The Cleveland Browns suffered a heavy defeat in their Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Their highly anticipated defense struggled to contain Dak Prescott, and Deshaun Watson’s performance was so poor that fans are already worried.
While Watson did indeed perform poorly, the game highlighted that the Browns’ offense is in disarray without Nick Chubb. The offensive line, once a strength under Kevin Stefanski, has deteriorated due to injuries and regression, leaving Dawand Jones and James Hudson as the starting tackles in place of the injured Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills.
situation has turned the offensive line from a potential concern into one of the team’s major weaknesses, rendering the offense ineffective.
The Browns were rated as the worst pass-blocking offensive line by The 33rd Team, with the third-worst pressure rate and second-worst sack rate in the league, making any quarterback vulnerable to hits. Watson’s poor play only exacerbated these problems. Even when accounting for facing a standout like Micah Parsons, the Browns’ performance was subpar. The interior line, typically a strength, was easily breached by opponents.
Adding to the woes was the team’s inability to run the ball and Watson’s disastrous performance, which included poor sacks, inaccuracies, and risky throws.
This situation exemplifies the classic problem of whether the quarterback’s poor play causes issues for the offensive line or if the line’s struggles hinder the quarterback. Against Dallas, both factors were evident.
Unless Watson can regain his former level of play when Conklin and Wills return—and assuming they are effective—Browns fans may need to brace for another season of subpar quarterback performance and overall offensive inefficiency.
