Someone must be held accountable for the collapse in the Cleveland Browns 31-30 loss to the New York Jets.
The final two minutes of Sunday’s contest was an unmitigated disaster as the Cleveland Browns blew a 13-point lead to the New York Jets, losing by a final score of 31-30. This was a loss that should not have happened and people must be held accountable. Kevin Stefanski is not the person who is being referenced here. The people in question? Joe Woods, Jeff Howard, and Mike Priefer.
Let’s start with Woods.
Woods is the easy scapegoat here due to the Browns defensive collapse. As the defensive coordinator the failure of this unit ultimately falls on him. Coverage busts and miscommunication have been a theme early in the season as the defense has given up long touchdowns in two consecutive games.
When the defense is not all on the same page and it results in a long touchdown late in the game the fault ultimately lands on his doorstep.
In fact this is not the first time that the defense has come under fire. In fact it was just last year that Myles Garrett called out Woods for his lack of adjustments in the Browns lopsided loss to the Patriots. There is a common theme here and it is the scheme of Woods.
Giving up a game-winning drive to Joe Flacco in 2022 is unacceptable. Cleveland’s defense nearly did the same the week prior to Baker Mayfield, but Woods’ unit was bailed out by Jacoby Brissett and more notably Cade York. The reality is that Woods is more than likely out of a job if the Browns offense did not come to his rescue in Carolina.
What about Howard?
Jeff Howard is the Browns defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator. Considering the common issue in the first two weeks this seems like a logical choice of someone to hold accountable a.k.a. fire. The fact that the secondary is not on the same page communication wise is a major problem.
The Browns defense is not having an issue of pressuring the quarterback as they rank high in pressure percentage. Cleveland’s issue is covering receivers and if the secondary cannot cover pressure does not matter and that is the case here.
Cleveland’s pass coverage has been a disaster so far and it would make sense that Howard would be the individual held accountable here. That being said this would be a temporary solution (possibly) to a much larger problem and not solve anything long term.
Priefer problems
The special teams units of Mike Priefer have been incredibly underwhelming since he came to town. From return units to the debacle that was the failed onside kick recovery in Sunday’s loss, Priefer has not lived up to the reputation he had prior to coming over from Minnesota. If there was a time to cut ties with someone who should not have been hired to begin with now is the time. There are no excuses to not be prepared for the onside kick at the end of the game and yet here we are.
One more group
There is one more group not yet mentioned that needs to take accountability, the players. It is easy to omit them when discussing failures such as this. To pass the buck to the coaching staff to give them 100% of the blame. However, it is still up to the players to execute when it matters most and not make game altering mistakes.
It is also worth mentioning that perhaps the Browns defense is not as good as some make them out to be. Throughout the broadcast there were numerous mentions of how this was a Top 5 unit a year ago, but the display over the final two minutes combined with the performance last week indicates a very underwhelming unit. John Johnson, Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Grant Delpit are expected to perform at a certain level. Right now what is supposed to be one of the better groups of players on this roster is not performing like it and that simply cannot happen.
At the end of the day accountability must happen
It may be just a touch unrealistic to expect changes this week due to the short turnaround. The Browns host the Steelers Thursday and making coaching changes in a condensed week is a big ask for a unit that is currently reeling. The fact of the matter is that win or lose something must happen following Thursday’s contest. Having the extended timeframe to make the necessary adjustments for their Week 4 contest in Atlanta would be a more ideal scenario. Continuing to use a coaching system that is not working will not lead to victories and could later result in wholesale changes being made.
