their hot start there is room for improvement.
The red zone offense remains off kilter, and if the Bengals are minus some of that vital personnel for a period of time, that's not going to make things better. Cincinnati settled for five field goals in the opener against Baltimore, allowing the Ravens to nearly steal that game late (blown coverage on Green resulted in the comeback game-winning score). Sunday they were beating the hell out of Atlanta everywhere except the scoreboard, leading only 10-3 at the half with two missed field goals by Mike Nugent a big part of that problem.
The Falcons wilted even more in the second half (more on them to follow), and the Bengals ended up cruising to a victory, but I am sure offensive coordinator Hue Jackson will be emphasizing their execution inside the 20 when the players gather for practice this week. If you are looking for areas where the team could improve -- and this is nit-picking considering how good they've looked thus far -- this is an area to start.
More observations
• The Giants have the look of a deflated team already. That was a dreadful outing against the Carson Palmer-less Cardinals on Sunday, and a horrid fourth-quarter display in their home opener. They allowed 12 points in the final quarter to lose going away, a defeat that was secured by at least five dropped passes in the final quarter, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and a fumbled kick return that gave away field position. The look of utter disgust was all over coach Tom Coughlin, and as early as it is, you can't help thinking about if big changes are to come in the Big Apple after the season.
• Tough week for top NFC South teams having to leave the confines of a dome and come outdoors to play the NFC North. Just ask the Saints and the Falcons. That narrative about the Falcons being so much bigger, badder and tougher is going to require more than one win for it to ring true, and Atlanta was totally manhandled at the line of scrimmage Sunday. That offensive line and the lack of pass rush are still a major concern for me.
• As for the Saints, one can't help but wonder if that outburst of Sean Payton yelling at defensive coordinator Rob Ryan late in the game is a harbinger of things to come. Ryan's defense has been caught way out of position and been prone to breakdowns early, the personnel in the secondary looks suspect and the aggressiveness Ryan loves to show has worked against him thus far. That's a dynamic worth keeping an eye on.
• The Patriots needed a win, but that still wasn't the performance I'm expecting from them. They were out-gained in the first half but pulled away due to two Matt Cassel interceptions and a blocked field goal for a score. There's a lot of work still to be done there, but on the opposite side of the ball you could see the influence of Darrelle Revis paying dividends.
• I'd be among those calling for rookie Blake Bortles to take over as the Jags quarterback if I was confident they could try to protect him. Their offensive line is an issue, and while there is no place for their offense to go but up after that spanking by the Redskins, I might wait to see if some cohesion forms up front before sticking the kid out there. The Jags had 87 yards in the first half and 63 came on a TD pass to Marcedes Lewis. They had four first downs to five punts in the first half and went three-and-out the first four possessions, two of them ending on sacks.
