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Below, we analyze the snap counts on offense for the Cleveland Browns' Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos.
Quarterback
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| QB |
Josh McCown |
79 |
100% | 20-of-39 (51.3%) for 213 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs. 3 carries, 12 yards. |
Josh McCown is at a point in his career where he's already far exceeded expectations, so even when he has a game in which he had three costly turnovers (two of which were squarely on him) and took a few untimely sacks, I don't find myself calling for Johnny Manziel quite yet. The past few weeks, the Browns have been playing from behind by two possessions at or near the start of the fourth quarter, with McCown coming to life a little more in the second half. Cleveland needs to find a little bit different of a wrinkle to get McCown in rhythm right from the get-go.
Running Back
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| RB | Duke Johnson | 33 | 42% | 9 carries, 38 yards, 4.2 avg. 3 catches, 18 yards (4 targets). |
| RB |
Malcolm Johnson |
29 | 37% | 1 catch, 0 yards (1 target). |
| RB |
Isaiah Crowell |
28 | 35% | 11 carries, 32 yards, 2.9 avg. 2 catches, 9 yards (2 targets). |
| FB | Robert Turbin | 18 | 23% | 10 carries, 27 yards, 2.7 avg. 0 catches (1 target). |
Duke Johnson was being tested for a concussion right around the time the Browns could have had a touchdown-winning drive at the end of regulation. He was cleared to return, but it was too late, which makes me wonder if the Browns' playcalling in the red zone might have been different had he been available. Malcolm Johnson presumably saw more playing time due to the early injury to Rob Housler. I'm not a fan of dividing the workload evenly between three running backs, unless the third guy has a niche. Robert Turbin seemed to power through for that extra yard or two with contact, but I'll be haunted by the bobble he had on the pitch play in overtime.
Wide Receiver
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| WR | Andrew Hawkins | 58 | 73% | 1 catch, 25 yards (4 targets). |
| WR | Travis Benjamin | 56 | 71% | 9 catches, 117 yards (13 targets). |
| WR | Brian Hartline | 40 | 51% | 0 catches (3 targets). |
| WR | Taylor Gabriel | 24 | 30% | 1 catch, 5 yards (2 targets). |
The Browns have done a good job distributing the ball to a bunch of wide receivers this year, but against Denver, all of the action was aimed toward Travis Benjamin and Gary Barnidge. Benjamin found most of his success on the quick slant, but did catch a bomb after a Broncos player was offsides. With how much the wide receiver bubble screen game has been part of our offense, I'm surprised it wasn't run more. Cleveland ran it twice -- once with Taylor Gabriel for 5 yards, and once with Benjamin for about no gain.
Tight End
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| TE | Gary Barnidge | 62 | 78% | 3 catches, 39 yards, 2 TDs (9 targets). |
| TE | Jim Dray | 44 | 56% | No stats registered. |
| TE | Rob Housler | 3 | 4% | No stats registered. |
Josh McCown couldn't connect with Gary Barnidge as often as he's been, but Barnidge still had both touchdown receptions. My biggest complaint on offense this week was the utilization of Jim Dray on plays where he was the only tight end on the field. Cleveland tipped their hand that it was going to be a run play, and presumably could have set up a situation in which Dray actually leaked out on a playaction pass to be open. That never materialized.
Offensive Line
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| OL | Joe Thomas | 79 | 100% | |
| OL | Joel Bitonio | 79 | 100% | |
| OL | Alex Mack | 79 | 100% | |
| OL | Mitchell Schwartz | 79 | 100% | |
| OL | John Greco | 79 | 100% |
The offensive line surrendered four sacks and eight quarterback hits against what many consider to be the best defense in the NFL. The amount of sacks this team gives up with Josh McCown under center seems to be the norm now. There were about two plays where I felt McCown really had no chance, but the sack numbers are not indicative of him "running for his life" the whole game.
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Amount of Offensive Plays, By the Week
- Week 1: 71 plays
- Week 2: 49 plays
- Week 3: 75 plays
- Week 4: 71 plays
- Week 5: 88 plays*
- Week 6: 79 plays*
We'll have coverage on the defensive snap counts later on.