The Cleveland Browns have been widely regarded as having the best defense in the NFL in 2023. It was an integral part of DE Myles Garrett’s Defensive Player of the Year campaign. “The best player on the best defense”, we heard time and again to explain away his inferior traditional statistics.
But in what sense were the Browns the best defense in the NFL? It’s a question that I can’t help but keep coming back to. Yes, they gave up the fewest yards in the NFL. That much is true. Nobody else was really close, though no defense was on the field for fewer plays, either. The Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets gave up the same number of yards per play.
They ranked fifth in the league in takeaways. They gave up far fewer first downs than anybody else, 254 to 298 as the next closest. Their defense only allowed 2,800 passing yards all season, which is indeed very impressive in this age.
But they allowed 23 passing touchdowns, which was not in the top half of the league. And there’s the kicker. What difference does it make how many yards are allowed if you give up points? The Browns surrendered 362 points in 2023, which only ranked as the 13th-best mark in the league. Even if you account for non-offensive touchdowns by opponents, they only rise to seventh place. Behind the Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, Cowboys, and Saints, most of whom have a more than reasonable claim to be a better defense.
So I ask you, fellow citizens, how does the best defense in the league rank outside the top five in points allowed? Isn’t the fundamental job of a defense to prevent the opposing offense from scoring? I don’t know how any defense can be considered the best in the league without being a top-five team in points allowed.
It’s not as though the Browns did a ton of scoring themselves. Yes, they had three defensive touchdowns, including two pick-sixes and a recovered fumble in the end zone. But that wasn’t exactly unique around the league. Plenty of defenses scored. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense scored twice in one game against the Browns.
Cleveland ranked outside the top 10 in rushing yards allowed, in yards per attempt, and in rushing touchdowns. There is nothing here particularly commendable. Yet the Browns somehow allowed the fewest first downs via the rush, it’s fair to note.
They allowed points on the lowest percentage of possessions, the only team under 25 percent. Why? Because they allowed the fewest field goals. But they allowed tied for the 15th-most touchdowns. So who cares, exactly, how often the opponent scores when they gave up more touchdowns than the league average?
They ranked first in the NFL in third-down conversion rate. They ranked last in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage. Last. They allowed a touchdown on 71.4 percent of their red-zone possessions. Only eight other teams were worse than 60 percent.
Meanwhile, the Steelers ranked sixth in the NFL in points allowed. They had the fifth-best red-zone defense. They allowed the third-fewest touchdowns in the league. Which numbers would you rather have? The team that allowed more than 25 points in more than half of its games? Or the team, the Steelers, that ranked 21st in yards allowed but sixth in points allowed?
