The Browns took care of business Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium when they defeated the Colts 39-38. However, it wasn't pretty.
The Browns' defense had its worst performance Sunday as a group this season. They gave up 305 receiving yards to the Colts, which is the most they have given up this season. They also gave up 168 rushing yards, which is also the most they have given up in a game.
They allowed the Colts to score five touchdowns, resulting in a total of 38 points against them, which is the most this season. None of the five total touchdowns resulted from turnovers by the Browns offense.
The Colts scored five touchdowns, with four of those drives covering 70 yards each. The first touchdown went for 75 yards in six plays. The second one covered 52 yards in six plays as well. The third one took eight plays to cover 75 yards, while the fourth one was an eight-play, 70-yard drive. The fifth touchdown was the shortest, covering just two plays and 75 yards.
"We haven't given up that many explosive passes the whole entire season," CB Greg Newsome II said. "So, that's definitely on us. In the back end, we got to play better. We're going to play some man; we're going to do some things like that. And when we play man, we got to win."
The Browns said they had a great week at practice, so the hope is Sunday's defensive breakdowns can be addressed and fixed this week in practice. Newsome said they have to continue to stick to their defensive standard.
"It just didn't translate all the way to the game," Newsome said. "And I don't think we played a horrible game back there. We just gave up so many explosives, which is not in our identity. So, I mean, it's just really sticking to the script. Going out there, keep practicing hard and keep trusting the process."
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns celebrate after a win over the Indianapolis Colts on October 22, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns defense did have some shining moments in Sunday's game. They had three forced fumbles, a blocked field goal, an interception and scored a touchdown. Two of the forced fumbles came from DE Myles Garrett, which resulted in a defensive touchdown, and another put the offense in a good position to score another touchdown for the Browns. Also, Garrett blocked a field goal in the second quarter to put the offense in great field possession.
Garrett carried the Browns defense on Sunday. Despite his heroics, the group had its struggles against the Colts.
"Was it perfect? No," HC Kevin Stefanski said. "That's what we're in here right now, meeting with the players on to try to improve. We know teams are going to make plays on us, but we want to do everything in our power to slow that other team down. So, there's things that we can correct, we will get them corrected."
In all, the Browns defense didn't play horribly, considering they forced four turnovers, the most they forced in a game this season. Before Sunday, the Browns only had four takeaways this season. The Browns defense just didn't play up to their usual standards."
We just didn't play one great game, and we've been playing really good ball," Newsome said. "We're definitely going to be better on defense, but it's not difficult. We never get too high for ourselves. We know the room we got, and even in a game like that, we know what we're capable of. So, we'll fix it this week."
