Browns' four-man pass rush fuels Week 2 win over Buccaneers
News
The short version
- Cleveland beat Tampa Bay in Week 2 after a poor Week 1 showing
- Baker Mayfield faced blitzes on 12 of 40 dropbacks but struggled most vs. four-man rushes
- Vs. four rushers, Mayfield was 12-of-25 for 106 yards with an INT, 10 pressures and 3 sacks
- Stats via NextGenStats, cited by ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi
Cleveland pressured Baker Mayfield repeatedly without blitzing, turning around a pass rush that struggled in Week 1.
After a lopsided Week 1 loss in which the pass rush struggled against Jacksonville, the Cleveland Browns turned things around in Week 2 against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers entered the game with one of the NFL's better offensive lines, raising questions about whether Cleveland could generate pressure.
According to NextGenStats figures shared by ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, the Browns blitzed Baker Mayfield on 12 of his 40 dropbacks but were most effective rushing only four. Against the four-man rush, Mayfield completed 12 of 25 passes for 106 yards and an interception, and was pressured 10 times and sacked three times.
The performance showed the Browns can disrupt opposing quarterbacks without committing extra defenders to the rush. If the defense keeps forcing pressures and turnovers, the offense gains more time of possession and Deshaun Watson gets more chances to correct mistakes and help Cleveland win games.
Written by the Matchday Live desk from reporting by Yahoo Sports.
Read the original report at Yahoo Sports ↗