The defense held off Brandon Allen for most of the game.
Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 18 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
- Per PFF, Jadeveon Clowney had 5 pressures and 3 knockdowns (including 2 sacks) against the Bengals. That was a big financial day for him two, because the two sacks kicked in an extra $250,000 bonus. He’ll be a free agent, and although it’d be nice to have him back, it’s not easy to always invest in certain players long-term while getting a guy like Clowney on a one-year rental.
- With Malik Jackson out, Malik McDowell led the defensive line in snaps.
- Myles Garrett notched his 16th sack of the season. It was a productive season for him, but having one sack in his final four games probably faded his chances of winning Defensive Player of the Year.
- JOK suffered a shin injury against the Bengals, which is why he played so few snaps. That paved the way for Jacob Phillips to see his most playing time of the season, so it was nice to get him some experience. Phillips blitzed three times, according to PFF, getting home once.
- A.J. Green put on a solid performance, stepping in with Denzel Ward out. According to PFF, Green was targeted 7 times, but allowed only 1 catch for 2 yards. Of course, it helped that Brandon Allen was at quarterback instead of Joe Burrow.
- To contrast, PFF says that Greg Newsome was targeted 7 times and allowed 7 catches for 55 yards and 1 touchdown.
- Cheers to Greedy Williams for finishing out the season, and also playing at a higher level than I had predicted.
- Grant Delpit also had valuable reps as the season went on, and M.J. Stewart impressed with some of the hits he was able to deliver. It’s interesting to think what Cleveland will do at the safety position — a unit that struggled to begin the year, but by the end of it, had four players playing at a decent level.
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