The Cleveland Browns bounced back in a big way with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but were met with bad news as Myles Garrett was involved in a single car crash on his way home from practice. We’ll recap the game and update you on Myles’ injury situation, then preview this weekends matchup with the Atlanta Falcons
There was a sense of deja vu in the final minutes of this game. Cleveland holding a six point lead and their opponent, Pittsburgh, preparing to attempt an onside kick. Luck this time was on the side of the Browns. The Steelers made two errors on their attempt, George Pickens lined up offside in addition to Chris Boswell kicking it out of bounds. Cleveland was able to drain the clock down and the Steelers were only able to run a hook and ladder with the ball ending up in their own end zone and Denzel Ward recovering for a last second Browns touchdown sealing the win.
This win is not only important for the win-loss column, but the team showed that they are to hold on to a late lead and not give it up, unlike their contests against Carolina and New York. This game was a big mental test and passing is big step forward. While their opponents have not been particularly good, there is something to be said about taking care of business late. Being able to close out games has been a long time issue for Cleveland and Thursday’s win is something to build on.
It was a Jekyll and Hyde night for the Browns defense, allowing 14 points in the second quarter to a forgettable Steelers offensive unit. There was that feeling that Cleveland could be letting the game get away from them as they gave up touchdowns to Pittsburgh on back-to-back drive just before the half and were poised to control the middle eight. The Browns defense tightened up in the second half forcing punts on the next four drives allowing their offense to regain the lead and build it thanks to two scoring drives.
Overall this unit is still a work in progress. The player’s only meeting appears to have tightened some things up, but some credit belongs to the fact they were facing an unimpressive passing game quarterbacked by Mitch Trubisky. There is a point later in the season when Cleveland will face much better quarterbacks and if their secondary plays like they have the first three weeks it will be a big problem. The good news is that there is an extended week to prepare for Marcus Mariota and the Atlanta Falcons which should allow for some further tightening defensively.
Amari Cooper finished with seven receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. This is the second consecutive game for Cooper eclipsing the 100-yard barrier, becoming the first Browns receiver to do so since Josh Gordon in 2013. An impressive stat for Cooper and a disappointing one for Cleveland receivers.
Cooper was not the only Browns pass catcher to have a good game. David Njoku finished with a career-high nine receptions for 89 yards (second highest total of his career) and a touchdown. This was a nice bump in production from the usually pedestrian Njoku. Up to this point the former first round pick had just four catches for 39 yards. While there is a very good chance Thursday’s performance is one of his usual outlier performances, perhaps this is finally the breakout that everyone has been talking about for years.
Unfazed by all the talk of his late touchdown against the Jets, Nick Chubb was able to do Nick Chubb things rushing 23 times for 113 yards and a touchdown, continuing to show he is a force to be reckoned with. Chubb was not the only Browns running back to be productive, Kareem Hunt ran 12 times for 47 yards in addition to three receptions for 14 yards. Jacoby Brissett also added 11 yards bringing Cleveland’s rushing total to 171 on the night. The 572 total rushing yards from the Browns is the most through three games since 1958.
This was not necessarily a must win game for the Browns, but a loss would torpedo their chances of being frisky late in the season. Cleveland should be able to hang around in the standings with Brissett as their quarterback until Deshaun Watson makes his official team debut. If they can be around .500 later in the season when Watson is inserted into the lineup this team will have more than a chance to make a run at postseason play.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It was an all too familiar situation, the Browns just gave up a slim lead with just over a minute left after controlling the entire game. For a brief moment it appeared that Baker Mayfield would have his revenge against his former team, even though he played incredibly poorly. Jacoby Brissett was able to move the ball into field goal position thanks to a couple of completions and a roughing the passer penalty to kickstart the game-winning drive. With just eight seconds remaining it was rookie Cade York who was able to exorcise the Browns Week 1 demons when in previous years this kick would miss in a comical fashion (doink) or be simply blocked.
Carolina had just enough time to do nothing as their last ditch effort resulted in nothing more than an explosion of energy. For the first time in a long time it was Cleveland on the winning end of this type of scenario. Many times before it would be the Browns giving up a game-winning drive with a near 60-yard field goal from a rookie kicker.
The final score indicates a much closer game than it actually was. Cleveland led in first downs (23-15), total plays (74-50), yards (355-261), and time of possession (38:26-21:34). The Browns rushed the ball 39 times for 217 yards, Nick Chubb leading the way with 141 yards on 22 carries. Cleveland was able to bottle up the usually dynamic Christian McCaffrey to just 33 yards on 10 carries.
The dominance carried over to the defensive side of the ball as well, tipped seven of Mayfield’s passes and hitting him six times. Cleveland sacked Mayfield four times including back-to-back sacks by Myles Garrett in the 3rd quarter, the second of which resulted in one of his four fumbles on the day.
While their former signal caller did complete 16 of 27 passes for 235 yards and one touchdown, that stat line looks a lot less impressive when removing the blown coverage touchdown to Robbie Anderson in the 4th quarter. Even though it did happen and it does count, removing that 75 yard touchdown from the mix it is just a very pedestrian 15-26 for 160 yards for Mayfield, a much more accurate representation of his performance Sunday.
The passing game never got going, but that was to be expected. Jacoby Brissett is a perfectly capable backup/fill-in starter and that was very evident for the duration of the game. Brissett went 18-34 for just 147 yards and one touchdown, a short toss to a wide-open Kareem Hunt on the goal line. The Browns passing attack is not going to be dynamic with Brissett at any point, but it should improve as time goes on. Brissett played in a portion of just one preseason game and some missed throws to wide-open targets showed some rust was still evident.
As mentioned above it was a blown coverage that allowed Carolina to have some hope in the 4th quarter. There were two instances in the game that the Browns defense blew coverage allowing for big plays downfield to an offense quarterbacked by a player who has zero business making those type of completions. Fixing these issues on the backend of the defense will be a focus of the team this week in practice.
Another area that needs a ton of work is the return game. Demetric Felton did not look comfortable at all returning kicks and that needs to be addressed. Felton did calm down after his fumble early on, but this is not a risk that the Browns can afford to take week in and week out.
The big picture is that the Browns are 1-0 for the first time in nearly 20 years. Cleveland was able to manufacture a game-winning (penalty assisted) drive in order to do so. It was also quite fitting that this happened moments after Mayfield was able to do seemingly accomplish this after constant reminders during his tenure in Cleveland of not being able to do so himself. Now it is time to put the Baker Wars in the rearview mirror and turn focus to the New York Jets, Cleveland’s Week 2 opponent.
The Cleveland Browns have announced their team captains for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Joel Bitonio, Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, Anthony Walker, and Charley Hughlett received the honors this season.
Last season the Browns did not have full season captains as they went with the weekly approach. It appears that the team has opted to reverse course for this season by appointing players who are more than deserving of this status. Chubb, Garrett, and Bitonio are some of, if not the best at their positions while Walker has become a leader on defense and Hughlett is the longest-tenured special teams player being with the team since 2014.
Expecting a lot from the Cleveland Browns this upcoming season seems to be a big ask as they are primed for a middle of the road and perhaps disappointing finish for those with lofty expectations. The offense has seen wholesale changes with multiple starters no longer on the team from this time last year. Defensively the team has continued their puzzling practice of flat out ignoring certain positions. The only group that seems to be a lock for certain improvement is the special teams unit. Let’s examine all three phases of the game and what should be expected from them.
Referring the state of the Cleveland Browns offense as transitional seems to be incredibly fitting. Thinking big picture it is all about Deshaun Watson starting every game beginning next season, but for now it is Jacoby Brissett holding down the fort for the first 11 games. With that comes lowered expectations offensively, specifically the passing game.
Brissett is not the caliber of quarterback that Watson is and with that will come difficulties when manufacturing a passing attack. This can be attributed to the underwhelming group of pass catchers. Amari Cooper is by far the best pass catcher on the roster, but is not a true/traditional number one receiver. After Cooper it is an average (at best) group featuring David Njoku, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Harrison Bryant, David Bell, and Anthony Schwartz. These options really do not move the needle with most being third/fourth options on teams with complete receiving corps.
Due to the state of the passing game it will again be the Browns rushing which leads their offense. Luckily for Cleveland they have the best two-headed attack in the game with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Even with their ability to be game-changing type players, a familiar issue will resurface. Teams will again stack the box and dare the Browns to beat them through the air. The good news is that this time Brissett is more than capable of playing in a non-turnover prone manner and should be able to at least give the team a legitimate chance to win. But again, any sort of high-scoring/shootout type of game will be difficult with Brissett at the helm.
Last season the Browns defense was an overall impressive unit as they were near the top in multiple statistical categories. This comes with not being able to generate turnovers at the same rate as 2020 (19 in 17 games compared to 21 in 16 games). Combined with the uptick in giveaways (16 to 22), Cleveland was fighting an uphill battle they were not going to win quite often.
Most of the defense looks the same from 2021 with the defensive tackle position continuing to be ignored. Moving on from the Malik’s last season was a wise decision. Unfortunately banking on Taven Bryan and Jordan Elliott to anchor the center of their defense seems like an unwise decision. There has not been anything in either player’s career that says they are capable of being more than rotational players.
The good news is that the Browns still have the combo of Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney on their line. Garrett is going to continue providing elite level production and disrupt offenses on a regular basis. An area of concern is the repeatability of what Clowney was able to accomplish last season (nine sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 19 quarterback hits in 14 games). The previous two seasons saw the former first overall pick total just three sacks with the same number of TFL and QB hits in 21 games. Will Clowney be able to avoid the injury bug and be a productive player again or was 2021 an outlier? The answer to that question will dictate quite a lot in regards to Cleveland’s defensive success or failure this season.
Chase McLaughlin and Dustin Colquitt out, Cade York and Corey Bojorquez in. As of now York appears to be the long awaited rightful heir to the legendary Phil Dawson. While York is yet to appear in a regular season game, the uneasiness that came with the likes of McLaughlin, Cody Parkey, and the endless list of others is not present.
It was believed that the Browns solved their returner problem by signing Jakeem Grant this offseason, but a season-ending injury has thrust Demetric Felton into this role. Felton will more than likely be one of several players to return kicks this season.
A world where the Browns are able to have a winning record without Watson and be primed for a playoff run upon his return. There is also a world in which the team wins just six games. Expectation wise, the best foot forward is the safe route. The quarterback situation paired with the roster turnover could be too difficult to overcome. Hoping for middle of the road/around .500 type season is a more than fair ask for this team. This season is not about contending, it is about continuing to establish building blocks for the future. As long as that continues Cleveland should be in position to contend in 2023 and beyond.
The Cleveland Browns fell short of expectations during the 2021-22 NFL season and their grades will reflect that. Part of going from an average team to a good or even great team is having certain standards that are met. After going 11-5 last season, Cleveland regressed resulting in a disappointing 8-9 record.
Offensively the Browns were challenged for the majority of the season. Cleveland barely eclipsed the 20 points per game barrier (20.5), ranking 20th overall in the NFL. A five point drop-off from last season, this was not an offensive unit that struck fear in the heart of defenses. A large part of that was the regression in the play of Baker Mayfield. While Mayfield did deal with injuries, they were not the only reason for the decline in performance. The only reason this unit does not get an F grade is that Nick Chubb is still a fantastic running back who can make game changing plays.
There was one area on the Cleveland Browns that was a glaring issue last season, defense. Cleveland went out and added some much needed talent on that side of the ball. By signing John Johnson III, Jadeveon Clowney, Troy Hill, and Anthony Walker in addition to drafting Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Greg Newsome, this defense was able to take a step forward. Cleveland’s defensive DVOA took a massive jump from 25th last season to 11th this season. Even still, this was not a unit that was enforcing their will on their opponent in the manner that is thought of when dominant defenses are discussed.
The less said about this unit, the better. This team still has kicking issues (kicker and punter) and the return game was a disaster from the start. More turnover in this overlooked unit should be expected this offseason as they are not currently close to having the answer in this department.
Kevin Stefanski was about as close to perfect during the 2020-21 season. Stefanski’s near perfection resulted the Browns best season in decades. Unfortunately, perfection was the only way that this team would get back to where they were last season. The reality is that it is just an unfair expectation to thrust upon a coach. While Stefanski was not perfect and did struggle in some areas this season, a lot of that has to do with being hamstrung on the offensive side of the ball. Dealing with subpar quarterback play and a wide receiver who was let go midseason did not help. Stefanski put together a good scheme and game plan for the majority of the season. The problem was that while plays were there to be made, the team failed to execute when called upon.
At the end of the day this team was not good enough. Part of that is team construction while another is not being able perform on a weekly basis. There is only so much this team can do as currently constructed and changes will be needed if they want to achieve their loftiest goals next season.
This Is Believeland – Real Browns Fans Podcast Episode 35: James and Jordan discuss the Cleveland Browns loss to Pittsburgh Monday night.
The Cleveland Browns had the ball down two and had the chance to do something they haven’t all season, come back and win. Cleveland took over just ahead of the two minute warning and seemed to be comfortable with putting the ball in the hands of their best paler, Nick Chubb. Chubb had repeatedly gashed the Packers defense all day so the plan made sense. After a couple of productive plays on the ground it was time to turn to the air and that is when disaster struck. Baker Mayfield threw his fourth interception of the game and ended any comeback attempt.
While there is some questionable officiating about the final play of offense for the Browns, Brett Kollmann provided some insight into how that play was officiated.
If a receiver gets into a DB’s chest and extends while breaking against leverage, refs are going to let a tug from the DB go most of the time. It is generally understood that DBs have a right to dish out just as much as they take when fighting to stay in phase.
Good no-call imo pic.twitter.com/Xs5r3eVOG4
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) December 26, 2021
Anyone is allowed to disagree with how this was called, but this is an excellent explanation as to why there was not a defensive penalty on the play.
Ultimately this is just another letdown by the Browns and Baker Mayfield to make something happen when it matters most. This was the fourth time this season that Cleveland had the ball down a score with a chance and the fourth time they’ve lost. Mayfield has thrown interceptions on those final drive twice this season resulting in zero fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives this season.
As former general manager Mike Lombardi pointed out after the game, the two missed passes to David Njoku should get more attention. Mayfield had Njoku wide open twice and did not give him a real chance to catch either ball.
Baker Mayfield completed 21 of 36 passes for 222 yards overall, but most of those were shorter than 10 yards. Mayfield went 19-36 for 182 yards and two touchdowns when throwing short and 2-10 with four interceptions with throws more than 10 yards down the field. This is far from a new development as this has been a recurring issue all season.
Per @ESPNStatsInfo, Baker Mayfield was 2 of 10 for 40 yards with 4 INTs on throws 10+ yards downfield vs. GB. #Browns
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 26, 2021
While Mayfield is obviously the weak link on the offense, Nick Chubb was busy doing Nick Chubb things. Chubb finished with 17 carries for 126 yards and one touchdown while catching three passes for 58 yards. Perhaps a bit more Chubb late could have altered the outcome of the game.
Rashasrd Higgins and Jarvis Landry led the Browns receiver with five receptions for 58 yards and four catches for 55 respectively.
Harrison Bryant hauled in a one-yard touchdown pass for his second consecutive game with a touchdown. Additionally, Anthony Schwartz caught a five-yard pass for his first career touchdown reception.
Donovan Peoples-Jones was target six times, but only hauled in one pass for five yards. While Peoples-Jones was criticized for failing to haul in a pass downfield, the reality is that it was an incredibly difficult play. Defenders of Mayfield have often turned to blaming the receivers not making a fantastic play on what is an overthrown ball multiples times this season.
Defensively the Browns did just about what everyone thought they would. Nothing spectacular while playing their bend, but don’t break defense. Cleveland finished with three tackles for loss, did not register a sack, and only hit Aaron Rodgers four times.
In a week filled with adversity that resulted in game being postponed from Saturday to Monday, the Cleveland Browns still found themselves in position to win. Greedy Williams intercepted a pass from Derek Carr with less than three minutes to play. Cleveland proceeded to run the ball three times for just seven yards and ended up punting the ball back to Las Vegas. The Raiders moved the ball down field facing just one third down in the process and a Daniel Carlson field goal went through the uprights as time expired handing Cleveland a bitter two-point loss.
This game was a game of imperfect circumstances, forced to play Nick Mullens due to Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum still being in COVID-19 protocols. With just one practice under his belt Mullens completed 20 of 30 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown, a six-yard pass to Harrison Bryant. This was Cleveland’s first 4th quarter touchdown since Week 9.
It was tough going for Nick Chubb early, but persistence paid off. Chubb finished with 23 carries for 91 yards and one touchdown after it looked like he would be bottled up for his third straight game. In the previous two games Chubb had just 75 yards on 25 carries in back-to-back games against Baltimore.
While Donovan Peoples-Jones came through with a couple of clutch catches in the 4th quarter, it was not a outstanding performance from the former Michigan Wolverine. Peoples-Jones dropped passes early and as a result saw the Browns lining up in punt formation while being shut out in the first half.
This was a must-win game for the Browns and they were unable to do so. Obviously the COVID situation played a factor and even then they were still in position to win. Cleveland could have catapulted themselves into an undeserving spot atop the AFC North. Instead the Browns sit in fourth place with their playoff hopes on life support.
