Give a game ball to new Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for the team’s resounding 24–3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium in the regular-season opener.

That defense — his defense — was definitely the difference in the game.

For a long time, the Browns have lost games like the one Sunday, when one part of the team did not perform well, and the offense did not perform well against the Bengals. That was especially the case for quarterback Deshaun Watson, who, in beginning his first full season on the field for the Browns, struggled to find his groove until late in the game.

But the Browns got past that, because from start to finish, the defense throttled the Cincinnati offense, and in particular quarterback Joe Burrow, holding him to well less than 100 yards passing. That seems unthinkable, but it is exactly what happened.

It’s called complementary football, in which another part of the team comes up and plays well when another part is not doing well. Perhaps next week, it will be the defense needing the offense to come through.

Whatever the case, the Browns are 1-0, and those division games in the AFC North mean so much more than games against teams outside of the division. Those division games really count twice, when you think about it.

Schwartz came here with a lot of hoopla, and he delivered on every bit of it. I am excited to see just how far he can take this defense this season.

By Steve King