Report Card Grades for Browns' NFL Week 3 Game vs. Panthers

An absolutely dominant performance from the defensive front and timely playmaking on offense led the Browns to a 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 3.

The Browns are now 2-1, tying them with the rest of the AFC North through three weeks of the season.

It's not a position many expected the Browns to be in, but they've gotten a lot of key contributions from their young core. Throw in just enough improvement from Deshaun Watson and Cleveland played winning football in their home opener.

Let's break it down by doling out grades for the key players on Sunday.

Quarterback

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Deshaun Watson: C+

For three quarters, Deshaun Watson could best be described as "meh". Going into the fourth quarter, he was 10-of-21 passing the ball for just 67 yards.

But he kept the ball out of harm's way and extended some drives with his scrambling.

The most important positive was that he was able to turn things around in the fourth quarter and come through in the clutch. His touchdown pass to Harold Fannin to retake the lead looked like vintage Watson. He scrambled to his left, extended the play against pressure and threw a dart to Harold Fannin.

It's hard to say he won the game for the team. The defense kept them in the ballgame for three quarters, but he didn't lose it.

Running Backs

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Quinshon Judkins: C

The running back remains the hardest player to grade on the Browns offense right now. The run game was better. How much of that was the Panthers defense being notoriously bad at stopping the run is hard to suss out.

Judkins had 70 yards, but he still didn't crack 4 yards per carry and his longest of the day was 11.

Raheim Sanders: B

It doesn't help Judkins' case that Sanders lone carry of the day went for 17 yards. He also trucked Jaycee Horn after catching a ball in the flats. Sanders brought real juice to the offense in his role.

Wide Receivers

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KC Concepcion: C

The stat line says that KC Concepcion only caught two of his nine targets for 17 yards on the day.

It won't tell you that Watson missed him badly on at least three of those targets. The rookie still needs to do more with the ball after the catch, but the low production wasn't all on him.

Denzel Boston: B

Boston probably needs more than four targets a game at this point. He brought down two of them for 41 yards and remains the Browns only consistent threat down the field. He was kept out of the endzone, but still had the longest reception (28) of the day for the Browns.

Jerry Jeudy: D

It continues to be perplexing why the Browns won't give Tylan Wallace and/or Isaiah Bond more run. Jeudy played 36 snaps and didn't see a single target. It's time to play some younger guys with some upside.

Tight Ends

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Harold Fannin: B+

Fannin reminded everyone how good of a weapon he can be for the offense. He caught both of Watson's touchdown passes and picked up some of the chain-moving responsibilities of Concepcion.

Not only did he score twice, but he created three first downs with his seven receptions.

Blake Whiteheart: B

Whiteheart wasn't targeted in the passing game, but some of the Browns best gains on the ground came in two-tight end sets. His blocking helped Cleveland do some good things in the run game.

Offensive Line

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Spencer Fano: C

There were some growing pains for Fano against the Panthers. He was beaten by second-year edge-rusher Princely Umanmielen on an inside move after oversetting for the speed rush.

He also picked up a brutal holding call that set them back to 2nd-and-20.

Zion Johnson: B-

Johnson easily had his best game as Brown. He wasn't at fault for much of the Panthers success in the pass rush and he was helpful in opening up a few more holes this week.

All three interior blockers' grades should take a hit for getting beat across the board on the fourth-and-short that could have iced the game with a minute left.

Elton Jenkins: B-

Jenkins put together a clean pass protection performance at the pivot. The run game also was the best it has looked in part because of his blocking in the middle.

Austin Barber: C

The rookie guard got a taste of what it's like to block one of the best interior defenders in the league. Derrick Brown is a tough test for anyone in the league. Barber was beaten for a pressure on the first drive and it wasn't the last time.

He'll have to improve his anchor against the better bull rushers in the league to take the next step as a starter.

Tytus Howard: D

The case for playing Dawand Jones at right tackle grew stronger on Sunday. Howard was flagged for three more false starts after picking up at least one in each of the first two games.

It's not like the penalties are the only thing hurting Howard. He's looking for a head start because he is not holding up well in pass protection.

Edge

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Jared Verse: B

The Browns defensive front was the MVP of this game and Jared Verse was a huge reason for it. After a slow start in the first two games, he led the way with a team-high six pressures, per Next Gen Stats.

The first two games he attracted game plan attention to open the way for others. This week, he delivered himself. Still waiting on the first sack, but Verse was altering Young's play in the pocket.

Isaiah McGuire: B

McGuire also showed up in a game where Bryce Young was constantly under duress. He beat rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling multiple times.

The most crucial came on third-and-goal at the end of the first half. He turned the corner on the rookie and forced a field goal with a sack.

Derek Barnett: C+

Barnett continued to provide meaningful snaps on the defensive line. He joined the pressure party on a few occasions and chipped in a batted pass to the cause.

Defensive Line

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Mason Graham: A+

It's still too early to say that Mason Graham is an All-Pro player, but he certainly looked like one on Sunday. Graham finished the day with seven tackles, two sacks and three tackles for a loss. He was even better than his statline, though.

Adin Huntington: C+

Huntington was the only defensive lineman who didn't register at least one pressure, per PFF. He didn't have a run stop either. He wasn't an outright liability against the run, though.

Michael Hall Jr.: B-

Hall got called for a questionable roughing the passer. Not going to ding him too much for it because it isn't a call that would happen every time and it wasn't the only time he put some pressure on the quarterback.

Maliek Collins: B+

The elder statesman of the interior group was a factor in beating up the Panthers offensive line. He only had three tackles, but he registered two quarterback hits on the day.

Linebackers

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Carson Schwesinger: B

Schwesinger had his least productive tackle day. He had just one solo stop with five assists to get to six total. Still, he was strong in coverage and didn't have any major lapses.

The defensive line's dominance made his day easier than usual. He wasn't forced to clean up a lot.

Quincy Williams: B+

Williams was the downhill thumper against the run that the Browns need. He wasn't stellar in pass protection, but he usually tackled the receiver who caught the ball against him.

A nice hit on Bryce Young as a blitzer boosts the grade a bit as well.

Secondary

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Denzel Ward tackles Darren Waller

Denzel Ward: A

Lockdown. That's a one-word summary, but we'll expand a bit more here. Tet McMillan had two strong performances going into this one. He was held to just two receptions for 17 yards and Ward shadowed him all day.

Mekhi Blackmon: C

Blackmon stepped in for Tyson Campbell who was out with hip and ankle injuries. Targeting him was definitely in Carolina's gameplan. He was mostly fine until he gave up a 31-yard bomb to Brycen Tremayne on a 3rd and 4 to end the third quarter.

Myles Harden: C+

Harden wasn't an absolute liability on Sunday, but he also wasn't an asset in the way he was last week when he had an interception. The Panthers' tight ends were able to have success going against the linebackers and Harden.

Grant Delpit: C+

Delpit had a rough day in coverage. According to PFF's tracking, he allowed five catches on six targets and Bryce Young had a passer rating of 105.6 when targeting the safety.

Ronnie Hickman: B

The game-ending interception was nice. However, he was at fault for some of the success the Panthers had in passing to their tight ends. He had a much better day as a run defender.

Special Teams

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K Andre Szmyt: A

Szmyt kicked two field goals through the uprights, including a 48-yarder.

P Corey Bojorquez: A

Bojorquez was busy on Sunday with five punts. He averaged 48.6 and thre of the five were downed inside the 20. That's nice work.

RET Malachi Corley: D-

Corley committed the cardinal sin of failing to secure the football on the opening kickoff of the second half. The rest of his returns were unremarkable.