How one half against Jacksonville showed the Browns’ offense potential: Inside the Numbers

CLEVELAND, Ohio — After a disastrous Week 1 performance, the Browns' offense turned a corner, looking sharp and fluid in the win against the Jaguars. Deshaun Watson played on time, the three-headed monster at running back was efficient, and the quick, RPO passing game Browns fans were promised heading into the season looked excellent.

Well, at least this was the story for the first half.

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While the second half was shaky, to put it lightly, the offensive failures can be attributed to more sloppy execution errors that can happen sporadically and aren't emblematic of greater failure.

So what went right in the first half? How did Kevin Stefanski and the offensive staff get this offense to look completely different in just one week?

Let's dive into the numbers:

Change 1 The first difference from Week 1 to Week 2 was the types of throws Watson intended. Average intended air yards (IAY) is a statistic from NFL's Next Gen Stats that uses tracking data to show the average air yards a passer throws on all attempts. This metric shows how far the ball is being thrown downfield. It is thus recorded as a negative value when the pass is behind the line of scrimmage.

Week 1: 8.8 IAY (7th)

Week 2: 6.3 IAY (27th)

Watson was in the top 10 of quarterbacks in Week 1 in terms of average intended air yards, meaning he was trying to push the ball downfield frequently.

The game plan against Dallas involved a lot of play-action shot plays. The offense was also forced into a lot of third-and-longs because of poor early down efficiency.

In Week 2, the passing attack was much different. The game plan put a big emphasis on quick passing to build offensive confidence and protect an injured offensive line. Watson's IAY dropped a full two-plus yards and the results were much different.

Change 2 The second thing the offense changed was its backfield. In Week 1, the rushing attack failed to pose any real threat, causing an overreliance on the passing game. Jerome Ford rushed for less than 50 yards at a 3.7 yards per attempt clip. This was partly due to bad blocking, but Ford's style of running didn't allow for explosive plays.

Rushing efficiency (EFF) is another player tracking stat by Next Gen Stats by tracking the total distance a player traveled on rushing plays per rushing yard gained. Essentially, it tracks how many yards a ball carrier ran to gain one rushing yard on average. That means the lower the number, the more the running back is a North/South runner.

In Week 1, Ford had an EFF average of 3.01 (21st among RBs). This is a relatively low number, meaning Ford had a straight line running style. While this can be effective for short-yardage situations, it can be limiting when trying to generate explosive plays.

For the Jacksonville game, Stefanski changed up the run game usage. He got Ford and D'Onta Foreman on more stretch and pitch runs to generate more lateral movement. The Browns had their backs at 5.24 and 3.91 EFF, respectively — the seventh and 13th highest among RBs in Week 2 respectively.

The diversification of the run game allowed the Browns to prop up their passing attack. They were able to pop off big runs, generate explosives, and keep third downs manageable for the offense.

The Path Forward For the Browns, the path to a more consistent baseline on offense is simple. Keep Watson's job easy, get the ball out of his hands quickly, and use variety in the run game to stretch defenses laterally. The offensive line woes should improve by getting healthy and off IR and PUP lists.

There seems to be this overemphasis to get Watson back to his elite 2020 form. And three first-round picks and $230 million guaranteed makes it understandable.

The old Watson might walk through the door one day, but for now, the Browns have a formula for success. If Watson is playing on-time, the receivers are continuing to get open, and the running game can be consistent, there is no reason this can't be a top-half offense.

The Browns showed fans what this offense looks like when it all comes together — in the first half. The second half left a bitter taste in the mouth despite closing out the win. The hope is that as the weeks pass, and these players get more reps together, the Browns can start putting full, complete offensive games together.