Browns' Sneaky Defensive Pressure Caused Dismantling of Andy Dalton in Week 10
To be a dominant defense you have to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. The Cleveland Browns seem to be defying the odds because their sack numbers are not very impressive, yet they are forcing turnovers. Fortunately for the Browns, not everything is as it seems.
In the Browns' Week 10 beatdown of the Cincinnati Bengals it was the pressure the Browns applied to quarterback Andy Dalton that made the game a boat race. All game long the Browns badgered Dalton and forced him into poor decisions. His 4.3 quarterback rating was the final result.
It seems as though the Browns defense had a sudden outburst of pressure on one of the league’s biggest stages, but that just is not the case. Sure, the Browns rank 18th in the NFL in sacks, having only brought down opposing quarterbacks 20 times this year. But sacks are not the only thing that measures how well teams get to the quarterback.
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The two men who carry most of the burden when it comes to attacking the passer are outside linebackers Paul Kruger and Jabaal Sheard. According to SportingCharts.com, they are two of the top 10 players in the league when it comes to quarterback hurries.
| 1 | Junior Galette | NO | 13 |
| 2 | Dwight Freeney | SD | 13 |
| 3 | JABAAL SHEARD | CLE | 12 |
| 4 | Justin Houston | KC | 11 |
| 5 | Von Miller | DEN | 11 |
| 6 | William Hayes | STL | 11 |
| 7 | Rob Ninkovich | NE | 10 |
| 8 | Cameron Jordan | NO | 10 |
| 9 | Jeremy Mincey | DAL | 10 |
| 10 | PAUL KRUGER | CLE | 10 |
On Thursday night, the Browns registered just two sacks but kept Dalton constantly thinking about the pressure that was forming all around him.
So how did the Browns create all this mayhem around Dalton on prime-time television? Let’s take a look at three plays from that game; two resulted in sacks and another in an incomplete pass. Each is an example of what the Browns are doing well and why were able to make the formerly first-place Bengals look so bad.
Play 1
On this play, Dalton is in a shotgun formation and the Browns will be rushing five. The linebackers lined up to the outside of the offensive line will perform a normal rush. The three defenders lined up against the offensive line will stunt.
Defensive lineman Desmond Bryant and linebacker Karlos Dansby will both rush toward Dalton’s right side and, after a slight delay, linebacker Paul Kruger will rush behind them and toward Dalton’s left side.
The Bengals offensive line over-pursues to the right and allows a rushing lane for Kruger to the left. He is now past the shoulder of the offensive lineman and has an open rushing lane on Dalton before he can get through his reads.
Kruger was not able to sack Dalton, but he was able to make contact with his arm during the throw. This does not appear in on a stat sheet but is just as effective. This pass landed incomplete and the Bengals were forced to punt.
The formation itself is very interesting because the Browns had four linebackers on the line with one defensive lineman. This allowed them to have more of a speed rush against a long passing situation.
Play 2
On this play, the Browns are showing a six-man rush, but only four will end up rushing the passer. Sheard will begin to rush and then backpedal into zone coverage. This forces the offensive linemen to focus on someone who is not going to end up as their right assignment.
Everything else is a straightforward pass rush, and the Bengals have seven pass-blockers to try to hold off the Browns' four rushers.
The fake rush by Sheard, coupled with the linebacker lined up to his left who does not end up rushing, forces the left side of the offensive line to over-commit to one rusher. This allows Bryant to attack the B-gap between the guard and tackle. The right tackle took a step to the outside attempting to help defend the outside rusher, which allowed Bryant to push through the line.
Bryant is able to use his power to force through the lineman and sack Dalton for a five-yard loss.
Play 3
On the very next play, the Browns have spread their defensive line wide and will force the Bengals to choose their blocking assignments carefully. The Browns will rush just three defenders, but they will be coming from two extreme outside positions, then Bryant will be rushing straight up the middle.
The Bengals have more than enough blockers to easily keep Dalton clean on this play.
Each outside rusher draws three blockers to his side. The extreme rushing angles from the outside leave the center one-on-one with Bryant. This is a matchup the defense will take on every play if it can get it.
Bryant first rushers to the left shoulder of the center and then uses a swim move to pressure the right shoulder. The center cannot keep his feet in front of Bryant, who blows right by him for his second sack in as many plays.
The Browns do not have a dominant pass-rusher, so they have to use different formations and personnel combinations to create their pressure. The pressure they have been conjuring up all season has led to their 13 interceptions, which ranks second in the league.
The Browns are sneaky good when it comes to making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable, and that is a huge reason why the defense is climbing the league rankings. The Browns are now ranked sixth in opponents' scoring defense in the NFL.
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