Report Card Grades for Browns' NFL Week 2 Game vs. Buccaneers

Todd Monken had the Cleveland Browns looking like a functioning NFL franchise in a 23-19 Week 2 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That was not a sentence most were expecting after a disastrous start to the season in Jacksonville.

In fact, it wasn't a sentence many were expecting at halftime. The Browns had just 59 yards of offense with 50 yards in penalties after the first two quarters.

Then the quarterback and the head coach turned things around to put together a strong second half and an upset victory.

That eases the tension heading into Week 3's home opener against the Carolina Panthers. Here's a quick assessment of how everyone looked before they get to play in front of the Dawg Pound next week.

Quarterback

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Deshaun Watson: B+

Don't pencil in Shedeur Sanders as the starter just yet. Deshaun Watson staved off any talk of being benched before the home opener with his performance in the win.

Watson looked like a different quarterback in Week 2. One of the most notable developments was his play under pressure. was unable to handle pressure in Week 1, but actually thrived under it in multiple situations against the Buccaneers.

He converted a crucial 3rd-and-4 with his legs on the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. He also delivered a few strikes with pressure in his face to move the chains.

He wasn't the most aggressive thrower. There were plenty of checkdowns that helped his 80 percent completion rate, but this was as good of a start as he's put together as a Cleveland Brown.

Running Backs

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Quinshon Judkins: C-

The statline for Judkins was even uglier in Week 2 than it was in Week 1. He only had 21 yards on his 12 carries and nine of them came on one run.

Still, he gets a slightly higher grade than last week because he did look more explosive. There wasn't much daylight for him and five of his carries were into an eight-man box.

Raheim Sanders: D+

Again, the run blocking was not great, but Sanders did more harm than good to the offense this week. He was at fault for Keionte Scott's getting to Watson unabated when he didn't pick up the blitz. He contributed just four yards on his two carries and seven on his lone reception.

Wide Receivers

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Denzel Boston

KC Concepcion: B-

Concepcion once again operated as the Browns primary underneath/screen target. They manufactured touches for the rookie and he caught all six of his targets.

The good news is that he cleaned up the ball security issues. He didn't lose a fumble this week, but he also didn't do much with his touches. He was contained for 28 yards on his six catches, but it's clear that Monken is looking to get him involved in the gameplan in multiple ways.

Denzel Boston: A

Last week, it could be argued that Denzel Boston's production was a case of too little, too late. Not so this week. Boston once again showed he's the Browns best big play threat with a 55-yard touchdown highlighting a five-catch, 95 yard day.

Boston proved to be difficult to bring down, breaking a tackle after catching the deep ball for a touchdown. He was given nearly a quarter of the team's targets and he held up his end of the bargain.

Jerry Jeudy: D-

Jeudy was an afterthought in the offense for the second week in a row. The veteran had just one target and it was incomplete. That kind of production is a hard pill to swallow when he accounts for the third-largest cap hit on the team.

Tight Ends

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Harold Fannin: B

Fannin had some mistakes in the first half that kept this grade from being higher. He dropped a pass on third down (although it was short of the sticks anyway) and had an outside zone block that blew up the play.

But overall, this was a much better performance than Week 1. He kept the chains moving with five receptions for 54 yards.

Blake Whiteheart: B

Whiteheart made an appearance in the passing game for the second week in a row. He was mostly schemed open on his touchdow snag, but should get credit for getting it in the endzone.

Offensive Line

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Spencer Fano: B

The first-round pick drew a tough assignment in Week 1, but bounced back with a stronger performance in Week 2. Going from Josh Hines-Allen to Yaya Diaby and the Bucs front worked wonders for the rookie.

He wasn't charged with a single pressure in the pass game and looked much more NFL-ready. Unfortunately, it's hard to go much higher for any of the offensive line given the run game woes.

Zion Johnson: C-

It's only two games, but Zion Johnson's Cleveland tenure is off to a rough start. He added another holding penalty to his ledger. He didn't outright give up any sacks, but he was part of the issue for a struggling run game that just couldn't get anything going.

The fact that Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea were held relatively quiet helps out the grade for all three interior blockers.

Elgton Jenkins: C-

Raheim Sanders might have been to blame for Keionte Scott's running free on a blitz, but Watson might have come free if Jenkins won his rep. A'Shawn Robinson beat him across the face on the blitz, opening a bigger gap for Scott to run through and ultimately brought down Watson.

Add in the run-game woes, and it was another tough game for Jenkins.

Austin Barber: C

Barber wasn't charged with any pressures by Next Gen Stats. That's another positive after a strong debut last week. Unfortunately, he did have a holding penalty that wiped out a decent Judkins run.

He played well enough to continue to start, but there are definitely things for him clean up going into Week 3.

Tytus Howard: D-

Howard was a liability for much of this game. The only thing the Browns have been able to count on him for through two weeks is jumping offsides in critical situations. He had a false start on third down for the second time in two games.

Howard gave up another sack when he gave up a soft edge to David Walker. It's becoming more apparent why the Texans played him at guard.

Edge

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Isaiah McGuire

Jared Verse: C-

We're still waiting for Jared Verse to make himself known as the team's top edge-rusher. Verse was once again held in check by the opposing offensive line. Going against Tristan Wirfs certainly doesn't help, but Verse only had one tackle on the day.

It was a TFL, so there are some positives, but he's not living up to expectations at this point.

Isaiah McGuire: B-

McGuire made his presence felt at times on Sunday. He notched four tackles including one for a loss. The TFL set the tone on first down for a three-and-out in the second half that helped swing momentum to Cleveland.

Defensive Line

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Mason Graham sacks Baker Mayfield

Mason Graham: A-

Graham continues to be the engine that is running the defense. The Browns had issues stopping the run, but that wasn't on Graham. He was a disruptive force on the inside and it showed up in the box score.

He had three tackles, one for a loss, a sack and two quarterback hits. He also drew a holding call in the second quarter. He continues to look like he's going to have a massive sophomore campaign.

Maliek Collins: C

Collins is at his best when he's able to shoot gaps as a pass-rusher, but his weaknesses as a run defender are being exposed. It's easier to stomach that when he's doing things as a pass-rusher, but he was relatively quiet on that front this week.

Adin Huntington: D+

Huntington is supposed to be a run-stuffing defensive tackle, but the Browns defense wasn't doing much run-stuffing. He got washed down on Bucky Irving's 38-yard run in the first half and only registered one tackle on the afternoon.

Linebackers

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Carson Schwesinger

Carson Schwesinger: B+

Schwesinger's statline is nearly identical to last week, but his grade is much higher. He looked much more like himself against the Bucs with the sideline-to-sideline range to make plays.

His takedown of Baker Mayfield on the Buccaneers' final drive was huge in making sure that the two-minute drill went the Browns' way.

Quincy Williams: B

Williams wasn't completely frozen in coverage this Sunday. That's a step in the right direction. The most encouraging thing from Williams is that most of his six tackles were close to the line of scrimmage. He played downhill and made tackles in the open field.

Secondary

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Denzel Ward: B

Ward was knocked over by Tyson Campbell on the touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka so it's hard to get too worked up over that. Still, it looked like Egbuka had the leverage before the trip.

Regardless, Ward didn't have any other major issues and the Buccaneers' passing game was largely held in check.

Tyson Campbell: C-

Campbell is playing through an ankle injury and he even left the game at one point Sunday. Unfortunately, he looks like a player who isn't at 100 percent right now. He ran into Ward on the touchdown to Egbuka and he was also the nearest defender when Tez Johnson hauled in a 49-yarder.

The Browns should take a serious look at whether Mekhi Blackmon can play if Campbell isn't fully healthy.

Myles Harden: A-

Last week, the Jaguars had a lot of success picking on Myles Harden. This week, Baker Mayfield paid for throwing it in his direction.

Harden did a good job to get his eyes on Mayfield and position himself under the comeback route to make a jumping interception. He was actually in position to make another pick in the red zone, but a collision with the receiver knocked the bal out.

Regardless, the slot did not look like a weakness this week.

Grant Delpit: A-

Delpit was all over the field in a good way on Sunday. He was tied for the team lead with five solo tackles, registered a sack as a blitzer and was sticky in coverage throughout the game with no major faults.

Ronnie Hickman: A-

Hickman had a nearly identical game to Delpit. He also recorded a sack as a blitzer and had another pressure where he was unable to bring down Mayfield. He was key in run support, making his tackles within the first five yards on a few runs.

Special Teams

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K Andre Szmyt: A

The game was a field goal fest in the first half and Szmyt kept the Browns in it by going 3-for-3 with a long of 50.

P Corey Bojorquez: A

No complaints for the punter here. Two of his four punts were downed inside the 20 and he averaged 49.5 yards on his four reps.

RET Raheim Sanders/Malachi Corley: B

Sanders and Malachi Corley shared the kick return responsibilities this week. Sanders was unable to break one like he did in Week 1, but they didn't hurt the team either.