Cleveland's Defense Still a Problem Despite so Many Attempts at Improvement

It's no secret that the Cleveland Browns have been trying to get better on defense this year, particularly up front. But so far their attempts at doing so—which included bringing in free-agent defensive end Randy Starks, drafting Danny Shelton, Xavier Cooper and Nate Orchard and switching Armonty Bryant to a hybrid linebacker-end edge-rusher role—haven't exactly paid off.

And even the Browns' vaunted secondary, which features players such as cornerbacks Joe Haden and Tramon Williams and safeties Tashaun Gipson and Donte Whitner, has been giving up chunks of yardage and has been outmatched for three straight weeks.

Stat	Value
Yds. Allow	469
Yds/Play Allow	7.6
Pass Yds. Allow	314
Yds/Pass Allow	9.8
Rush Yds. Allow	155
Yds/Rush Allow	5.2
OAK in RZ	3 of 5
CLE Sacks	0.0

On Sunday, the Browns fell to the visiting Oakland Raiders, 27-20, dropping their record to 1-2 on the year. And while the offense certainly left a lot to be desired, the way the defense responded sunk the team. 

After being the league's worst run defense in 2014, the Browns have only gotten worse in 2015. The defense gave up 155 rushing yards to the Raiders on Sunday, with Oakland back Latavius Murray leading the way with 26 carries for 139 yards and a score, including a long run of 54 yards.

That comes on the heels of Cleveland giving up 154 rushing yards in its Week 1 loss to the New York Jets and 166 rushing yards in its Week 2 defeat of the Tennessee Titans. 

Jason Miller/Getty Images

The passing defense struggled as well. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr completed 20 of his 32 pass attempts on Sunday for 314 yards and two touchdowns. He was not sacked a single time nor turned the ball over. And yet again, an opposing quarterback had a big day against Cleveland's defense—in Week 1, it allowed 333 passing yards and then 385 in Week 2.

The performance has Browns head coach Mike Pettine disgusted. He said after the loss that the defense "looked like a scout team," per Northeast Ohio Media Group's Mary Kay Cabot.

This "scout team" allowed 469 total yards to the Raiders on Sunday, or 7.6 yards per play. The Raiders were also 3-of-5 in the red zone. Sunday definitely did not signal improvement over the previous two weeks—let alone over 2014—for Cleveland's defense.

It doesn't matter how many new players or roster improvements the Browns can make. If the players cannot execute on the field, they will fail every time. Whether a result of new faces still trying to get comfortable with the defense, a lack of talent, a string of bad days or a combination of the three, Cleveland's defense seems only to take steps backward every week.

This is an offense-first league. The Browns know this. Pettine knows this. Defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil knows this. And every player in Cleveland's locker room knows this. Being this porous both against the pass and against the run is not going to lead the Browns to wins—not when they don't have an explosive enough offense to compensate.

But there is a difference between words and actions, a fact that is definitely not lost on Pettine after Sunday. How to get those words to line up to on-field actions will be Pettine's priority No. 1 this week and every week until this defense can show sustained, tangible improvements.

"

#Browns HC Mike Pettine said he told team he's tired of players talking about being good and failing to back it up.

— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) September 27, 2015"

And until and unless it does, expect Sunday's performance to be par for the course for the Browns defense this year.