Hoping There Is No False Hope With Browns’ Defense

The Cleveland Browns accomplished something Saturday afternoon that is very unusual.

No, not winning a game against the Ravens, although since Baltimore coach John Harbaugh is tied for second (behind Hall of Fame Steeler coach and Cleveland native Chuck Noll) for most wins against the Browns, that would qualify as something odd.

What we are talking about is the Browns picked up a victory despite getting gashed on the ground by the Ravens, allowing 198 yards on the ground. It was the sixth game Cleveland has allowed 150 or more yards rushing in a game this season, but until Saturday, they didn’t win when that occurred.

As a frame of reference, they allowed that many yards three times last season.

To prove it can happen, the Browns have lost three games when gaining 150 yards on the ground (Jets, Falcons, Chargers) although to be fair, in the latter two games, the brown and orange were outrushed by their opponents.

And that’s why we cannot get excited about holding Baltimore to three points. Imagine the talk on Baltimore sportstalk stations this week, no doubt criticizing the play-calling by Greg Roman, the Ravens’ offensive coordinator. His team averaged 7.1 yards per carry and still had Tyler Huntley throw the ball 30 times.

Our only conclusion is the NFL has become so pass happy, that teams feel the need to put the ball in the air even if there is no evidence the opponent can stop it.

We’ve seen it in other games too. The Browns’ defense had success against Buffalo for the first quarter and a half until they remembered Cleveland can’t stop the run, and decided to march down the field using the ground game.

So, we are not among those praising Joe Woods’ defense for holding Baltimore to three points today. This defense continues to be bad against the run, ranking 30th in the league in yards per carry and 24th in yards allowed total. The only teams worse than Cleveland in this statistic with a winning record are Dallas (10-4), New York Giants (8-5-1) and the Los Angeles Chargers (8-6).

Keep in mind, the Browns have had games where they held opponents to 36 yards (Cincinnati) and 54 yards (Carolina) rushing. Six games of 150+ rushing? It’s simply not acceptable.

At this point, we will say it again: If you can’t stop the run, it is difficult to win football games.

People talk about the defense struggling early and getting better as the season went along last season, but maybe the improvement is due to the weather not being as nice in most NFL cities in November and December as it is in September and October?

Whether it’s the schemes improving or it’s a result of colder weather, the fact remains it is not acceptable for the defense to be bad the first half of the season every year. There are 17 games in this league, and even if the pundits like to say the real season doesn’t begin until November, the early season game still count.

That’s why there shouldn’t be any saving of Joe Woods’ job with the win over the Ravens.

And even if the Browns run the table and finish at 9-8, a game better than last season, it still won’t be enough in our eyes. We hope it won’t be enough for Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry either.

This Week Is A Good Time To Play At Their Best For Browns

With all the doom and gloom about the Cleveland Browns season in 2021, it is hard to remember they are still very much in a playoff race in the jumbled AFC standings.

Yes, they are a .500 football team, the currently the three wild cards in the conference belong to Buffalo (7-5), Cincinnati (7-5) and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-5).

The Browns lost to the Chargers, but beat the Bengals with another contest against them the last game of the season.

All in all, there are 13 teams in the AFC with six or more wins and only New England has nine, and they haven’t had their bye as of yet.

What this means, is despite all of the disappointments from Kevin Stefanski’s squad this season, if they can put together a good stretch of football to close out the season, they can definitely snag one of the seven playoffs spots in the AFC.

An 11-6 mark would certainly make it, but there will be teams with 10-7 records that will be playing on Wild Card Weekend.

Stefanski talks weekly about “one game seasons” and that is exactly how his team has to look at the balance of the schedule because getting tripped up, particularly this Sunday at home against Baltimore will put a huge dent into any post-season plans.

The coaching staff and players can’t talk about more than one game, but we can, and if the Browns can win Sunday and then beat a Las Vegas Raiders’ team that will be (hopefully) braving the cold elements along the lake the following Saturday, then Cleveland will be 8-6 and in much better shape, no?

That would give them three games remaining, at Green Bay on Christmas Day (good luck scheduling dinner around this one), at Pittsburgh on Monday night, January 3rd, and the finale at home vs. Cincinnati, which good have huge implications.

Actually, all five games feature two teams who have the playoffs on their mind, so it won’t be easy. And we never said it would be.

All of this is possible if the Browns solved the issues that have hampered their offense over the last nine games, in which they have scored 40 or more points twice, and less than 17 points in every other contest.

We have referred to the old football adage, “you can’t win unless you can run the ball and stop the run”, many times.

Since the loss to the Chargers, in which the Browns scored 42 points and ran for 230 yards, they have only run for 100 yards or more three times in the past seven contests, and have allowed opponents to exceed that figure in five of the last seven.

Not a good recipe for success.

Granted, Nick Chubb missed two of those games, but the signature of this football team is success on the ground. And although we think Stefanski has the makings of a fine coach, we are sure the analytics people are telling him he abandoned the run prematurely in a few of those games.

Still, if you remember the second half of last season, a number of those games started with success in the passing game, and then were salted away by ramming Chubb and Kareem Hunt down the throat of opponents.

Perhaps that is one thing that will be tweaked after the bye.

The defense against the run must be shored up though, and right away. The Browns’ defense has allowed 500 yards in the last three games in total. That simply cannot happen in the AFC North, and when the weather gets a little rougher.

We know this team has not played its best football to this point in the season. That has to start coming up this Sunday and continue as long as they are playing.

It sound simple and it really is.

One Statement Win, But More Are Needed For Browns

Without a doubt, the Cleveland Browns answered a lot of questions Sunday in their 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans, but they haven’t passed the course just yet.

Most critics felt Kevin Stefanski’s squad had simply defeated a bunch of mediocre teams to have a winning record before Sunday (apparently the Colts don’t count even though they are 8-4), and many felt Cleveland would get their comeuppance against the Titans, who lost the AFC Championship Game a year ago and came into the contest at 8-3.

We guess their 8-3 was more legitimate than the Browns’.

Instead, the Browns put on a clinic in the first half, scoring on each possession and building a 38-7 halftime lead. It was the most points ever scored by the Browns in a half. Not just since 1999, but in the history of the franchise, and many younger fans don’t realize how good this team was from 1946-1971.

Cleveland put up 34 or more points for the fifth time this season. They can score points, and they did so early and often against Tennessee, enough that they made the Titans’ biggest offensive weapon, running back Derrick Henry, an afterthought after halftime.

It’s a winning season for the Browns, their first since 2007 when they went 10-6 and missed the playoffs, and it’s only their third winning season since they returned to the NFL in 1999 (2002, 2007).

And they still have four games to play, including one with the winless Jets in the penultimate regular season game in New Jersey.

On the other hand, although this was an impressive victory, the Browns play in the AFC North, and many national media types will still view the brown and orange with a jaundiced eye until they can beat the traditional division powers, the Steelers and Ravens.

It’s understandable since Cleveland lost the first matchups between each foe earlier this season by a combined score of 76-13. The Browns did beat the Ravens a year ago in Baltimore, their most impressive win of 2019 by far, but the win over the Steelers last year came with Ben Roethlisburger on the sidelines.

So, the Browns have another chance to send a message next Monday night at First Energy Stadium as the Ravens visit. Assuming Baltimore can win tonight against Dallas, they will be 7-5 coming into the contest and a Cleveland win would have the double positive effect of putting the Browns in great shape while crippling the Ravens’ chance at a playoff spot.

And with Pittsburgh’s loss to Washington last night, the last game of the season could have division title implications. Take a deep breath and think about that for a minute.

So, while the Browns passed a great test yesterday, and we didn’t mention no one is questioning the quarterback’s play this week, we understand that a victory against Baltimore and/or Pittsburgh will be the only things that eliminate questions for some fans and media alike.

However, the Browns are going to have a winning season, and more than likely are going to play a playoff game. The last time they won ten or more and went to the post-season? Try 1994 with Bill Belichick at the helm.

Blame Baker? What Is The Alternative?

The Cleveland Browns were no match for the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday, as they fell to 4-2 on the season after the 38-7 beat down.

After six games, we can make this conclusion about the Browns. They aren’t in the same class as the Steelers and Ravens, both of whom put a wallop on the brown and orange, over 30 point defeats.

That isn’t meant to be catastrophic news. Both of these things can be true. Cleveland is a much improved football team. They won four straight after an opening loss to Baltimore, and it would not be a surprise to see both Dallas (weak division) and Indianapolis in the post-season.

However, the three best teams in the AFC might just be the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens, and the Steelers, although Tennessee might have something to say about that.

As usual when the Browns lose, the questions surrounding quarterback Baker Mayfield start. Our guess is if you didn’t want then GM John Dorsey to take the former Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma, you feel he isn’t the guy long term at QB, so your ire is focused on Mayfield.

If you watched that game on Sunday and determined the reason Cleveland lost by 31 points is Baker Mayfield, then we question your football acumen.

Look, we aren’t saying Mayfield played a good game. His first quarter pick six on the first drive of the game was a terrible throw, and good QBs can’t and don’t make that pass. But the Browns were dominated on both lines of scrimmage.

The offensive line, which has been so good in the four game win streak, was simply out muscled by Pittsburgh’s front seven. And you can blame Wyatt Teller being out, but rookie Jedrick Wills, Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter struggled too.

What is the alternative to Mayfield? It certainly isn’t veteran Case Keenum, who replaced the starter in the third quarter and completed 5 of 9 throws for 46 yards, 24 of them coming on his first pass, a busted coverage throw to Jarvis Landry.

We know what Keenum is, he’s a serviceable starter, but mostly a backup QB. He’s not going to become a top 10 signal caller at this stage of his career.

And the Browns have improved enough so they will not be picking in the top five of the draft, barring injuries. Add to this we have seen the quarterbacks coming out of college in the past few years, and most of them don’t look as good in the professional game.

We don’t want to make excuses for any professional athlete, but Mayfield has played 36 games in the NFL and has had four head coaches, and four offensive coordinators. Before we make any judgment on him, we want to see how he grows with Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt, who most certainly will be back in Berea in 2021.

That’s only fair.

By the way, Mayfield has a 16-19 record in his 35 starts. Before he came to the team, they won just four of their previous 48 games. Now, Mayfield isn’t the sole reason for this, but it does tell you the kind of ditch the Browns are digging their way out of.

We will also learn a lot about Stefanski and his staff in the coming weeks. The Browns have games against the Ravens and Steelers at home and it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments his staff will make in the second go round.

Based on what we’ve seen, Cleveland will be much better prepared in the second meeting with each of these teams. A good test will come this week in Cincinnati, when the Browns and Bengals match up for a second time.

What have we learned thus far? The Browns are much better, but they aren’t at the Super Bowl contender level. Sometimes teams have to take steps. There is nothing wrong with that as long as the steps are upward.

Winning Is Habit Browns Have To Develop

The bye week is over and the Cleveland Browns return to the gridiron rested and ready to go this Sunday.

That’s the good news. The bad news is they play the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, who also happen to be undefeated this season.

The narrative surrounding the Browns seems to change every week, and since they were off last Sunday, the discussion is how can Freddie Kitchens’ team dare compete with the Baltimore Ravens, who sit atop the AFC North standings at 5-2.

After all, the Ravens beat Seattle on the road, a Seahawks team that came into the game at 5-1 after beating the Browns in Cleveland the week before.

Apparently, people have forgotten the Browns’ 40-25 beating of the Ravens in Baltimore just a few weeks before. We guess the Ravens improved by leaps and bounds in that three week span.

We aren’t taking away anything from Baltimore’s win in Seattle, it was damn impressive. However, not overreact to that contest either.

NOTE: We understand because football is played just once per week, there is a natural overemotional reaction to every game.

We were thinking though, what would the Browns’ record be if they had played the schedule Baltimore has played to date?

The Ravens opened up with the Dolphins and Cardinals, the latter in Kyler Murray’s second professional start. It’s easy to project wins in both games for either Baltimore or Cleveland.

Baltimore’s next two games were against the Chiefs and the Browns, so there is one loss in there, and those were followed by division games vs. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Since the Steelers were using their third string QB and the Bengals are bad, it’s not a reach to think that’s two wins for the Browns.

And again, credit to the Ravens for beating Seattle, which the Browns couldn’t do, even at First Energy Stadium.

So, the Browns would be 4-3 at least if they had played Baltimore’s schedule.

However, the biggest thing the fast start did for Baltimore is provide confidence. Winning early in the season breeds confidence. You saw that in the second half of the game in Seattle this past Sunday.

In the same vein, the Browns’ 2-4 start has the players and coaching staff questioning themselves a bit. That plays in close games late.

Remember how the team (and the fans, for that matter) felt last season after Hue Jackson was fired and they started to win. Suddenly, the big plays are made when they are needed.

And no doubt, it helps the Ravens that John Harbaugh is one of the five best coaches in the NFL. That is no slight on Freddie Kitchens.

Yes, the Ravens’ schedule gets tougher. Four of their next five games are against the Patriots, Texans, Rams, and 49ers.

After this Sunday, the Browns will have played three of those teams already, and they don’t have Houston on the slate.

But let’s say Cleveland loses this week to fall to 2-5 (which isn’t a stretch). Yes, they play Denver on the road, which is a winnable game, but it would be coming off a three game losing streak.

That means it will not be easy. It’s more difficult for teams to break losing streaks, particular for a group of players that hasn’t won together, or a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 2007.

So, let’s not pencil in a bunch of wins in the second half just yet.

Winning is a learned skill. The early schedule, and the early performance have not helped the Browns education.

Too Early For Judgments On Browns, Any NFL Team

We understand there are only 17 weeks to a professional football season and just 16 games for each team, so you can’t wait too long to start making judgments.

We do know, however, that in many cases, two weeks isn’t enough time to start making evaluating teams. You have to keep in mind what happened a year ago.

For example, we are hearing a lot of chatter about the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys being Super Bowl contenders. Both teams made the playoffs a year ago, so the optimism has some merit, but we feel people need to dig a bit deeper.

The Ravens are 2-0 and that’s great, it’s better than being 1-1 or 0-2, for sure. But to date, Baltimore has defeated the Arizona Cardinals, a team that qualified to have the first pick in the 2019 draft, and the Miami Dolphins, who will probably have the honor of making the first selection next spring.

Dallas, who the networks want to be good very badly, have beaten the New York Giants, who went 5-11 last season and are 0-2 in ’19, and Washington, 7-9 a year ago, and waiting for rookie Dwayne Haskins to take over at QB.

That’s why it’s difficult to evaluate the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams, who made the Super Bowl last season.

The Rams are 2-0, but their wins are versus the Carolina Panthers, off to an 0-2 start, and New Orleans, who lost superstar quarterback Drew Brees early in that contest.

Meanwhile, despite the fear and apprehension around northeast Ohio about the Browns, the defense has been pretty solid, despite the 43 points put on them by Tennessee.

Remember, with two minutes to go in the third quarter of the season opener, the score was 15-13. The Titans scored 21 of the 43 in the fourth quarter when Tennessee had short fields due to three Baker Mayfield interceptions.

And backup QB’s or no backup QB’s, holding an NFL team to three points for an entire game is an accomplishment. After all, the Rams gave up nine points to New Orleans without Brees.

The offense could be more consistent, and it starts with the play of Mayfield, who looks a bit different through two games. The second year signal caller feels like he is holding the ball longer, maybe looking to see if new weapon Odell Beckham Jr. is open.

Having a great receiver is a good thing, but you don’t have to throw to him on every play. Get back to last year’s quick passing game, where Mayfield was getting rid of the ball very quickly, and spreading it around.

If they get back to that and they still struggle, then everyone can be concerned. And if QB is still getting sacked in that attack, then the offensive line is a bigger worry than first thought.

Tonight’s game will go a long way toward determining what kind of team the Cleveland Browns are, but no matter what the result, don’t jump to any conclusions about Freddie Kitchens’ team.

Cleveland has a tough early schedule, we knew that coming in to the season. In the next few weeks, they play playoff teams in Baltimore, Seattle, and New England.

After the Patriots, they play the Broncos, Dolphins, two games against the Ben Roethlisburger-less Steelers, and two more vs. Cincinnati. If the Browns are healthy, and have developed some confidence early in the season, this late schedule could be very important for a playoff push.

Until then, look at the records of teams, and then look at who they played before making an evaluation.

It just makes a lot of sense.

Browns Get Playoff Atmosphere This Sunday

When the Tennessee Titans won Saturday afternoon, the slim chance for the Cleveland Browns to make the playoffs went up in smoke.

However, the Browns will get to experience a playoff atmosphere in their season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.

As everyone knows by now, if the Browns beat Baltimore for the second time this season they will likely knock the Ravens out of the post-season, provided the Steelers beat the Bengals.

This experience should be invaluable for next season, when the Browns should be in the playoff hunt for real. And it will be on the road, making it more difficult for the young Browns, as it will be a very hostile atmosphere.

That’s why John Dorsey, Gregg Williams, and the rest of the organization should do everything it can to win the last game of the year.

And we don’t doubt for a second that is exactly what they will do.

The Browns’ front office and players aren’t about rebuilding anymore, they know how good they can be, and the culture has been changed. No more playing for draft picks, no more settling for getting close.

Oh, by the way, a victory over the Ravens would give Cleveland a winning record, 8-7-1, for the first time since 2007.

A victory would also establish the Browns as a force in the AFC North in 2019. With a bunch of draft picks and a ton of cap space, there is no reason to believe Dorsey won’t be able to add more good players to provide the depth the team needs to contend.

For the first time in a long time, there will be expectations around the Cleveland Browns. No doubt many national experts will be picking them to make the playoffs.

How will they respond? Will they have the same chip on their shoulder they did coming off an 0-16 season? Our guess is with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, they will.

We have seen people being critical of the streak of five wins in seven games because the schedule hasn’t exactly been imposing. For a franchise that won just a single game in the past two years, it’s a ridiculous claim.

It shows progress that Cleveland has gotten to the point where they can beat the teams on par with them record wise. Would those people prefer the Browns lose to the Bengals, Broncos, and Panthers?

The Browns have been losing for so long, people have forgotten what it is like to win. That’s why they are still calling for players to sit out the final game of the season to avoid injury, or to have a higher position in next spring’s draft.

Perhaps when the Browns have several playoff appearances under their belt, it might be time to sit players down, or it would be okay if the seeding for the playoffs were set in stone, the rest would do certain players good.

More so, Williams wants to win because it creates a better case for him to keep the head coaching gig. Would Dorsey let Williams go after he finished the season 6-2? It would be very difficult.

As Charles Barkley once said, if it ain’t broke, don’t break it.

Anyway, Sunday’s game it one to look forward to. The Browns can ruin the Ravens’ resurgence behind first round pick Lamar Jackson, and they can put the Steelers in the playoffs.

The fate of the AFC North centers on that game, and CBS’ number one announcing team will be on hand to cover it.

It’s the biggest game the Browns have played in years even though they can’t reach the playoffs.

It should be fun for sure.

Browns Play Hard for Coach in Finale

With all the pre-game talk about parties, suspensions, and inactives, the Cleveland Browns still had to play one more football game before the season ended.

And for those who think Mike Pettine lost his football team, you were proven wrong today, as the Browns played hard, but still came up short in a 20-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Using an ultra conservative offense because they were forced to play rookie Connor Shaw, and a tough hard-nosed defense, the Browns were tied at halftime at three, and actually took a 10-3 lead with 3:29 left in the third quarter on Terrance West’s short run.

But the defense couldn’t hold the lead once again, and once the Ravens took the lead, there was very curious play calling and Baltimore won going away and received a playoff spot when Kansas City beat San Diego.

All in all, the defense only allowed 20 points, but the problem was they allowed 17 in the final quarter.

Yes, they are depleted by injuries, but remember in three of the last four games, Cleveland had a late advantage only to see the defense give up the game winning points.

They should take accountability for that.

It seemed that once the Browns took the lead, the defensive strategy became conservative, meaning they didn’t go after Joe Flacco they way they did earlier.

Without the pressure, Flacco got hot hitting 8 of 9 throws down the stretch, including a 53-yard shot to Torrey Smith, which set the Ravens up to take the lead.

After Baltimore took a 13-10 lead, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s play calling got strange. With the running game being effective all day (West had 94 yards on 18 attempts), Shaw became the mad bomber, throwing consecutive deep balls to WR Travis Benjamin, both which fell incomplete.

Baltimore got the ball back, scored again, and the game was basically over.

Several people have mentioned Shanahan as a head coaching candidate this off-season, but as with Washington coach Jay Gruden, if his last name was different, no one would be interested in him, at least at this point in his career.

Shaw performed okay considering he was undrafted, hitting 14 of 28 throws for 177 yards, but also showed his lack of arm strength, and why he is not a serious contender for a starting job next summer.

With Brian Hoyer a free agent, and Manziel showing little in his six quarters of play, the Browns will again have questions at this most critical position. We will say it again, when the Browns get competent play at QB, they are a good football team. Not superstar play, just a solid performance.

One of the trademarks of the Cleveland defense all season was getting turnovers, but they couldn’t get one today, and had they got one, it could have turned the game (no pun intended) for the Browns. They forced Flacco into some poor throws early and even forced a fumble (Paul Kruger), but didn’t get the big play.

After the game, owner Jimmy Haslam made the announcement that Pettine and GM Ray Farmer will be back next season, which is the correct course of action.

Yes, some people will point to the five straight losses to end the year, but Cleveland had chances to win four of those late in the games, overall, there was progress. The seven wins is the most since 2007.

The Browns identity got a way from them a little bit and the injuries didn’t help. That’s not an excuse, but the facts.

The offense needs a strong running game and Alex Mack’s broken leg killed the success the Browns were having, and the run defense took a hit when Phil Taylor got hurt.

Next year, with another draft building more depth, these issues can be addressed.

Jumping from 4-12 to 7-9 in nice. Next year, the playoffs will be expected.

Failure to Add to Lead Costs Browns

After last week’s win over New Orleans, Browns’ coach Mike Pettine said his team could easily be 2-0 or 0-2.

He can now make that 3-0 or 0-3 after today’s last second loss to the Baltimore Ravens, 23-21 at First Energy Stadium.

The Browns had several chances to put this game away, but they couldn’t put any more points on the board after Miles Austin caught a 4-yard pass from Brian Hoyer with 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Two plays into the fourth quarter, Tashaun Gipson intercepted a Joe Flacco pass and returned it to the Baltimore 30-yard line. Flacco was hit by Paul Kruger as he threw the pass.

But, Isaiah Crowell lost eight yards on first down, and Hoyer couldn’t make up the yardage on the next two plays, and Billy Cudiff’s 50-yard field goal attempt hit the upright.

Lost opportunity #1

After the Ravens’ moved the ball on one play to the Cleveland 30, the defense stiffened, stuffing Flacco on 3rd and 1, and then Lorenzo Taliaferro on 4th down, giving the Browns the ball on their own 20.

On second down, Hoyer hit WR Taylor Gabriel for 70 yards to the Ravens’ 9. The ball was under thrown, had Hoyer hit Gabriel in stride it would have been an easy touchdown.

Still, the Browns did have a first down and goal. However, a one yard loss on a run by Terrance West, a sack of Hoyer, and a terrible illegal forward pass penalty on Hoyer (he was way over the line of scrimmage when he threw the pass), forced another field goal attempt by Cundiff, which was blocked by the Ravens.

This time, Baltimore moved it down the field in two minutes and converted a field goal by Justin Tucker to trim the Browns’ lead to 21-20 with just a little over five minutes remaining.

After the Browns got the football back, it seemed like they ignored the run a little bit, trying to run just once on the next three plays, and they had to punt.

The Browns ran the ball effectively the first two games, but tried only 29 runs today for an average of 3.1 yards per attempt.

Cleveland stopped Baltimore following Spencer Lanning’s punt, but after getting the ball back with 2:19 remaining on their own 7, they ran the ball twice, the first a Crowell 5-yard run, followed by a loss of 2 yards.

The key play of the game came with 2:09 on the clock and the Ravens’ out of timeouts. A run that didn’t convert the third down would have resulted in the two-minute warning.

Without much to lose, Hoyer tried to throw for the first down, which if converted would have allowed Cleveland to run out the clock. But Hoyer’s throw was behind Andrew Hawkins and fell incomplete.

A perfectly thrown deep ball to Steve Smith put the Ravens’ in range for Tucker to win the game. Joe Haden was beaten on the pass, but it is doubtful he could have covered it better. It was simply a great toss by Flacco.

Hoyer had a great game statistically, hitting 19 of 25 passes for 290 yards and the TD pitch to Austin. However, four of his six misses came in the fourth quarter.

The run defense is troubling because for the third straight game, the opponents gashed the Browns with the run. The Ravens gained 160 yards rushing, which is way too many if Pettine and Jim O’Neil want to get after the passer.

Cleveland has no sacks today, and in order to really rush the quarterback, you have to keep the opponent in 2nd and 3rd and long situations. If you can control the running game, that is difficult to do.

Another troubling thing is special teams, as the blocked field goal in the fourth quarter was huge. The Browns could have forced Baltimore to score a touchdown to win, but couldn’t do it.

Heading into the bye week, those are things for the coaching staff to work on. It will be a good test to see if they can eliminate the errors in these areas.

Until then, the poorly played fourth quarter will gnaw at the entire organization.

Don’t Look Now, Browns Are In Playoff Picture

After losing 11 straight games to the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns talked all week about how this team didn’t lose all those games. That it would be different this time.

They backed up the talk with a 24-18 win over the defending Super Bowl champions, raising their record to 4-5 on the season.

The Browns, who people figured had given up on the 2013 season, are now in a playoff race heading into the bye week. just a game behind the Jets for the sixth and final spot in the post-season.

Same day, the Browns lack of a running game is going to hurt them, but that day wasn’t today, as Cleveland gained just 73 yards on the ground with an average of 2.6 yards per carry.

Willis McGahee carried 21 times for an unbelievably low total of 31 yards, and the Browns inability to punch a touchdown in the closing minutes allowed one more chance for Baltimore.

Of course, the Ravens, who actually rank lower in the league’s statistics in running, managed just 55 yards on the ground, also averaging 2.6 yards per attempt.

The offensive stars for Cleveland were QB Jason Campbell, who provided his second straight effective start, hitting on 23 of 35 passes for 262 yards and three touchdown passes, two to Davone Bess, who rebounded after last week’s horrendous performance.

Campbell made some huge plays to keep possession on the Browns’ last drive, in which they took over the ball with a three-point lead and 6:44 remaining.

First, he scrambled for 12 yards on a 3rd and 3. Then, he converted a 4th and 1 with a cross the body toss to Bess, who made a diving catch, after being chased out of the pocket.

He even showed his backup, Brandon Weeden, how to correctly execute the flip pass, hitting Chris Ogbonnaya for 14 yards after being flushed out of the pocket.

He was efficient and trusted his receivers on a few plays, throwing into tight coverage and expecting his wide outs to make the play.

The first scoring drive featured a throw to Greg Little, who turned it into a 46 yard pick up after the catch. Also, the first TD throw to Bess was made with a Raven defender right on him.

Little had perhaps his best day as a pro, hauling in seven passes for 122 yards. He did leave the game with a shoulder injury.

Campbell also received good protection from the offensive line, who allowed just two sacks on the day after giving up five the first time the two teams met in Baltimore.

This time, it was the Browns who sacked Joe Flacco five times, and once again five different players did the honors (Chris Owens, T.J. Ward, Jabaal Sheard, Armonty Bryant, and Quentin Groves).

Defensive coordinator Ray Horton said the Browns needed to improve on third down situations and they did just that, holding Baltimore to just 7 of 16 conversions. And Joe Haden picked up his first interception of the year.

A fumbled punt set up Cleveland’s third and final touchdown.

With the bye week here, let’s hope the front office can address the team’s inability to do anything on the ground. McGahee is a pro, but outside of the Buffalo game (and he averaged only three yards a carry in that game), he has not been effective.

Rob Chudzinski and Norv Turner made it work without a ground game today, but if more meaningful games are played later in the season, it will be necessary to run the ball to protect leads.

Right now, they simply can’t run the ball, which of course makes Campbell’s day even more impressive.

We will say it again, it is amazing what a professional quarterback can do with this offense.

After the week off, the Browns visit Cincinnati, who no doubt will have revenge on their minds after a beating they took in Cleveland in week four.

That game will be bigger than anyone would have thought after the Browns were 0-2 and traded their starting running back.