Browns' first shutout in over a decade was historic
The Cleveland Browns took full advantage of a short-handed Arizona Cardinals team, posting their first shutout since 2007 in a 27-0 victory. However, the Browns' dominance goes deeper than a zero on the scoreboard.
The Browns didn't merely shut out the Cardinals. They erased even the hope of moving the ball.
Cleveland held the Cardinals to only 58 total yards of offense on Sunday. Since 1967, only 13 teams have held an opponent to 58 yards or less in a game, per Stathead. The Browns are only the sixth team to accomplish the feat since 2000 and the first since the Buffalo Bills held the New York Jets to 53 yards in Week 18 of the 2022 campaign.
Meanwhile, the Browns all but eliminated the Cardinals passing attack, led by rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune. Taking the Browns' seven sacks for 41 yards into account, the Cardinals finished with 17 yards passing.
With starter Kyler Murray injured and Joshua Dobbs traded to the Minnesota Vikings at the deadline, the Cardinals turned to Tune, who didn't have an NFL debut to remember. Under near-constant harassment, Tune finished the day 11-of-20 for 58 yards, throwing for a measly 2.8 yards per reception.
Tune also committed three turnovers, throwing two interceptions and losing one fumble. Furthermore, Tune is just the sixth quarterback in NFL history to average 2.8 yards (15 or more pass attempts) and the first since Bob Davis of the New York Jets in 1971.
The Browns never gave the Cardinals much of a chance, forcing them into three-and-outs in six out of 14 possessions, not counting three that ended in turnovers.
Cleveland hadn't tasted the sweet taste of a shutout in more than a decade, while the Cardinals last posted a goose in 2018. However, Sunday's contest is one both teams aren't likely to forget any time soon, for entirely different reasons.
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