Clevelan Browns Recap Because We Have No D
Image courtesy of Yahoo! Sports
I think there’s no question that the Browns vs. Chargers game Sunday afternoon was one that make every Browns fan across the country feel every emotion on the spectrum. There were triumphant moments like that 50 yard touchdown run from Nick Chubb, and there were moments of defeat, like every time our defense took the field. There are a couple of key things that, after mulling over the emotions of the game, I want to touch on.
First and foremost, our defense just has to do better than what they did, simply put. This past game was the first time in the history of the NFL that a team with 40 points and 0 turnovers lost the game. That is something that should’ve even been feasible but yet here we are. Now, I know that we were dealing with multiple injuries, namely Jadaveon Clowney, Denzel Ward (who got hurt during the game), Greg Newsome, and Miles Garrett (who played). But still, you have to do better than 47 points. I know that technically we did get a stop when it mattered most, but the refs made up a new rule that if the offensive player can’t catch the ball because they have a handful of the defenders jersey, then it’s defensive pass interference. However, there were many other opportunities to make crucial stops, and they just couldn’t do it.
Another problem I have, doesn’t really have to do with the offense, who was terrific, but with the questionable play calling down the stretch. Up 1 point, with the ball deep in our own territory on 3rd and long, we decide that we want to run the ball when the Chargers are gonna have plenty of time to just get in field goal range, with timeouts, against a Browns defense that couldn’t stop a runny nose. I do understand that we have has success this season with running the ball on third and long because the defense doesn’t expect it. However, I don’t believe this was the time to try and trick the Chargers. This was the time to let Baker Mayfield prove that when everyone knows he has to throw the ball, he can deliver. A problem that I had with Freddie Kitchens from the get-go, is that he always tried to outsmart everyone so much that the only person he ended up tricking was himself. This felt like a Freddie Kitchens play call to me. I’m sure it was just a blunder, and Kevin Stefanski is the real deal and we should all be thankful that he’s our coach, I just want it to be known that sometimes it’s best to just let your QB work, which actually brings me to my last point.
The fans who are calling for Baker’s head need to chill out and really put into perspective where we were just a few years ago. I’m old enough to see Browns fans wanting people to give Cody Kessler and Deshone Kiser a chance after everything pointing to them being not good at football. Baker has been great for the Browns, and he fits perfectly in the system that has been built around him. We are a running team, so of course he isn’t going to have the best numbers. I agree, that for us to take the next step as a franchise he needs to be able to take us on game-winning drives down the stretch, but I truly believe that he can do it. Also, he was absolutely not the reason we lost that game. I’m one to criticize him when he deserves it, but the offense was a well-oiled machine. Our defense just needed to get off the field and couldn’t do it. Looking ahead to this weekend, I like our odds against the Cardinals because while they’re 5-0, a couple of those wins were very iffy against mediocre competition (Vikings and Jaguars). I’ll get more into that later this week, but for now I’ll say: chill out on Baker, defense needs to step up, and don’t remind me of Freddie Kitchens, that was a dark time.