Jump off board if you want, but we promise you this….

Deshaun Watson got emotional while talking about his season-ending shoulder injury.
Things have changed for the Browns.
But nothing has changed in Brown’s defense.
After Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder injury arguably changed the course of the 6-3 Browns’ season, the defense, one of the best units in the NFL, is trying to do what it’s done all year: remain.
With bold confidence and insane production.

“Jump if you want,” cornerback Greg Newsome II wrote to X after hearing the news of Watson’s injury.
“You will regret.”

‘It’s hard to wrap my head around it right now’ – Deshaun Watson suffers season-ending shoulder injury, needs surgery: Transcript

“Take him if you want.
You’ll regret it.
“After Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury, the Browns defense is ready to carry the team.

Is the Browns season over and is Deshaun Watson done? Not so fast

The Browns are currently No. 1 in total defense, allowing just 242.7 yards per game.
They have the best pass defense (151.1 yards per game) and the best first downs in the NFL at 25.89% (12.6 per game) and the third most downs. They allow 18.6 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league.
They have the best DVOA defense. Oh, and Myles Garrett is a legitimate contender for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, tied with 11 players currently in the league.

They certainly have a team that can dominate the incredibly competitive AFC North all season long (each team is within a game and a half, Baltimore is 7-3 and the Bengals are in last place). 5-4) Sunday afternoon.
“Defensively, make your shots.
We have to control what we can control,” junior Anthony Walker said.
“And we’re going to go there and stop.
We believe a team can’t win a game if they don’t score. So we know we have to play elite defense.”

Watson, Nick Chubb and Jack Conklin are out for the season with injuries, as are longtime quarterbacks Da’Wand Jones and Jedrick Wills Jr. He sat out, barely touching the defense.
EYE That included Cleveland’s stunning 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in which the Browns trailed by as many as 15 points.

Watson led the offense on the game-winning drive, but it wouldn’t have gotten there without the defense holding the fort in key moments, including Jordan Elliott’s blocked punt and Mike Ford Jr.’s first-half interception.
., the defense stalled on Baltimore’s next drive after Greg Newsome II’s fourth-quarter pick (his first career interception) and Dustin Hopkins missed a game-tying extra point attempt. The Browns offense got the ball with 5:03 left in the game and never looked back.

“This team is battle-tested,” Ogbo Okoronkwo said.
“We know how to outdo each other when we need to, and we intend to do so.”

With a Watson-sized hole in Cleveland’s offense, the Browns will turn to starting backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the time being.

His first and only start this year came in Week 4 against the Ravens.
At the time, Watson was dealing with a rotator cuff strain in his right shoulder.
The UCLA product’s debut was disastrous as Cleveland fell 28-3.
He finished 19 of 36 for 121 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions for a 25.3 rating.
He has promised to be even better in his second start and, with less than three hours to prepare, it’s safe to say he has plenty of potential.

But the defense knows it has to give the team and Thompson-Robinson as much as possible for execution errors.
In particular, T.J. of the Steelers.
Against the physical front. Watt, Cam Hayward, Alex Highsmith.
“Anytime you have a youngster or a backup quarterback, it puts a little extra pressure on the defense,” defensive end Maurice Hurst said.
“So it’s important for us to put all the pieces together and stop the explosive plays that have dominated us in the past.
In the Steelers last game, we gave up some big plays and played a very solid defensive game.

“Something like this can really bring you together and rally the troops when you’re desperate and have questions about things.
But it brings you together and makes you stronger, no matter what situation you’re facing.”

The Browns also take advantage of the past experience of those currently in the building.

Rodney McLeod was a member of the 2017 Eagles team that won the Super Bowl despite losing starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a torn ACL in December of that year.
Nick Foles and their defense led the rest of the way.

Are you the team’s defensive coordinator?
This is none other than Jim Schwartz.

“Our goal never changed,” McLeod said when asked about that season.
“So this will be a test for the squad, our mentality and our day-to-day approach and the trust we have in each other and the players who are now being asked to fill big shoes.”

According to him, it is important to turn external doubts into motivation.

“Overall, I don’t think anyone expected us to be in this position,” he said.
“I think we have to stay hungry and have a chip on our shoulder every week.
You also have to prove who you are.
I think last week was a great representation of the team we can and want to be.
So it will be important to continue that.”

But it will be a delicate balance in defense going forward.
They have to lead the team without much effort. Aggression is good, but if you’re not careful, too much aggression can lead to mistakes, outbursts, and losses.
Must be pre-owned but not necessarily new.

“It’s like this property has been there from the beginning,” Martin Emerson Jr. said.
“I knew the special group we had assembled and the foundation we had built in the offseason.”

So far this season, Cleveland’s defense has talked the talk and walked the walk.
They did their best against the odds and the Browns rallied to win week after week.
This is the most difficult challenge they have ever faced, but they are ready for it in every way.

Given his performance thus far, Newsome’s message, “If you want to excel, you’ll regret it” doesn’t seem all that threatening.
It’s more of a promise.