Being a Browns fan is filled with frustration on most Sundays it seems, and the 23-20 loss to Atlanta a couple of days ago was no exception.
We know Cleveland did not have either of their starting defensive ends, Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, but to us, they still had the better roster going into the game and we felt they should have won regardless.
We get many people like to point fingers at Kevin Stefanski, blaming the head coach for losses is a cottage industry for northeast Ohio football fans, and we think getting only three points on two trips inside the five yard line isn’t acceptable. However, we felt going in the offense probably needed to score 30 points, and perhaps the head coach did as well.
And really, this is the first game you can point at the offense being a problem, particularly in the second half. Also, if they would have salvaged seven points out of the two goal line situations instead of three, the offense would have put up at least 23 points in each of the four games.
Going into the season without Deshaun Watson, the “formula” for winning was run the football and play defense. To date, the first thing has worked, the Browns rank second in the NFL in rushing after four games.
The defense continues to let the team down.
Against the Falcons, the problem was the rush defense, which up to this game was actually pretty good, although some issues started to creep up in the first half against the Steelers.
Atlanta gained over 200 yards on the ground, going the length of the field on one drive without completing a single pass. Usually, the Browns are doing that to opponents (they did have 177 yards on the ground themselves), but they were on the receiving end of it this time.
And it wasn’t as though the defense overreacted to Marcus Mariota lighting up the Cleveland secondary either. He was terrible, completing just 7 of 19 throws for 139 yards and an interception.
We don’t know what the record of teams giving up 200 yards rushing in the NFL is, but it is safe to assume that team rarely win when that occurs. It happened to the Browns most recently twice in 2020 against the Raiders and Ravens, and Stefanski’s crew lost both games.
We should also add in addition to having a porous defense against the rush, the defense also supplied another blown coverage in the secondary, which based on Mariota’s numbers in the second half, was likely the only way he could complete a pass.
We know GM Andrew Berry didn’t draft Denzel Ward, but he gave Ward a huge contract and he did draft Greg Newsome and Martin Emerson. We doubt we made those moves thinking they would be very effective in a zone scheme.
But that’s what they seem to be playing a good deal of the time.
By the way, we are curious as to what John Johnson III’s comment of “it wasn’t us” was all about. There still seems to be a lot of finger pointing on the defensive side of the ball.
Remember, this was the supposed “easy part” of the Browns’ schedule and they went 2-2. Things have to improve soon especially defensively if getting Watson back doesn’t become a moot point in terms of making the playoffs.
Luckily, no one has taken control in the AFC North.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 