Browns’ defensive snap counts, stats, and PFF notes: Week 15

Jamie Collins and Jabrill Peppers step up with their best games of the year.

Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on offense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 15 game against the Denver Broncos.

• Credit the Browns’ defense as a whole for limiting the Broncos to 20 rushes for 31 yards (1.6 YPC) on the day.
• Myles Garrett didn’t register a sack, but he had two hits on Case Keenum, one of which was on the second-to-last play of the game. That was a unique sequence in which Garrett was moved to the other side, against the right tackle, which helped confuse the Broncos and free up Jabrill Peppers for the sack on the final play.
• Larry Ogunjobi is still seeing significant snaps despite his injury.

• Jamie Collins played with his hair on fire early in the game. It was a “where has THIS guy been for 2 years?” moment. Unfortunately, one of his plays was penalized for leading with the helmet, which I say was questionable because of the lowering coming at the last second.
• Genard Avery logged two hits on the quarterback. His 13 hits on the quarterback rank third on the team. Side note: Emmanuel Ogbah has just 6 quarterback hits all year.

• The Browns’ cornerbacks survived again without Denzel Ward.
• Terrance Mitchell had a pass interference call on him early on, but rebounded as the game went on with two pass break-ups.

• The story of the game was the dominant game that Jabrill Peppers had. He was an all-around player, and it is so relieving to see his play coming together over the course of the season. Here is what PFF had to say about him:

Peppers (92.9 grade) made a game-clinching sack at the end of the fourth quarter, capping his best-graded game of the season. In addition to his sack, Peppers forced four total quarterback pressures (tied for most on the team with Larry Ogunjobi), made two run stops, and intercepted a deep ball in the end zone to stop another Denver drive. At the close of this game, Peppers has the sixth-best defensive grade at safety (83.2).

from Dawgs By Nature - All Posts https://ift.tt/2SYmWQb