Coach Pat Shurmur tempers run defense criticism with fact Browns won

Although coach Pat Shurmur says 198 yards rushing by the Lions is unacceptable, he deflects criticism of his defense by noting it held Detroit to 17 points and the Browns won the game.

The Browns ranked 30th in the NFL last season in rushing yards allowed, but fifth in points allowed. So when his team was criticized for yielding huge chunks of yards on the ground against Detroit on Friday, coach Pat Shurmur sought to temper the negativity.

The Lions rushed for 198 yards and 6.0 yards per carry. Shurmur acknowledged that the numbers were unacceptable. But he added that holding Detroit to 17 points and winning the game must also be considered.

The Browns were playing without four of their starters on the front seven, including DT Phil Taylor (pectoral surgery), DE Frostee Rucker, weakside LB Chris Gocong (season-ending Achilles surgery) and MLB D'Qwell Jackson (soreness). Strongside LB Scott Fujita has also missed significant time in practice.

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