Well... it looks like the old saying still rings true: "Cleveland teams will get just close enough to break your heart."
Losses like this are absolutely IRRITATING. Losing itself isn't fun, but when you lose a winnable game the way the Browns did today, it sometimes takes all your self-restraint to not toss something out the window or smash the TV. I had to take time to calm down before I wrote this one.
How a professional football team can be this inept at playing the game itself is beyond me.
But I'm going to try to explain it. What went wrong for the Browns today? Let's take a look.
Offensive protection? Anyone?
This is the worst I've seen the offensive line in a LONG time. And I'm a grizzled, veteran Browns fan, so that's saying something!
Even though the Browns were supposed to be bolstered by the return of Jedrick Wills, all they did was surrender eight sacks to a Giants team that had just lost to the Commanders the previous week.
They stunk so bad at protecting Watson, that it almost reminded me of a scene from the 2005 movie The Longest Yard.
When Paul Crewe (played by Adam Sandler) reveals to his teammates that he was deliberately trying to play badly so the Mean Machine would lose to the Guards and make the Warden happy, this made his offensive linemen mad.
They were so angry, that they temporarily abandoned him. They didn't block for him at all. They let him get sacked three or four times until he apologized and made plays on his own. Then all was forgiven, and his linemen once again protected him.
None of that ever happened for Deshaun Watson today. Not even remotely. I don't care how ferocious an opposing pash rush is, you don't give up eight sacks. Not as a professional offensive line. EVER. That's just unacceptable. Inexcusable. But those eight sacks also play a part in my next reason the Browns lost...
Miscues. Miscues Everywhere!
Along with the eight sacks surrendered by a supposedly "solid" offensive line, Watson fumbled the ball away once, which led to a Giants touchdown. Jerome Ford also fumbled the ball on what probably was Cleveland's best chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter. A simple mishandled handoff may have prevented the Browns from clawing their way to 2-1.
But even through all the miscues, the Browns had not one, not two, but three chances to take the lead in the final four minutes. One chance ended in the fumble by Ford, and the two others ended when the Browns couldn't execute in fourth and short situations to keep the drive going.
Not even the patented Jameis Winston sneak worked for the Browns. Sometimes it's just one of those days. But one thing I'm never used to seeing, is Jim Schwartz's supposedly dominant defense get carved up at home like a Thanksgiving turkey. But it happened. Again.
Browns "defense"
The Giants limped into this one at 0-2 after losing to the Commanders. The Browns were a 6.5-point favorite coming into today. Those two things alone would be enough to make me start licking my chops if I'm the Browns defense. But apparently they didn't bother to show up today.
They surrendered 21 points in the first half, and gave up a total of 340 yards for the game. Heck, rookie wideout Malik Nabers even burned the Browns for a pair of touchdown catches. Did Jim Schwartz or his unit even bother to gameplan for this week? It certainly didn't look like it!
And when you don't prepare to win, you're going to suck. Simple as that. The Browns didn't just lose, they were flat out punished by a team they were supposed to thump. They have absolutely no one to blame but themselves.
Here they are, at 1-2 after their second awful showing in three weeks. Am I angry? Absolutely. But am I all that surprised? Nope. It's the Browns. Maybe that punk Juju Smith-Schuster was onto something?
Where do they go from here?
I guess the only saving grace for the Browns at this point is: It's the NFL. Anything can happen on any given Sunday. Anyone can win or lose. It's unpredictable. As I write this article, the Browns' next opponent, the Raiders, are getting smoked by the Carolina Panthers 24-7 late in the third quarter. So maybe Cleveland does have a chance to split the first four games at 2-2?
But good teams don't count on unpredictable luck to save them. They execute. They come to play. They protect their quarterback. They finish when the opportunity is there. The Browns didn't do any of those things. They'll get another shot at it in Vegas next Sunday. Three down, 14 to go.
Statistical Leaders
Deshaun Watson: 21-37, 196 yards, 2 TDs
Jerome Ford: 10 carries, 37 yards
Amari Cooper: 7 catches, 86 yards, 2 TDs
Source
ESPN
Picture Credit
Comments