It feels good to be back and writing an all-22 breakdown on the Cleveland Browns after a win. After four straight losses, the Browns found a way to not only beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Halloween but to dismantle them. Up by four scores at one point in the game, the Browns won by a final of 32-13 to advance to 2-1 in the division and 3-5 on the season.
And now the coach’s film is out, and we can see what went down from an all-22 level. Just as we do every week, we take a look at what stood out most upon further review of the much-needed Browns’ win.
Jedrick Wills plays most complete game of the season
Despite the broadcast clips that float around about left tackle Jedrick Wills every single week, the third-year player has stacked good performances in four of his last five games. His week against the Baltimore Ravens was bad. Extremely bad.
But he rebounded this week with maybe his best performance of the season. Wills always plays the Bengals and Trey Hendrickson well, and this showing was no different. Wills’ foot speed and use of his hands continue to be top-notch qualities about his game, but finding consistency in his level of physicality and ability to play through the whistle have been the knocks on him.
71 may have played his best game of the season on MNF. Played through the whistle the most consistently I've seen since his ankle roll. pic.twitter.com/iKjPbq6In5
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) November 3, 2022
Sure, you can find a bad rep or two in this game, but you can find that from any offensive linemen on a week-to-week basis. Overall, Wills was nasty, consistent as a lockdown pass protector and put together some fun tape on the field for the Browns.
A damn shame that 71 guy always gives up on plays amiright pic.twitter.com/Llas6B5Ec7
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) November 3, 2022
Good things happen when John Johnson III wears the green dot
And this is not the first time Johnson III has worn it either. He was the green dot wielder in Los Angeles as a member of the Rams, and he even had it in Cleveland for half of the season in 2021. The defense just seems to play better and be in position when he is the one wearing it.
This was now back-to-back weeks where the Browns played better as a whole defensively, and the hope is they may be finding their stride. Entering the bye week before the Miami Dolphins come to town, it would behoove the Browns to keep Johnson III as their primary communicator on the field.
Isaiah Thomas deserves to keep his snaps over Issac Rochell, Chase Winovich
The Browns found a solid rotational defensive end in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft in Isaiah Thomas.
With Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney leading the way as the starters still, Thomas and third rounder Alex Wright have been more than sufficient as the rotational pieces. Even with a healthy Isaac Rochell, Thomas still saw snaps over him as the fourth defensive end in the rotation.
And it needs to stay this way. Thomas has earned every single snap he is getting and has proven capable to handle more. He even got his first career sack against the Bengals as well, beating Jonah Williams with a nasty chop/rip move off of the left side.
Isaiah Thomas is this team's 4th best DE. Rotation is set in my mind for the rest of the season. pic.twitter.com/QWMSOLjabR
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) November 2, 2022
Even with Clowney likely set to walk after this season, the Browns have a solid rotational piece in Thomas to soften the blow. Wright likely takes over as the starter in 2023, but they may need one less defensive end this offseason than initially thought.
Jacoby Brissett was asked to do more, and did it at a high level
The Browns have done a great season early in the season to make life easy on quarterback Jacoby Brissett. They have utilized plenty of empty looks to speed up his trigger and give him definitive man or zone looks pre-snap. This was their main plan of attack against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. They were calling high-low concepts and others that allow Brissett to key in on one defender to read and work half of the field.
However, as teams have gotten more looks at the 2022 Browns and their offense, life has been harder on Brissett over the past two weeks against the Ravens and Patriots. Against the Bengals, however, Brissett’s eyes were working at a high level as he too adjusted to what has been thrown at him.
In this game, he worked his eyes backside with consistency, found backside digs, and got to check downs promptly when he reached the end of his progressions. This resulted in a strong, complete game from Brissett on Halloween.
The Miami Dolphins are sure to bring disguised looks to throw Brissett off of his game. But with two weeks to prepare, Brissett has to anticipate that and continue to grow and adjust as he has three games left as the starter in Cleveland.
