It is very difficult to turn the football over six times in a game and win, but the Jacksonville Jaguars did it today in beating the Browns, 24-20 in Jacksonville today.
The Browns lost this game because some of their old bugaboos returned to bite them. They couldn’t run the ball, and they couldn’t protect their quarterback, as Colt McCoy was sacked six times in the game.
They lost even though they had a fourth quarter lead for the eighth time this season after Phil Dawson kicked a 41 yard field goal with 2:51 remaining to give the Browns a 20-17 lead. Their defense, which again forced six turnovers, allowed Maurice Jones-Drew to take a short pass and run 75 yards to the 1 yard line just a half-minute later. The Jaguars punched it in and gave themselves an astonishing victory.
The Cleveland Browns have to learn to close out games. It was thought they learned this against New Orleans and New England, but the problem reared its ugly head once again.
Still, Eric Mangini and Brian Daboll should explain a lack of a killer instinct after the Jags’ turnovers. Three of the second half miscues gave Cleveland the ball on the Jacksonville side of the field and all three resulted in the same play calling sequence:
Run, run, pass attempt.
This in spite of the fact that the Jaguar defense was pretty much stuffing the run the entire day, holding Cleveland to just 88 rushing yards for the game, and Peyton Hillis had just 48 yards in 21 attempts for the game.
Very conservative, indeed.
It appeared that after three straight weeks for aggressive play calling, Mangini and Daboll went back into a caution first game plan with their rookie quarterback. Perhaps it was due to the poor performance of the offensive line, but not going for the jugular after these turnovers is something that had heads shaking with wonderment.
Outside of Abe Elam’s fumble recovery which gave Cleveland a 14-10 lead early in the third quarter, the Browns scored just three points as a result of six turnovers. That’s just a terrible performance.
Yes, the Browns are a running team first. And yes, they have a rookie quarterback, but he’s a rookie who has proven to be very careful with the football. Why not take a chance on McCoy making a play following one of these mistakes by the Jaguars, and give the team a commanding lead, and giving some breathing room for the defense.
Another Cleveland weakness is the play of the wide receivers. Mohammad Massaquoi caught four passes for 51 yards and Chansi Stuckey caught four more for 27 yards from the slot. Brian Robiskie dropped a very catchable ball late in the game. Is there a solution?
Yes, play Evan Moore! Moore is listed as a tight end, but is really a hybrid, kind of like a Dallas Clark type of TE. Why don’t the Browns use more two tight end sets using Moore split out and utilize his pass catching skills. Remember, it was Moore who made a big grab against Darelle Revis of the Jets a week ago in a key situation.
Moore may just be the Browns best receiver if given the opportunity.
Defensively, what else can you say about six turnovers. Abe Elam had a pick and caused a fumble, which he returned for a TD. Rookie T. J. Ward had two interceptions. Fellow rookie Joe Haden added another. Coordinator Rob Ryan’s group also had four sacks. They didn’t get any help from the offense, who refused to take advantage of the errors.
Last week, it was predicted here that this could be a trap game for the Browns. With the next four games looking very winnable (Carolina, Miami, Buffalo, and Cincinnati), a win today could have put Mangini’s team in a position to be 8-6 going into the last two games against the Ravens and Steelers.
Unfortunately, the offensive play calling didn’t feel the same sense of urgency. That’s why the Browns are sitting at 3-7 today.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 