The Cleveland Browns were up two scores with less than two minutes to go and still found a way to lose.
Nick Chubb crossed the goal line for his third score of the game with just 1:55 remaining and a 30-17 lead it appeared that the Cleveland Browns secured a 2-0 start to the season. That is when everything unraveled and Cleveland failed to execute in two of three phases of the game of football, defense and special teams. Reliable rookie Cade York missed his first kick of the season, an extra-point which would have given the Browns a 14-point lead. Even with the miss, being up 13 points should be more than enough to hold off a Joe Flacco led Jets offense. Unfortunately it was not.
The unraveling begins
It was a very quick two play scoring drive for the Jets as a coverage bust allowed former first round disappointment Corey Davis to score a 66-yard touchdown. This was the second consecutive week that the Browns defense surrendered a long touchdown to an opponent.
It appears that the Browns defense was not on the same page. Denzel Ward appears to stop short in coverage passing Davis off to the next defender. The problem is that the back end of the defense was expecting Ward to stay with the receiver, thus allowing a free runner down the field.
Hands team blunder
Still leading by six this was still a very winnable game for Cleveland, but it was not meant to be. The Browns had the chance to recover the onside kick and failed to do so. It was a situation that Cleveland’s special teams unit knew was coming and should have been adequately prepared for but it is very clear that they were not ready.
Defense folds again
For the second time in less than a minute it was the Browns defense presented with the opportunity to win the game. Cleveland’s defense folded as Flacco and the Jets drove down the field with little resistance. The Cleveland defense forced one third down on this drive, not exactly an acceptable performance. On the lone third down of the drive Flacco connected with Garrett Wilson for the go ahead touchdown.
Last chance comes up short
Even with the collapse there was still a chance. There was still a slim chance that Jacoby Brissett could conjure up another victory out of nothing as he did the week before. At first it appeared that maybe it could happen as the Browns quarterback scrambled for 21 yards up to the Cleveland 46. Unfortunately the comeback and redemption for York was not meant to be as Brissett would throw an interception on the very next play ending the Browns chances.
Epilogue
There was a very common and wrong sentiment about the final minutes of the game. That being that Chubb should not have entered the end zone and scored the Browns final touchdown of the game. There are times when this line of thinking makes sense, but this was not one of them. Chubb’s touchdown gave the Browns a 13-point advantage, what should be an insurmountable lead. The blame for the Browns loss belongs squarely on the shoulders of the defense and special teams units. Simply performing at an adequate level in one of those two phases would have resulted in a victory and a 2-0 start to the season for Cleveland.
At 1-1 the Browns have a lot of work to do on a quick turnaround as they take on Pittsburgh Thursday night. The margin for error was slim to begin with and losing to the Jets made it even slimmer. Not that playoffs were necessarily a realistic expectation for this team, but a loss to the Steelers would end all of those hopes on the spot.
