Browns’ defensive snap counts, stats, and notes: Week 11 – They just aren’t good

It’s time to come to grips that the Browns’ defense just isn’t good this year.

Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 11 game against the New Orleans Saints.

• DL: Despite not registering any stats, Myles Garrett was a PFF darling again, receiving the second-highest grade for the defense (82.8). Also up there with the third- and fourth-highest grades were Isaiah McGuire (79.5) and Shelby Harris (73.9).
• LB: I don’t know who exactly to pin this on, but the Browns’ performance against defending Taysom Hill was awful, yet predictable. I don’t know how many times I’ve echoed that this defense was great when they were aggressive to such a degree that teams didn’t know what to do. Now, teams know what to do, and the Browns have no adjustments for it. If teams gameplan appropriately, they can pick apart the defense with ease, just like New Orleans did.
• CB: The Browns’ highest-graded player on defense, per PFF, was Denzel Ward. It was obvious. Ward had several big plays, including an interception, forced fumble, and knocking away a pass in the end zone. It was arguably his best game of the season. Greg Newsome didn’t play a lot of snaps.
• S: The Browns didn’t have Juan Thornhill playing for a good portion of the game. I thought Grant Delpit had a couple of nice plays. As bad as the Browns were in that fourth quarter, this was one of those plays that still could’ve swung the game.