Category Archives: Game Recaps

Browns season effectively over with loss to Ravens

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The Cleveland Browns lost to the Baltimore Ravens 16-10 Sunday night putting them in a position where they have virtually no shot at the playoffs.

Whether it was widely accepted or not, the season was on the line for the Cleveland Browns Sunday night. Surprisingly the defense had their best performance of the season with four interceptions of Lamar Jackson, including three in about a two-minute span. The problem yet again was the offense. There was not a lot that Cleveland could do against the stout Ravens front and that proved to be a problem time and time again. Forcing four turnovers and scoring only three p0ints off of them is simply not going to get it done.

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 36 yards on 15 carries, hardly a shock considering Baltimore is the second-fewest yards per game this season. Add in the fact the Ravens did not respect the Browns passing attack and that just made things much more difficult. Time and time again the Browns were facing eight, nine, ten guys in the box, daring Baker Mayfield to beat them through the air. Mayfield again put together a disappointing performance, completing just 18 of 37 pass attempts for 247 yards and one touchdown, a touchdown which really was not a touchdown, but the review process did Cleveland a favor.

Were there drops in the game that Mayfield defenders are quick to point out? Sure, but there are just as many throws that Mayfield did not complete or even see that are much more problematic. The latter has been a theme for a long time, not only this season, but his entire Browns tenure.

The Browns are now in 12th in the AFC with a bye week upcoming. After the bye Cleveland faces Baltimore again, Las Vegas, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. All of their final five opponents are either in the playoffs or fighting for a spot. Considering they hold zero tiebreakers currently and that there are only five games left, the season is essentially over with the bye week coming at probably the worst possible time for a team on the brink of falling apart from top to bottom.

 

Browns hang on for 13-10 win over winless Lions

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Despite the fact that the passing game was a no-show again, the Cleveland Browns managed to hold on for a win over the Detroit Lions. 

If the Cleveland Browns were playing any other team they would have lost this game without question. Cleveland struggled to do anything offensively and nearly lost to a Lions team that is now 0-9-1. This was more of a game that the Lions lost than the Browns won.

The only bright spot for the Browns in the contest was Nick Chubb. Chubb carried the ball 22 times for 130 yards, putting the offense on his back and carrying the team to victory. It is very easy to think that without Chubb the outcome may have been different.

There is an obvious elephant in the room that has been present all season, another awful performance from Baker Mayfield. Mayfield was terrible from start to finish in this game, completing 15 of 29 passes for 176 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The first interception was on a clear overthrow to Jarvis Landry.

The second was when Mayfield failed to identify (again) a defender in between himself and his intended target.

After the game Mayfield did not participate in the customary postgame handshake and instead walked off the field, proceeding to decline to speak to the media following the game, a violation of NFL protocol.

In a now deleted Instagram story, Emily Mayfield shared a post praising Mayfield’s toughness while criticizing the apparent lack of toughness of others on the team.

Nobody has ever questioned the toughness of Mayfield and if they have they are misguided. The criticisms are in regards to his performance on the field and a very large portion of the season has produced bench worthy play. The fact that Mayfield continues to see the field while he is performing this poorly perplexing and Kevin Stefanski will have to answer for it at some point.

Defense, Chubb lead Browns to 41-16 victory

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The Cleveland Browns came away with a much needed victory when they needed it most.

This was a game that if the Cleveland Browns lost that everything would have spiraled out of control. Luckily they were able to gather themselves during a tumultuous week, defeating the upstart Cincinnati Bengals in dominant fashion 41-16.

Denzel Ward stepped up early

After it appeared that Joe Burrow was going to have his way with the Browns defense all game long, Denzel Ward stepped in front of Ja’Maar Chase, picked the ball off and took it to the house, giving the Browns an early 7-0 lead.

Troy Hill made Browns history

Troy Hill was the first Cleveland Browns defensive back in team history to record three sacks in a game. The sacks were well timed and made a huge difference over the course of the game.

Nick Chubb did Nick Chubb things

While Nick Chubb only had 14 carries in the game, he made every one of them count. Chubb finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns with a long run of 70 yards. This, in conjunction with the defense, is exactly the complimentary performance the team needed to win this game.

Baker Mayfield made some throws

Baker Mayfield started the game 7-8 for 121 yards and one touchdown. That touchdown was to a wide open Donovan Peoples-Jones. The play was exciting, but at the same time completing a pass to a wide open receiver streaking down the middle of the field is expected from an average quarterback.

Mayfield would throw his second touchdown pass late in the game to David Njoku.

Overall Mayfield was fine, a few good throws mixed in with some less than stellar plays. Consistency is still an issue over the course of the game and that will need to fixed as the season progresses. Sunday’s win was a nice start, but there is a lot of work to do. At the end of the day it was a dominant defensive performance and a strong running game that allowed Mayfield to operate in this manner and still win.

 

 

Browns not good enough in loss to Steelers

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The Cleveland Browns had a chance to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers late, but were unable to take advantage, losing 15-10.

For the third time this season the Cleveland Browns were trailing with less than four minutes remaining and they had a chance to score to win the game. Also for the third time this season Baker Mayfield was not able to make that happen as the Browns lost their first divisional game of the season. One more thing that happened for a third time, the final drive of the game was Cleveland’s third that lasted eight plays or more and resulted in zero points.

On the surface Baker Mayfield had what some would call a good game, completing 20 of 31 pass attempts for 225 yards. The issue is that these numbers were the product of dump-offs and screen passes, a recurring theme for this entire season. Additionally, Mayfield was off all game long. Passes were not on target, even completed ones, and that has been a constant in all seven games for Mayfield. While a lot of the blame is getting passed on to the receivers who did not catch the ball, a better pass from Mayfield would have made that possible, but unfortunately that was not the case. Passes were high, behind, and simply not in the right spot time and time again. And when the Browns needed their quarterback to make a play, he came up short, again, in predictable fashion.

Opposing defenses are not scared of Mayfield and welcome the Browns to win with their passing attack, a task that is too much for them currently. Until Mayfield starts reading the entire field and making other teams pay, there is no reason for defenses to abandon this strategy.

Defense did not help

The Cleveland Browns defense did not have a great day. Sure, they limited the Steelers to just 15 points, but other numbers point to an issue that is quite alarming. Pittsburgh ran 69 plays compared to Cleveland’s 58 and controlled the clock with 31:45 of possession. The Browns defense has an extremely hard time getting off the field consistently and the fact that the Steelers had three drives with 10 or more plays shows just that. Opposing offenses are able to convert time and time again and keep the Browns offense off the field.

It’s crunch time now

Now at 4-4 and in last place in the AFC North, the Cleveland Browns face must win games for the rest of the season. This team will have to go on an absolutely incredible run to return to the playoffs. Considering how this team has operated offensively and the fact the defense has been underwhelming this appears to be a very unlikely scenario.

Browns defeat Broncos 17-14

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Backed by performances from D’Ernest Johnson and Case Keenum, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Denver Broncos.

The Cleveland Browns were without Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and Jack Conklin Thursday night, but that did not matter as they took down the Denver Broncos 17-14.

D’Ernest Johnson was the breakout player of the game for Cleveland. Johnson rushed for 146 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries.The 146 yard performance from Johnson is the third-highest total in the first career start for a running back.

Without Baker Mayfield it was Case Keenum time. Keenum completed 21 of 33 pass attempts for 199 yards and one touchdown. While the yardage total is not impressive, Keenum was decisive and executed the offense as instructed. Being able to step in on short notice with about a half day of real preparation and guide the offense to a win is no small feat. Keenum stepped up when the Browns needed him to.

If there is one player the Browns offense missed the past four games it was Jarvis Landry. Landry finished with five receptions for 37 yards and was the much needed safety blanket for the thrust into action Keenum. Like it or not, Landry is the most important receiver on the Browns currently and his presence changes how they can operate in the passing game.

The Browns have a mini-bye as their next game is October 31st against Pittsburgh. This will give the team some time to get healthy and Keenum, if still the starter, a bit more time to become more comfortable in the starting role.

Browns embarrassed by Cardinals in 37-14 loss

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The Cleveland Browns were outplayed from start to finish by the Arizona Cardinals in a lopsided 37-14 loss.

For the first time in the Kevin Stefanski-era the Cleveland Browns have lost two straight games. The Arizona Cardinals came to town and absolutely dominated Cleveland for the entire game. At no point in the game did the team look something resembling a competitive team. There are real issues across the board for this team and they surfaced on Sunday.

While the Browns were missing several key components on the roster (Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin, Jarvis Landry, and Nick Chubb were all out), there were miscues on both sides of the ball. Cleveland’s defense did their best matador impression allowing the Cardinals to run right past them and move down the field with ease. Multiple times throughout the contest Cardinals receivers were not covered allowing for an easy completion for Kyler Murray. If the Cardinals were not making big plays, the Browns defense was committing dumb penalties that gave Arizona a first down.

This was the second straight week where the defense were flagged for things they should not have been, (this is the fault of the player not the official), and failing to make a stop when given the chance to do so. This Browns defensive unit is bad, plain and simple. The performances against the Texans, Bears, and Vikings were the exceptions not the rule. When facing Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and now Murray they have simply buckled under pressure.

Meanwhile Baker Mayfield had a remarkably forgettable performance. Outside of the Hail Mary touchdown to Donovan Peoples-Jones, Mayfield was 18-27 for 177 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt. Entering Monday, those 177 yards would rank as the fourth-fewest yards total among all quarterbacks with 15 or more attempts.

This was a game where the Cleveland Browns needed Mayfield to step up and show he is the quarterback everyone hopes he can be. In predictable fashion and in what has become a trend this season, Mayfield failed to lead his team when they needed him most. Time and time again Mayfield missed open receivers, held the ball too long, and made wrong decision after wrong decision. Right now the game is too fast for Mayfield and he is not able to keep up.

Now at 3-3. the Browns with a short week as they take on the Denver Broncos Thursday night. Considering the long list of injured players combined with poor performances on the both sides of the ball as of late, 3-4 is a real possibility for this team. Things have to change on both sides of the ball in order to avoid losing their third straight game in order to keep any playoff hopes alive. As of right now this is an average team that does not belong in the playoffs and perhaps that is where things end up at the end of the season, missing the playoffs.

Browns run out of juice late, lose 47-42 to Chargers

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The Cleveland Browns came close, but ultimately fell short in Los Angeles as the Chargers come away with a shootout win.

The story of the Cleveland Browns 47-42 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers can be told in the final two drives of the game. While up just one with 3:15 to go, the Browns ran the ball twice including on 3rd and 10 before punting to the Chargers in what ended up being a game-winning scoring drive. Now trailing with 1:31 left in the 4th it was time for the Browns to pass the ball, enter Baker Mayfield.

The problem is that Mayfield did what he did all game for the most part, completed short passes and hoped that yards could be gained after the catch. Unlike earlier in the game that was not the case as it took the Browns 50 seconds to go just 12 yards. Cleveland’s chances ended on three unsuccessful deep throws from Mayfield and turning the ball over on downs with just five seconds left. A major reason why the Browns came up short in this game is the limitations of Mayfield.

Outside of a couple throws, Mayfield lived on short throws and yards after the catch. 21 of 23 completions from Mayfield are considered short throws, which is a trend that is not new. When Mayfield has been successful this season it has been when throwing short and relying on his receivers to make a play. While over 60 minutes it can produce impressive numbers, such as Mayfield’s 23-32 for 305 yards and two touchdowns. The problem arises when the ball is needed to pushed down the field in a comeback situation and it does not happen. While the excess of short throws could be a result of his injured shoulder, this has been the theme of the passing game this season.

Rushing attack keeps on chugging along

Part of the reason why Mayfield has been able to get away with throwing a lot of short throws and being successful has been the Browns rushing attack. Nick Chubb carried the ball 21 times for 161 yards and one touchdown while Kareem Hunt ran 12 times for 61 yards and two touchdowns. The heart and should of the Browns offense continues to be the dynamic duo of Chubb and Hunt.

Njoku and DPJ

Two players who made surprising impacts in the passing game were David Njoku and Donvoan Peoples-Jones. Njoku made an incredible play resulting in a 71-yard touchdown reception, just part of his seven catch 149 yard performance. Peoples-Jones finished with the second-most receptions (5) and yards (70) for Cleveland. While Njoku has been up and way down this season, Peoples-Jones has been a no-show, encouraging performances from both.

Missing: Odell Beckham Jr.

The most confusing aspect of the Browns offense continues on for another week. Baker Mayfield simply cannot connect with Odell Beckham Jr. While Beckham did have the costly drop on 4th and 2, he was only targeted three times in the contest finishing with just two receptions for 20 yards. A major factor in his lack of production definitely falls on the shoulders of Mayfield. Mayfield does not even appear to consider throwing in his direction an option as he completes short throw after short throw. Simply put, Mayfield appears afraid to throw the ball downfield and that has a direct impact on just what Beckham can do in a game. Until the quarterback stops being gun-shy, Beckham’s numbers will continue to suffer.

Injuries, injuries, injuries 

The Browns came into the game without Jedrick Wills, Chris Hubbard, and Jadeveon Clowney. During the game Cleveland also lost Jack Conklin and Denzel Ward for the game, two key payers on both sides of the ball. Also exiting at one point was Myles Garrett, AJ Green, Malik McDowell, and Troy Hill. Health was not Cleveland’s friend and did not make things easy as they battled a superior team on the road.

Defense

The less said about this unit, the better.

Not so special history

The Cleveland Browns made history in this game and not the good kind. This was the first time a team lost when either scoring 40 points and having zero turnovers, or scoring 40 points, totaling 500 yards, and having zero turnovers according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Browns defeat Vikings 14-7 in ugly contest

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The Cleveland Browns came away with an ugly 14-7 win on the road over the Minnesota Vikings to improve to 3-1 on the season.

Anyone looking for an exciting game that was going to light up the scoreboard was highly disappointed with the final result in Minnesota. The Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings combined for just 21 points, 15 of which were on touchdown drives.

A development that was hardly surprising was the lack of efficiency in the passing game for both teams. Baker Mayfield was 15 of 33 for 155 yards while being sacked three times while Kirk Cousins completed 20 of 38 attempts for 203 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. While the Vikings passing attack was better than the Browns, neither was particularly good on the day. The big difference between Minnesota and Cleveland passing wise was that Justin Jefferson (6-84-1) and Adam Thielen (3-46) led the Vikings passing attack while the leading receiver for the Browns was Rashard Higgins with four catches for 63 yards. Any game that Higgins ends up being the leading receiver in signals larger problems that need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

After his triumphant return last week, Odell Beckham Jr. recorded just two receptions for 27 yards on seven targets. This was certainly a game that the Browns missed Jarvis Landry, who is able to be a consistent source of production underneath that allows Beckham to produce down the field. Landry is expected to miss at least one more game before returning from injured reserve.

Luckily the Browns were able to make something happen in the running game since their passing attack was futile. Nick Chubb carried the ball 21 times for 100 yards and Kareem Hunt added 69 yards on 14 carries while also adding a touchdown on the ground.

At the end of the day the Browns won and that is the ultimate goal. One thing to keep an eye on is that the team has seemingly played worse in each game this season. At some point that is going to come back to burn them and that could happen as soon as this week against the Chargers. Doing just enough to win is fine when spaced out over a season, but it signals a much larger problem when that is how all of their wins have come during the first month of the season.

Browns defeat Texans for first win of season

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The Cleveland Browns managed to come away with a 31-21 victory over the Houston Texans to win their first game of the season.

It was not the prettiest game, but a win is a win. The Cleveland Browns encountered a much tougher battle than expected, however they did prevail with a 10-point victory over the visiting Houston Texans.

Injuries were really the focus of the game. Jarvis Landry exited on the second play of the game and did not return due to a knee injury. Landry’s absence led to a what can only be described as a struggle fest for the passing game. Sure, Baker Mayfield completed 19 of 21 passes for 21 yards, but this is definitely a case where numbers lie. Mayfield was fine, but the passing game was far from the expected production, especially after last week when it appeared they might be a bit more explosive though the air. The fact of the matter is that without Landry or Odell Beckham Jr., opposing defenses are not scared of the Browns passing attack.

For the Texans it was one injury that changed the game, Tyrod Taylor. Taylor did not return after half-time after keeping things level with Cleveland. Houston had to turn to the inexperienced Davis Mills and it led to expected results. While there was a touchdown drive from the rookie, his passing numbers struggled overall as he completed just eight of 18 passes for 102 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

One more note about the Browns offense, where was Nick Chubb? Only 11 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown in the contest. Considering Cleveland was without their best two receivers one would think that they would put the ball in the hands their best offensive player, but apparently that was not the game plan for some reason. In fact, the still competent but less impressive Kareem Hunt had 13 carries to Chubb’s 11. Hunt finished with just 51 yards, averaging 3.9 yard per carry compared to Chubb’s 8.6.

After providing some hope during the first half of Week 1, the Browns defense struggled to do much of anything. Cleveland had a tough time stopping anything Houston through at them and that is a serious problem. There was the expectation that the defense would take some time to gel, but after Week1 the learning curve was expected to be significantly less.

The Browns are waiting on more information in regards to the injury to Landry. If he were to miss any time that would make their offense a lot less threatening, assuming Beckham is still out.

With the win Cleveland is now 1-1 on the year and they will look to move above .500 next Sunday as they take on the Chicago Bears. 

 

 

Browns stumble in 2nd half in 33-29 loss to Chiefs

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The Cleveland Browns turned the ball over twice and were outscored by 16 points in the second half of their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Entering the second half the Cleveland Browns held a 22-10 lead and things looked good. The offense was clicking and the defense was doing just enough to slow down the Chiefs high-powered offense. Once the second half began everything changed. Suddenly the Browns were unable to score consistently while Kansas City was scoring at will. A fumble, a botched punt, and an interception on the final offensive snap for Cleveland sealed their fate in what was a 33-29 loss.

An uncharacteristic fumble from Nick Chubb was the beginning of the downfall for the Browns Sunday. The fumble occurred right after Kansas City scored a touchdown to cut Cleveland’s lead to five. The lead was subsequently cut to just two after the Chiefs converted a field goal following the fumble from Chubb.

Cleveland bounced back in what was their only scoring drive of the second half, capped off by a Kareem Hunt rushing touchdown. While it appeared that the Browns might be able to pull off the upset win on the road, Kansas City’s offense was already firing on all cylinders. Patrick Mahomes would find Tyreek Hill in what was a one-play 75-yard touchdown drive to again cut the lead to two.

Cleveland’s problems continued as after just three plays they were forced to punt, that is when disaster happened. Punter Jamie Gillan ended up dropping the snap, forcing a panicked rushing attempt leading to the Chiefs starting their next drive at Cleveland’s 15-yard line. While the field position certainly helped, the Chiefs were going to score anyway, starting just 15 yards away from the end zone just made their job easier.

The Browns did have a chance to win the game late, starting their final drive at their own 17 yard line with 2:49 to go in the 4th. Unfortunately an interception from Baker Mayfield while targeting Harrison Bryant put an end to their come back attempt. Mayfield was tripped up while attempting to throw the ball away, leading to a soft lob that was easily picked off by Mike Hughes.

Cleveland drops to 0-1 as their winless Week 1 streak continues. The last team the Browns won their first game of the season was in 2004, a year which the team finished 4-12. Cleveland will have an opportunity to get back to .500 on the year as they have their home opener next Sunday against the Houston Texans.