Last week, it was bad coaching. This week, it was bad execution. But in either case, the result is the same: A loss for the Browns. Cleveland falls to 7-5 on the year as they drop their second straight game.
This team is maddening sometimes. What went wrong for Cleveland today? It’ll be like digging my heart out with a rusty spoon going over these, but I have to. Let’s take a look.
No defense. Anywhere.
Most of the year, the defense has played fantastically, and has carried the Browns to where they are. But on a day when they could have benefitted tremendously from another strong outing, Myles Garrett and Co. let the team down.
Matthew Stafford was clean all game. The Browns didn’t sack him once, and only hit him twice. He played pitch and catch all day with his weapons in the receiving corps. Stafford went 22-37 for 279 yards and three touchdowns. I know Denzel Ward was out for this game, and he probably could have made at least some kind of difference. But the Browns likely still would have lost.
This is the weakest game they’ve had all season in terms of pass rush. That’s the exact opposite of their defensive identity. When the Browns are playing their absolute best on defense, Myles Garrett and the defensive front supplies constant pressure. And even when they’re not getting home to sack the quarterback, they’re still affecting the game enough to force the opposing quarterback into bad decisions with the football.
This then allows an athletic secondary to make plays on the football. When the Browns are great on defense, guys are either swarming to the quarterback, swarming to the football in the back end of the defense, or rallying to the football to shut down the opponent’s running game before it does any substantial damage. They didn’t do any of that today.
Speaking of the Rams running game, the Browns gave up 120 yards rushing as well. All of this was just unacceptable for a defense that is supposed to be one of the NFL’s best. And I’m being nice because this is a family-friendly blog site. Yikes, this was BAD!
Dropped passes
I lost count of how many dropped passes there were in this game. But it just seemed like whenever the Browns could have used a few more big plays on offense, they couldn’t get them. And a lot of this had to do with David Njoku, Amari Cooper, and others not getting the job done.
I was overall very happy with the start Joe Flacco made today. Not bad for a 38-year-old signal caller! But I would have been even happier if his wideouts helped him out more consistently. It didn’t seem like there was miscommunication or anything between Flacco and the Browns receivers today. They just didn’t come down with the ball as much as they could have. And it’s frustrating!
Even though Joe did well, I have to ding him just a little bit…
Joe Flacco’s game-changing interception
I hate saying I called it. But it feels like I did. During this game, I was very happy with how Joe Flacco was throwing the ball. And I personally think he should keep starting the rest of the season if he continues to play like he did in LA today. He’s earned at least another start next week against Jacksonville.
But things seemed to be going so well in the passing game, and smoother than we’ve seen in several weeks.
But that nasty, ugly thought that’s right more often than not, started creeping into my head: “Things are going too well. Something’s going to happen. Watch it happen.”
And bingo. Joe Flacco made a rare mistake that simply capped off an already sloppy night for the Browns. I hated being right. But it sometimes feels like I have a wacky version of ESP.
Depending on how a Browns game is going, I can often call when mistakes will happen. I hate feeling like this with my beloved Browns, but decades of awful losses, or watching them snatch defeat from the jaws of victory over, and over, and over again, have helped me develop a keen sense of when a game is about to shift for the worst.
And if the Browns don’t get to 8-5 next week with a win over the Jaguars, and snap the slide, the season could very well shift for the worst too.
Cleveland is lucky to still be hanging onto the #7 seed in the AFC thanks to Denver losing. But they’re still behind the Steelers, with Indianapolis and Houston breathing down their necks. Cleveland has to get off the skid very soon. Or it could be a long, painful slide into the offseason. But they’re still hanging on.
Keep the faith Dawg Pound. Go Browns.
Statistical Leaders
Joe Flacco: 23-44, 254 yards, 2 TDs, INT
Kareem Hunt: 12 carries, 48 yards
Elijah Moore: 4 catches, 83 yards
Source: ESPN
Picture Credit: lineups.com
