The story of the NFL has been offense for years but defenders still make their mark. While off-the-ball linebackers and strong safeties no longer hold a special place among defenses, those that rush the passer and cover pass catchers have become more and more important.
A previous data set showed that passing offense and passing defense were the two strongest predictors of a Super Bowl appearance.
The Cleveland Browns have, seemingly, bought into that philosophy. Their interior defensive linemen are more adept at rushing the passer as 3-techniques than plugging holes as a nose tackle. Their linebackers, Anthony Walker Jr., Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Jacob Phillips are sideline to sideline runners instead of run stuffers.
