It was another tough loss for the Cleveland Browns Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia despite their best efforts to come home with a win against the Eagles.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski and his offense retold a familiar story that we have seen throughout the start of the season. Starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was finally able to have some more time in the pocket to make some impressive throws, but fell way short of that goal. This completely stopped the passing game and prevented the running game from developing. The defense put on an impressive performance against the talented and healthy Eagles offense, but it wasn't enough to secure a much-needed team victory for the Browns, despite their efforts on special teams.

The Browns are about to face a tough stretch in their schedule, which is expected to get even harder despite playing at home in the upcoming weeks. Cleveland showed more life in their Week 6 performance than in their previous losses, which is a positive takeaway from their matchup in Philadelphia.

Let's review some of the position groups for the Browns that can continue to build on their strong performances from Week 6.

Quarterback: D-

It was another difficult performance for Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson in Week 6. The quarterback once again finished the day with under 200 passing yards, now marking his sixth time this season with this poor stat line. He was also unable to help the offense find the end zone today with the only Cleveland touchdown being scored from a blocked field goal attempt to end the first half. After so much uncertainty and failure with Watson, why do the Browns continue to play him?

There have been several factors that have gotten in Watson's way of being successful, but he cannot seem to overcome anything that is thrown his way. The Browns' offensive line has been anything but healthy and has not performed well over the start of the season, and there have been a large number of passes dropped as well. The thing people seem to forget is that Watson was signed to a contract of his size because he was supposed to overcome these challenges and help his team find a way to win. Even when he is not facing any hurdles, he can't help his team cross the finish line. Many are still wondering if the Browns will decide to bench Watson before it's too late.

Running back: B-

In their final performance before the return of Nick Chubb, the Browns running backs provided some hope for the future of the run game. D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong reeled in most of the carries this afternoon after the injury to starting back Jerome Ford. Despite either one totaling a major amount of carries, Foreman and Strong managed to collect 4.1 yards per carry on the ground and had some impressive runs to go with it. In a struggling passing game and an injury-riddled offensive line, it is surprising to see these backs get any production out of their touches.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has still yet to fully establish the run game for the offense. Part of this has to do with the inability to get much going in the passing game with quarterback Deshaun Watson. An offense has to flow properly, and Cleveland's is doing everything but that. The run game is destined to become the main focus of the Browns offense with the return of Nick Chubb next week against the Bengals.

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: C+

It was a bad day to be a Browns pass catcher in Week 6, a theme that seems to be occurring weekly. Amari Cooper was the team’s leading receiver with 42 yards, which is the worst performance that a Browns' leading receiver has had in a game so far. Cooper also dropped another difficult pass that he should have easily made on an early third down play. The Browns wide receiving core had the burden of bad quarterback play eliminating most of their opportunities against a more favorable Eagles coverage.

David Njoku looks as if he is continuing to progress to his normal self after reeling in five of his seven targets this week. This was unfortunately one of the only silver linings for Cleveland’s pass catchers. It’s easy to see them losing confidence in their offense and it’s hard to blame them. The Browns desperately need a motivational spark that can help the wide receivers gain their confidence to make a play when limited opportunities present themselves.

Offensive Line: C

Despite starting right tackle Jack Conklin returning to full health, the injury nag was still one of Cleveland's toughest battles on the offensive line. Backup center Nick Harris started in place of the injured Ethan Pocic but was carted off early, leaving the Browns without a true center. They still managed to do a decent job of limiting the powerful Eagles' defensive line and providing some opportunities for their offensive playmakers. Watson's sack total decreased and the running backs were able to get more creative with some of their rushing attempts.

The offensive line's improvement was noticeable but their performance was still well under expectations. We have yet to see a Browns offensive line that has provided an acceptable showing so far this season. While many rotating injuries have factored into their performance and grade, it's still been a disappointing showing so far when compared to past Cleveland offensive lines. With a slightly more favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals' defense, they should deliver a solid performance next Sunday, especially with the return of Nick Chubb.

Defensive Line: B+

Cleveland’s defensive front stepped up in a big way this game, arguably contributing the most among all position groups. Myles Garrett led this group with his stellar blocked kick on special teams, leading to a Rodney McLeod Jr touchdown. Their collected effort also left Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley with nowhere to go for the bulk of his touches. He only averaged 2.6 yards per carry on 18 rushing attempts for 47 yards. The only thing they failed to do was get some much-needed pressure on opposing quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was only sacked once.

This performance was a huge step up after they previously let the Washington Commanders run all over the field. Putting the pieces together one at a time isn’t pretty, but the Browns need some building blocks to go off of. This was a solid standout from the entire cast that will need to continue against some tough competition.

Linebackers: A

The linebackers were once again the best position group on the field for the Browns' defense. As usual, the group was led by star linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who has had a stellar start to his 2024 campaign. He collected eight solo tackles against the Eagles and added a pass deflection and tackle for loss as well. Other Browns linebackers Mohamoud Diabate and Devin Bush also provided some standout performances after finishing with more than six tackles each.

The only position group that has not regressed from their 2023 performance has been the linebackers. Even with the absence of starting linebacker Jordan Hicks, every player in the group has made a significant contribution towards a victorious effort each week. Let’s hope that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz can help get the rest of his defense on the same page as this talented group.

Defensive Backs: C-

The defensive backs were the weak link in Jim Schwartz's Week 6 defense. It was destined to be a tough day for the Browns secondary with the return of star Eagles wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, but they still failed to answer the call when challenged. Philadelphia starting quarterback Jalen Hurts was able to complete over 60 percent of his passes for 264 yards and no interceptions. In his impressive performance, he was able to find open receivers all over the field. The two Eagles' star receivers and backup tight end Grant Calcaterra were all able to have over 60 receiving yards on multiple catches.

This is now back-to-back poor performances by the Cleveland secondary. To start the season, they had solid performances against more manageable competition that provided confidence for fans. That was before they faced more improved quarterbacks with some of the NFL's best wide receivers. These last two matchups were a hopeful wakeup call for the Browns' defensive backs who will need to show some immediate improvement over the next two weeks.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns Report Card: Positional grades in Week 6 loss vs. Eagles