Observations from Browns 27-25 win in Jacksonville
Mayfield was Jekyll and Hyde
The one word that perfectly describes Baker Mayfield is inconsistent. The Browns quarterback made a couple of good throws, but also made his fair share of bad throws. His good throws include his touchdown passes to Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper. The most notable bad throw is the following missed connection with Rashard Higgins.
The fact of the matter is that an average quarterback makes this throw. This is a throw that cannot be missed and yet Mayfield overthrows another easy pass. This has been a recurring theme with Mayfield, by now it appears that it is not going to go away. There is going to come a time when a throw in this situation determines the outcome of a game, a situation that the Browns do not want to find themselves in.
Chubb was dominant as per usual
Nick Chubb finished with 19 carries for 144 yards and 1 touchdown. Chubb’s ability to run the ball is the reason why this offense has any sort of consistency. When Cleveland needs to shorten the game and play keep away with the ball, Chubb is the perfect guy for the job.
More Jarvis Landry is needed
Jarvis Landry was clearly the best pass catcher on the field Sunday, finishing with 8 receptions for 143 yards and 1 touchdown. This was Landry’s best game of the season and he scored his first touchdown. If Cleveland’s passing game is going to find any consistency and at least be a concern for opposing defenses, Jarvis Landry will have to be an integral part of it.
Defense missed their key players
The Browns were without Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward before the game started and lost Ronnie Harrison on the first play. Jacksonville is not a good offensive team, but they had a pretty decent day against Cleveland’s defense. The Browns did not sack Mike Glennon, only hit him twice, and did not force a turnover. This should be a wakeup call for anyone who thinks that their defense is good enough or not as bad as we think it is. Yes, they are bad. They would still be bad with Garrett, Ward, and Harrison. Maybe they force a turnover or sack Glennon a couple of times, but they would still struggle to stop a lackluster Jaguars offense.
Couple of questionable decisions from Kevin Stefanski
Overall Kevin Stefanski has done a good job coaching, but he is far from perfect. Stefanski made a couple of errors Sunday which could have resulted in a loss if they were playing a better team.
Let’s start right at the beginning. The first series of plays were an absolute disaster. Cleveland’s first offensive play of the game was at their own 8 yard line and for some reason he had Baker Mayfield drop back to pass. The play resulted in a sack which lost six yards. This led to two predictable run plays netting 7 yards total. Passing on first down is hardly a good idea with Mayfield, deciding to do it that deep in your own territory is just flat out wrong.
The second bad decision from Kevin Stefanski came towards the end of the game. The Browns were up eight points with just under 6 minutes to play. On 3rd and 1 with the ball on Jacksonville’s 22-yard line Stefanski called a pass play which Mayfield missed with yet another overthrow. Now they were facing a decision on 4th down, kick the field goal and go out two scores or go for it. Stefanski decided to go for it and they failed to convert. Jacksonville responded with an 11 play touchdown drive and could have tied the game, but they did not convert their two-point conversion attempt.
Doug Marrone bailed the Browns out
The Cleveland Browns can thank Doug Marrone for making some really confusing decisions which played a factor in the outcome of the game. After a Harrison Bryant fumble, the Jaguars took the lead early in the 3rd quarter. Marrone decided to go for two instead of just kicking the extra point. This decision came back to haunt them as they had to go for two late in the game. If they simply kicked the extra point earlier, they could have done the same later, possibly changing the outcome of the game.
Final thoughts
The Browns have benefitted from playing some low quality opponents this season and this past Sunday was one of them. It is important to win those games and this is something that they are doing for the first time in a long time. With all of that being said, their offense is still limited because of the quarterback and their defense doesn’t have enough playmakers. The Browns have two tough games coming up against the Titans and Ravens. How the Browns play in those two games will say a lot about this team. If they win or lose close it will be encouraging. If either game is a blowout loss, that would be extremely concerning about any possible playoff appearance.
