Browns’ Biggest Question? Still Watson

The Cleveland Browns start training camp this week, meaning an end to the local sports talk stations searching for content.

Because even though the Cavaliers made it to the second round of the playoffs this year, and the Guardians have one of the best records in baseball, football is the preferred subject for the radio sports talk folks.

The Browns went 11-6 a year ago, making the playoffs before they “picked a bad day to have a bad day” to quote coach Kevin Stefanski, losing to Houston in the wild card round.

However, Cleveland earned a lot of respect within the NFL last season. Myles Garrett was voted the league’s defensive player of the year. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was voted the NFL’s best assistant coach, and Stefanski himself was named Coach of the Year for the second time.

Many of the team’s star players are in their prime: Garrett, CB Denzel Ward, LB Jeremiah Osuwu-Koramoah, and TE David Njoku. The secondary is among the league’s best led by cornerbacks Ward and Martin Emerson along with S Grant Delpit.

And with Schwartz in his second year, the defense which allowed the least yards in the league last year should be able to provide some new wrinkles, particularly on the road where they had some struggles last season.

Nick Chubb, who suffered a severe knee injury last season, has attacked rehab like he attacks would be tacklers and amazingly looks like he could be ready for the season opener.

To be honest, we felt we wouldn’t see Chubb until mid-season.

But the key to the Browns’ Super Bowl hopes is still QB Deshaun Watson. Many in the local media continue to think with new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Watson can get close to being the quarterback he was in Houston in 2020, when he led the NFL in passing yards, yards/attempt and yards per completion.

Notice we said that happened in 2020. This is 2024.

Watson is coming off shoulder surgery which cost him the last eight games of the regular season in ’23, but that’s the only injury which cost him playing time since his last productive season.

The national media have their doubts to whether or not we will ever see that Watson again. And if they are correct, can the Browns get to where they have never been? That being a Super Bowl.

The first thing for Watson is availability. He’s been with the Browns for two seasons and due to suspensions or injury, he has played 12. In both seasons, the offense looked better with another passer, the first year it was Jacoby Brissett, and last season Joe Flacco.

That’s what the national guys are seeing.

If you look at the teams who are getting to the conference championship game, most often than not, those teams are getting very good quarterback play. Watson doesn’t have to be the 2020 version, but he has to be close for Cleveland to get where they haven’t been since 1989.

And here’s another big question. What if the Browns get off to a slow start, say 1-3 or 2-5, and a big reason is Watson still hasn’t regained his Texans’ form?

Does the organization have the stomach to make a change? They brought in Jameis Winston for a reason, he’s a capable NFL signal caller. There are 230 million reasons they won’t make a change but remember what we said earlier.

This team is built to win NOW. What about the great players currently wearing the Browns’ uniform?

The organization and the fans need to see a Pro Bowl version of Deshaun Watson. The biggest question for the franchise is does that guy still exist?

With Watson, We Have To See It To Believe It.

Since we live in northeast Ohio and football is discussed all year round, the talk about Deshaun Watson is relentless. So, we guess we will dive into the conversation about the Browns’ quarterback too.

We will start by not understanding how anyone can have confidence that Watson will be one of the best signal callers in the NFL. We do agree that at one point in his career, Watson was a top five QB in the league, but we are getting farther and farther away from that occurance.

We understand passer rating is not the true measure of quarterback play, but with Houston, Watson had a 104.5 rating and in his dozen games with the Browns, that mark has dipped to 81.7.

Every metric has decreased significantly from his time with the Texans–

Houston Cleveland
Completion % 67.8 59.8
Yards/Attempt 8.3 6.5
Interception % 2.1 2.6

In 2020, Watson completed 70% of his passes. In his 12 games with the Browns, he has had one game, last year’s win over the Titans where he initially was injured, where he completed that high of a percentage (27 of 33, 81.8%).

Can Watson get back to close to the level he played at in Houston? The Browns are trying everything to help him. They hired a new offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey, who has experience guiding a mobile passer.

Perhaps the bigger question is what happens is the Browns get off to a poor start, and quarterback play is a large factor? Cleveland has a huge financial commitment to Watson and has it for three more seasons.

Meanwhile, the rest of the roster is set up to win now. Myles Garrett is 28 years old and in his prime, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season. Joel Bitonio is 32 and in his 9th season. Amari Cooper is 29, and David Njoku is now 27. Denzel Ward is 26.

They made the playoffs last season with Watson starting only six contests, and really only played in five. It would figure that if he played like he did in Houston, the Browns would be a Super Bowl contender.

The situation reminds us of the Odell Beckham situation. When the Browns traded for him in 2019, it had been two seasons since he was truly an elite receiver. Fans and media alike kept waiting for the guy who dazzled the NFL in his first three seasons, but that Beckham didn’t exist any more.

What if the same is true with Watson? Understanding the huge trade capital involved and the guaranteed money involved, if the quarterback cannot turn back the clock to 2020, what will Kevin Stefanski be allowed to do?

We understand everyone wants him to be that guy again, but because of circumstances, suspension, and injury, it has now been three seasons since anyone has seen it.

We would guess within the confines in Berea it has been discussed, because that’s what organizations due, and that’s why Jameis Winston was signed. The Browns need an alternative starting QB in case of injury or in case Watson’s play is just slightly above average.

Until we see the 2020 version of Deshaun Watson, we will remain skeptical. We would bet there are folks who think the same way within the offices in Berea.

Oh Yeah, The Browns Drafted Some Players

Lost in the excitement of the Cavaliers’ playoff run and the Guardians’ surprising start, the NFL Draft came and went a couple of weeks ago and the Cleveland Browns selected six players.

(We say this tongue-in-cheek because we know for many people in northeast Ohio, the Browns are the only professional team that exists. It certainly seems that way listening to local sports talk).

Anyway, this was the last season the Browns were still paying off their trade for Deshaun Watson, so they did not have a first-round pick, and of course, that selection is usually the one that gets the most attention.

And the Browns were a very good team in 2023, going 11-6 and making the playoffs. Really, they had no glaring holes, so for the most part, the players selected in the draft are adding to the depth of the roster.

They took a local guy, Streetsboro’s Michael Hall Jr. out of Ohio State with their second-round selection, and actually he could be someone who could get playing time seeing how defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz likes to rotate his lineman.

Before the draft took place, we were asked whatever happened to the University of Michigan offensive lineman who broke his leg against the Buckeyes. Well, Zak Zinter was Cleveland’s second selection in the third round. With Joel Bitonio now 33, the Browns need a guard that can be his replacement down the road.

Zinter may be that guy. He probably would have been taken earlier had it not been for the injury in his final college game.

The rest of the picks are probably special team type players. GM Andrew Berry fed his need to draft a wide receiver in Jamari Thrash out of Louisville. He’s a big play guy and Cleveland seems to always be looking for a “burner”.

Nathaniel Watson is purported to be a run stuffing linebacker and the buzz around him from the local media seems to be that of a special team ace.

Berry also loves to draft cornerbacks and in today’s NFL that’s not a bad theory. He got one on the second round in Myles Harden from South Dakota, and the reports on him are he should have gone earlier.

And their last pick, DT Jowon Briggs from Cincinnati, provides another defensive lineman for Schwartz and the coaching staff to develop.

We were a little surprised the Browns didn’t draft a running back, even after they signed D’Onta Foreman as a free agent from the Bears. Foreman gained over 900 yards two years ago with Carolina, and we feel Cleveland needs a consistent ground threat, because no one knows what Nick Chubb will be when he is ready to go.

Everyone keeps talking about how Cleveland is going to be pass happy with Watson this season, but at their core, the Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski like to have a strong ground game. Frankly, we also think this is the team’s best path to winning.

That doesn’t mean we don’t believe that the Browns’ best chance to make a serious run at a conference championship is having Watson play like he did with the Texans.

The pressure is on the QB and still, giving up three first round picks and paying him a boatload of guaranteed money, it should be.

Free Agent Week For Browns? Meh.

Every year, Browns’ fans wait for the legal tampering period and beginning of the new league year to see if their football team will make a big splash in free agency. This year, those people were probably underwhelmed.

What GM Andrew Berry did this year was mostly under the heading of keeping the band together. The biggest move was keeping DE Za’Darius Smith, who was second to Myles Garrett in sacks last year for Cleveland at 5.5.

The Browns also kept DT Maurice Hurst and Shelby Harris, two key members of last year’s top ranked defense.

In terms of bringing in outside help, it was more like a plop in the bathtub than a big splash.

Before the period started, Berry traded two low draft picks to Denver for former first round pick Jerry Jeudy, who is more name than productive to date. He had a reputation in Denver for being a guy who was more proud of his draft status than having a willingness to work.

His high in yardage in his four years with the Broncos was 972 in 2022.

Look, it’s not a bad trade because giving up a 5th and 6th round pick for decent wide receiver isn’t a high price, but expectations that Jeudy will be a big threat for Deshaun Watson at this point are likely unfounded.

Jordan Elliott went to San Francisco in free agency, so the Browns signed Quinton Jefferson, who was with the Jets last season to fill that gap. As of right now, Jefferson is the likely starter with a career high six sacks last season. However, this is his fifth team in the last five years, so he would be considered a journeyman.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t productive, or can’t help.

Cleveland lost linebackers Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker and replaced them with Jordan Hicks, who started 13 games for Minnesota last season (he’s 32-years-old) and former Steelers’ first round pick Devin Bush.

Probably the signing that received the most scrutiny though was bringing in QB Jameis Winston to back up Watson. Winston, a former Heisman Trophy winner and first overall draft pick, will replace the popular Joe Flacco as the top reserve.

Many people who cover the Browns have noted the team seemed to want to move on from Flacco because of his popularity with the fan base and quite frankly, the lack of that for Watson.

Winston isn’t a bad choice to be the backup though. He has started 80 games in his NFL career, and in 2019, threw for over 5000 yards and 33 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also led the league with 30 interceptions, and has been prone to that in his pro career.

But in New Orleans, where he spent the last four seasons, he started 10 games and fired 20 TD passes against just 11 interceptions. Still, his INT rate didn’t drop drastically.

It is difficult to see where the Browns are a better football team than they were at the end of the 2023 season. Even though this time of the year gets a lot of press, there is still plenty of time before training camp starts at the end of July.

And don’t forget there is a little thing at the end of April called the NFL Draft, where moves can be made and of course, you can draft players out of college.

We also doubt Berry is done manipulating the salary cap either, so some “big splash” moves could still be made.

Also, remember, the Browns are already a good football team. They did win 11 games last season.

The most interesting move is hiring former Titans coach and Walsh Jesuit grad Mike Vrabel as a consultant. To us, you can never have enough smart football guys in an organization and Vrabel has shown to be one of the best coaches in the NFL.

Finding The Right Backup For Watson Is a Big Deal

The “legal tampering” period in the NFL starts Monday, so the free agent frenzy is about to begin. We are sure Browns’ GM Andrew Berry will make an impact, as the team has already freed up salary cap space by restructuring the contracts of Denzel Ward and Jedrick Wills.

However, it wouldn’t be a Browns off-season without discussing the quarterback position. We are sure the front office figured once they traded for Deshaun Watson in 2022, that discussion would be over for the next five to ten years.

But due to injury or suspension, Watson has played only 12 games since the 2020 season, which when the ’24 season begins was four years ago. And when he has played, he’s only shown some glimpses of the player he was his four years in Houston, when he put up a 104.5 passer rating.

And that’s why the back up spot is important. When you are a playoff team, like the Browns were in 2023, and they hope to be back in ’24, you can’t have your season do down the drain having an inexperienced reserve QB.

Of course, the people’s choice is Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter last season, and actually had the team’s highest passer rating for the Browns a year ago, 90.2 to Watson’s 84.3.

Better yet was Flacco’s average yards per attempt, which was 7.9 compared to Watson’s 6.5. In fact, if Flacco had qualified for the passing title, that figure would have put him at sixth in the NFL, and his 13.1 yards per completion would have placed him second behind Brock Purdy.

We would prefer Flacco as well, if only because he was here a year ago and the offense ran very well with him under center. The downside is he is a totally different quarterback than Watson, so the question would be would you need a different offensive system should something happen to the starter.

However, we continue to think while Watson is clearly the more athletic of the two QBs, if he’s open to it, we think he can learn a lot from the veteran, who guided Cleveland into the playoffs a year ago, and has been on a Super Bowl winning team.

Kevin Stefanski’s offense is predicated on running the football and using play action off of it. Flacco operated it to perfection. Watson would prefer to play from the shotgun, so he doesn’t have to turn his back on the defense.

We understand Watson has been in the NFL since 2017 and made three Pro Bowl teams with the Texans. We also are of the belief that you are never too old to learn. We would like to see Watson at least give it a try.

Watson has been vocal on his podcast about not being fully comfortable with Stefanski’s scripted plays to start each game.

In our opinion, if he were playing like he did in Houston, he would have more of a leg to stand on. But when you’ve played 12 games in the last three seasons and have had maybe a couple of games when you resembled a Pro Bowler, you ought to be more open to new ideas.

And maybe he has already discussed this with Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. Having Flacco on the roster could be a valuable resource in helping him.

We also think the Browns will start talking to Watson about running less, putting himself in harm’s way only when he has to. Certainly, the investment in him and his availability over the last two years figures into that.

No doubt the first option for the Browns is to have Watson be the quarterback he was in Houston. But they have to be prepared if that doesn’t happen next season.

Browns Need To Get Pay Off On Investment On Watson

When the Cleveland Browns traded a boatload of draft picks and spent a ton of money on QB Deshaun Watson prior to the 2022 season, we are sure they felt their quarterback issues were taken care of for several years.

However, Watson has not been under center since the move was made more often than he has played due to league suspension and injury. And really, when Watson has played, he has not resembled the player who put up 4823 yards through the air in 2020 with the Texans.

Of the five highest yardage games for the Browns in the 2023 season, Watson was at the helm for one of them, the 26-22 loss to Pittsburgh in week two. The Browns moved well that day, and Watson completed 22 of 40 throws for 235 yards, but had an interception on the game’s first play and two fumbles, one of which resulted in another Pittsburgh touchdown.

The other four games which resulted in the most yardage gained with the quarterback who played:

428 yards vs. the Jets (Joe Flacco)
418 yards vs. the Texans (Flacco)
389 yards vs. the Jaguars (Flacco)
385 yards vs. the Seahawks (P.J. Walker)

To be fair, if we extend this to the top ten games, Watson played in three of those–Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Tennessee.

In Watson’s first year, in which he was suspended for the Browns’ first 12 games, the game he moved the ball in the best was a 23-10 loss to the Bengals in week 14, which ranked 9th for the Browns that year.

Watson was 26 of 42 in that one for 276 yards with a TD throw and an interception.

Of the five lowest yardage games for Cleveland, Watson was at the helm for four of them.

That has to be concerning for the organization.

The Browns changes offensive coordinators this season, bringing in Ken Dorsey, who had success working with Cam Newton in Carolina. This was done to “unlock” Watson, to get him back to the player he was in Houston.

They talk about adding more weapons to the offensive, giving Watson more to work with. However, we keep coming back to these facts: Cleveland scored 30 or more points five times last season. Three of those games came with Flacco behind center, one came with Watson, and the other with Walker.

We think there should be a meeting in the middle with the QB. There is no question so far the offense runs better with other quarterbacks than the one the Browns have made a substantial investment in.

So, bringing in a coach more in tune with Watson’s style of play is fine, anything to make him more comfortable is a good thing. However, Watson should also be making an effort to fit with what worked at the end of 2023.

There is no question the Browns moved the football better and scored more points with Joe Flacco at the position. It’s probably the reason the changes were made to the coaching staff, the front office is concerned about the huge investment that was made.

For the Browns to succeed in 2024, they need more consistent play from Deshaun Watson. They’ve invested a lot of draft capital and money in the former Texan, and so far, it hasn’t paid off.

Hopefully, the new coordinator can help Watson, and he can put his ego aside and go ahead and run the offense like it was in the second half of last season.

Here Is Something To Cause Worry For Browns’ Fans

It was reported late last week that the driving force for the changes in the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff, particularly offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, came from on top, meaning owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and chief strategy office Paul DePodesta.

Of all the things Browns’ fans worry about, and believe us, there are many, this should be the one most concerning.

We realize that NFL owners are very successful people or come from very successful families, but that doesn’t mean they understand football.

Of course, that’s what DePodesta is for, right?

We get there is frustration and nervousness from the top of the organization over the failure of their huge investment, Deshaun Watson to make an impact over his first two years with the Browns.

Our belief is that those two were the driving force behind making the deal. And that’s not assigning blame. We felt Watson was one of the top five quarterbacks in the league in his last season in Houston, and if you can get someone that good at that position, you have to give it a shot.

However, we aren’t sure the problem with Watson was the offensive coaching staff. It’s more about his availability, he’s only played 11 of the 34 games he has been on the roster due to suspension or injury. Van Pelt and coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t create that situation.

On the other hand, in only three of those 11 contests has Watson had a passer rating of over 100. In 2022, it was attributed to rust. Last season? He seemed to turn a corner in week three vs. the Titans but was injured in that game on a designed run.

His next complete games were against Arizona where he had a 107.5 passer rating, followed by the win over the Ravens in which he was tremendous in the second half, but also suffered a season ending injury.

To be fair, teams change coordinators all the time and as we wrote a little over a week ago, a new voice, a different perspective isn’t necessarily bad. Maybe new coordinator Ken Dorsey can bring some new elements to make Watson more like the player he was in Houston.

On the other hand, Watson will be 29 when the 2024 season starts, and perhaps Dorsey should be more judicious in how many designed runs are called for him. After all, Cleveland has a lot invested in him and needs him to be on the field.

The pressure from the top though is certainly concerning. Powerful people own NFL teams and they have large egos. Our theory about no one hiring Bill Belichick for 2024 is that some of these owners would rather have control and lose than give up some of that control and win.

That doesn’t mean Belichick is perfect, but he has proven to be a very good football coach, and if he has talent he will win. We think coaching means more in football than in any other sport. Look at what Jim Schwartz did with the Browns’ defense in 2023.

Maybe Belichick doesn’t deserve control of picking the players anymore, but he should be able to have a comfort level with the person who does.

We have to think the only reason he isn’t coaching is because an owner wants his hands on the operation.

And to that, we come back to the old saying: A wise man knows what he doesn’t know.

Maybe Watson Can Learn From Flacco

The Cleveland Browns had a very successful season in 2023, making the playoffs with an 11-6 record. Still, much like this season, most of the hope for another playoff berth in 2024 depends on QB Deshaun Watson.

You may ask why that is still the case because Watson only played in five games this past year and the Browns still won 11 times? It’s because the model of starting five different quarterbacks and still getting a post-season spot is not sustainable.

GM Andrew Berry talked about a 10-year commitment when the deal for Watson was made, and he has to look at it that way because the first two seasons have seen the former Texan start just 12 of 34 games, and really, he has only shown brief glimpses of the player he was in Houston.

Certainly, good health is needed for the trade to play out in the Browns’ favor, but we would also like to see Watson put his trust in Kevin Stefanski and the way his offense works.

Since Stefanski took over as head coach and installed his offense, he has coaxed solid QB play out of most of the players who have called signals for Cleveland.

In 2020, Baker Mayfield posted a 95.9 passer rating for the Browns, his career high (he was at 94.6 this season in Tampa). He completed 62.8% of his throws with 26 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions.

It’s easy to dismiss that success because of the injury plagued year in 2021, but Mayfield was off to a good start in ’21, with 8 TDs and just three picks in his first eight starts.

The deal for Watson was made after this season, but Jacoby Brissett was the primary starter in 2022 because of Watson’s suspension. Brissett had the highest passer rating of his career (88.9) with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions with the Browns, completing a career high 64% of his passes.

In 2023, Stefanski coaxed solid enough play out of P.J. Walker, rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and revived Joe Flacco’s career. The latter had the third best passer rating of his career in any season he played more than four games. Statistically, it was his best season since 2014.

FYI, Kirk Cousins’ best statistical season? 2019, when his offensive coordinator was Kevin Stefanski.

The point is, Stefanski’s “system” is QB-friendly. It seems the only Cleveland passer who hasn’t taken advantage of it is Deshaun Watson.

Recently, Watson said he didn’t like the scripted plays that Stefanski starts the game with. We found that curious, and a sign about his coachability.

We get it, when you are a gifted athlete, it is easy to become engrained that the way you have always done things is the best way. But great players are open to change, and maybe Watson needs to allow himself to play like Stefanski wants his QBs to play.

That might be the best reason to bring Flacco back.

Stefanski loves play action, and Flacco demonstrated that sometimes it’s okay to turn your back on the defense to sell the fake. Watson prefers to play out of the shotgun. Maybe, there is a happy medium.

Watson has been very successful as a “dual threat” quarterback, but next season he will be 29 years old, and maybe he needs to not play with his legs as much in order to stay on the field. We understand this injury was a little fluky, but maybe it’s time to play a little more conservatively when it comes to running.

It has been shown that Kevin Stefanski can enhance a quarterback’s productivity. The 2024 season would be a good time for Deshaun Watson to embrace that and have his best statistical season.

A second straight playoff berth will probably be the result.

Sometimes Change And/Or Considering It, Is Good In Sports

Earlier this week, the Cleveland Browns made news when coach Kevin Stefanski announced he let go three members of his offensive coaching staff: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, running backs coach Stump Mitchell, and TE coach T.C. McCartney.

Browns’ fans, being among the most rational people on earth, had plenty to say, mostly because it is how things have been in Berea for most of the expansion era, they felt it was a sign of disarray in the hierarchy.

And of course, some blamed Paul DePodesta, because since he rarely appears or speaks to the media, he has because something like the Wizard of Oz.

First, we would think if Stefanski and the organization let these coaches go, they probably have a pretty good idea of who they are going after to replace them. We have always said, anyone is replaceable if you go and get someone better.

Second, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to keep bringing different voices into a group, coaching staff, or a sports organization. Diverse opinions should not only be tolerated but embraced. Of course, within reason.

Like if someone keeps telling you Yu Chang is a potential Hall of Fame baseball player, you might want to check credentials.

All three coaches have been here since Stefanski was named head coach four years ago, and coaches are no different than anyone else, they get stuck in their ways, not completely open to new ideas. We are sure everyone works with people like that.

And the Browns didn’t win the Super Bowl, so there is definitely room for improvement in all aspects of the team. We think Stefanski had to be encouraged to make some changes to his staff last season, when he let go of Joe Woods and Mike Priefer. Perhaps he saw how that worked out and these changes might have the same benefit.

Among the other teams in town, we would love for the Guardians to have some different ideas in their organization. At times, they have weird attachments to players, and maybe having a new manager solves some of that.

We think Terry Francona was a great manager, but often said his weakness was the fine line between patience and stubbornness.

We would love to be in an organizational meeting for the Guards, just to hear if anyone says, “Myles Straw is one of the worst hitters in baseball” or “Yes, Gabriel Arias hits the ball hard, but he rarely hits it”.

For the Cavs, we would like to know the reasoning for ignoring height in a sport where most of the great players in the game had size advantages (think LeBron: if you are as quick, you aren’t as big, and vice-versa), or what everyone sees in Dean Wade.

We think the worst thing that can occur is when everyone is on the same page, and no one thinks outside the box. And again, that doesn’t mean arguing about something everyday. Just being able to see things from a different “perspective”.

That might be exactly what happened in Berea this week. This isn’t the same dysfunctional organization that we came to know from 1999 to when the complete rebuild started about 10 years ago.

It’s just a sign that they want to take the next step in their goal of winning a title.

Stefanski Said It Best: Bad Day To Have A Bad Day

All of the problems the Cleveland Browns had this year showed up again in yesterday’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans.

Yes, the Browns had the NFL’s best defense statistically, but there was a big difference in the way they played at home and away from Cleveland Browns Stadium.

At home, they were simply dominant, but the five worst games the defense had in terms of points allowed came on the road. Indianapolis scored 38, Los Angeles put up 36, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Denver were next.

The defense didn’t give up all 45 points Saturday, two pick sixes added 14 points, but they allowed 31, and there were big plays aplenty. The Texans ran just 44 plays, as Houston scored on offensive plays of 76 and 37 yards, and got some big chunk plays as well as they rolled up 356 total yards, which is 8.1 per play. That’s a huge number.

And the Browns’ defense didn’t get any turnovers nor any sacks. Bet no one thought that would happen. Houston stayed away from Denzel Ward and controlled Myles Garrett, picking on Greg Newsome, who struggled trying to keep up with Nico Collins.

Another issue that reared its head was not taking care of the football. The Browns amazingly made the playoffs despite leading the NFL in turning the ball over, and two interceptions for touchdowns basically ended the game.

Cleveland was trailing 24-14 at the half, but was driving in the third quarter, when QB Joe Flacco apparently trying to throw the ball away, was picked off by Steven Nelson, who returned it 82 yards for a TD.

Then on the next possession, on a 4th down play, Flacco was intercepted again by Christian Harris, who went 36 yards the other way, and suddenly a game within reach was over for all intends and purposes.

The Browns couldn’t run the ball, something that has been a problem since Nick Chubb got hurt in week two. They gained just 56 yards on 20 attempts and their longest two runs were a 14-yard run by Kareem Hunt in garbage time and an 8-yard scramble by Flacco.

That’s not to say all of the Browns had bad games. On defense, we have to point out Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was all over the field, with 8 tackles, several behind the line of scrimmage. He has been getting better and better each week.

David Njoku was a standout as usual, catching seven balls for 93 yards and he and Harrison Bryant were big factors in the first half. And David Bell had a strong game too, catching 8 passes, several in traffic.

As coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game, the Browns simply picked a bad day to have a bad day. After an early field goal, the Browns scored to take leads of 7-3 and 14-10, but defensively they just couldn’t stop Houston.

And as usual, the officiating didn’t help the Browns, a very questionable pass interference call on Ronnie Hickman (especially after a no call against Njoku earlier) gave Houston a first down on a third down play and would have forced a punt.

The Texans scored two plays later to make it 24-14. The NFL has an officiating problem that they care to ignore.

No question this will be a different team when training camp starts in July because of salary cap issues, but the core will remain, players like Garrett, Ward, Owusu-Koramoah, and of course, QB Deshaun Watson will be healthy.

Let’s hope the organization continues to build on this season and the attitude they adopted during this year, winning no matter what is thrown at them, continues in 2024.

It was a bitter loss because we thought this team had a chance to go deeper into the post-season. Still, it was a fun ride.