Why We Learned Nothing About the Browns Despite Winning Again

The Cleveland Browns again boast a winning record after beating the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, 23-13. In a close AFC North, the win keeps the Browns in the postseason hunt, though looking at them it would be hard to believe.

The victory comes off an embarrassing loss to the then-winless Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7. Finally, the Browns have a win over a team they should have beaten. The Raiders, too, had no wins coming into Week 8. 

However, the win doesn't quite tell us much about what kind of team the Browns are. The inability to run the ball remained a holdover from last week. The struggles to stop the run thankfully didn't, with the Browns giving 71 rushing yards to Oakland. However, Raiders also didn't run that often—just 22 times compared to 54 pass attempts by Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr.

The Browns' issues with both time of possession and on third downs persisted. The Browns held the ball for only 25:08 of game time and converted just two of their 12 third downs—and one per half. 

The one thing they got right on offense was the passing game. Quarterback Brian Hoyer had struggled to complete even 60 percent of his passes in his previous three games. The loss of center Alex Mack sent him reeling in Week 7, when he completed 39 percent of his 41 attempts and was sacked three times and hit seven times.

Against the less formidable Raiders defense, Hoyer completed 19 of 28 pass attempts, for 275 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and was sacked only once. His 67.9 percent completion percentage was his second-highest of the season, and his yards per pass attempt rose from 5.24 last week to 9.8 on Sunday. Coach Mike Pettine shared his thoughts on Hoyer's performance via Tom Withers of The Associated Press:

Hoyer had a number of big gains in the game. Of Andrew Hawkins' 88 receiving yards, 32 came on one catch. The same was the case for Taylor Gabriel, with 48 of his 60 yards on a single catch, for tight end Jordan Cameron with 21 of his 40 yards on one catch and for Miles Austin, who had 22 of his 34 yards coming on a single reception.

Hoyer was also better-protected this week, with John Greco back at right guard and Nick McDonald starting at center. He took one sack, by Justin Tuck, in the second half, and was hit only twice. ESPNCleveland.com's Tony Grossi's pregame tweet noted the positions Greco and McDonald would play:

But that improvement in pass protection did not continue in run-blocking. The Browns were held to a collective 39 rushing yards, averaging 1.6 yards per attempt on 25 total rushes. On the plus side, it did yield a five-yard touchdown run by Ben Tate that extended the Browns' fourth-quarter lead.

On the negative side, however, is that three running backs were active and touched the ball for Cleveland on Sunday and still the yardage was not there. Tate led the way with 26 yards on 15 carries; Terrance West had 11 yards on seven carries, while Isaiah Crowell had just one rush for one yard.

The defensive side of the ball looked about as sharp as it has all season, and that stretched beyond its positive performance against the run. It allowed Carr a few big gains in the passing game but allowed him only one touchdown, to Andre Holmes, when the game was well out of Oakland's reach. Pettine discussed the reasons behind the defense's improved performance via Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram:

The Browns were also able to generate turnovers. A trick-punt-play run by Raiders backup quarterback Matt Schaub resulted in safety Tashaun Gipson returning an interception for 33 yards. In the second half, fellow safety Donte Whitner forced a fumble on Raiders running back Darren McFadden that was recovered by cornerback Joe Haden. After a 34-yard return and Hawkins' 32-yard reception, Hoyer threw a four-yard touchdown to Hawkins that broke the game open.

Barkevious Mingo's fumble recovery after Carr ran into his own lineman, dislodging the ball, also set up the Tate touchdown run. The turnovers were how the Browns offense went 2-of-4 in the red zone on Sunday.

Cleveland's defense also had multiple opportunities for additional interceptions, as Carr pressed the pass while playing from behind. Carr was also sacked three times, all by linebacker Paul Kruger, and took three additional hits. That, at least, was a clear sign of progress—but again, it came against a winless team. It's not the most useful yardstick to measure whether the Browns' defensive problems are finally behind them. 

The main thing the Browns taught us on Sunday is that they do have the capability to beat the teams they should, something they failed to do last week against the Jaguars. It proved that the Browns certainly are more comfortable playing at home, as they should, with a 3-1 record this season while playing in the friendly confines of FirstEnergy Stadium.

But did the Browns show signs that they could be a threat in the AFC North, where all teams now possess winning records? Did they dominate a team worth dominating this year? Both of those answers right now, are "no." Many things about the Browns are still to-be-determined—the run game, the defense, the overall accuracy of Hoyer, to name a few.

It was a win and one the Browns will take. But it shed little light on some of the darker, murkier corners of this team. Perhaps the second half of the season will prove more illuminating than this game did.