Week 13: Cleveland @ Rams

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by Elvis
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Week 13: Cleveland @ Rams

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McVay attacking the Browns’ weaknesses

The Browns are the top defense in the league in several metrics including defensive success rate and EPA per snap but the Rams made them look pedestrian on Sunday scoring 2.62 points per drive, which is the most a team has averaged on the Browns all season. Early in the game, Matthew Stafford checked into a designed shot play that resulted in a 70-yard touchdown to Puka Nacua.

“The one long touchdown that he makes to Puka, that’s a check that he ends up making up where I’m saying, ‘Shoot. What the heck am I supposed to do? You’re playing quarterback and doing our job,'” McVay said after the game. “But it just goes to show you what a special player he is to be able to say, ‘Hey, if we get a certain look and I recognize it, how would this be to try to attack the back end of the coverage contour and what protection?’ I’m sitting there saying, ‘(Expletive), that’s a pretty good idea. I should’ve thought of that earlier in the week.’ And he made it come to life and then Puka being able to finish for a 70-yard touchdown was big early in the game.”

Inverted Cover 2 is one of Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s favorite calls. It’s called Inverted-2 because the corners play deep halves instead of the safeties. The Browns like to disguise their coverage a lot. Their corners often stem inside late, leaving the middle of the field wide open. No offense has taken advantage of this but as soon as Stafford read the coverage, he checked into the play call with Nacua sprinting down the middle of the field. With the corners dropping inside late, it was a footrace between Nacua and a linebacker. After the Rams hit this play, the Browns played mostly man for the rest of the game and the Rams continued taking shots.

McVay also did a good job in scheming up the run game. Nacua had 34 yards rushing and another explosive run called back on fly sweeps. They also faked fly sweeps and pitched the ball outside to Kyren Williams for a few big runs. McVay understood exactly where the Browns’ weaknesses were and put together an excellent game plan attacking them.

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