The Cleveland Browns are 5-5 on the season after a successful run to the playoffs in 2020 and an offseason full of adding talent. The .500 record is indicative of a team that is either average or inconsistent, or both.
For the Browns, everything points to an inconsistent team.
The offense has scored the following points this season: 29, 31, 26, 14, 42, 14, 17, 10, 41 and 7. Some of those stretches are head-scratching especially the last three weeks.
The defense has allowed the following points this season: 33, 21, 6, 7, 47, 37, 14, 15, 16 and 45. Like the offense, there are stretches where the defense looks good and other times where they have looked terrible.
Obviously, the quality of the opponent plays a role in the scoreboard. The offense has feasted on bad defenses at times while the defense controlled some bad offenses.
The problem for the Browns is that, outside of the game against Cincinnati, haven’t gotten a good game from both the offense and defense when they needed it against good teams.
That inconsistency can be seen looking at Pro Football Focus’ grades for the team. With the offense looking good in some games and the defense looking good in other games, Cleveland is unique over the course of the year so far:
#Browns this season:
💥 10th best offensive grade
🚫 4th best defensive grade
🦵 T-6th best special teams gradeThe only team in the top-10 for all three 🤯 pic.twitter.com/adq3tjwqHk
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) November 18, 2021
While the initial response could be to deride PFF for their grades, the Browns have played well, at times, in all phases of the game. When compiling grades for all 10 games shows an overall good team. Game to game, not so much.
Cleveland needs consistency over the final seven games of the season.
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