5 Cleveland Browns whose stocks sank vs the Raiders in Week 8.
The thought of Las Vegas Raiders coming into snow, wind and rain at FirstEnergy Stadium and out-tough the Cleveland Browns is going to give the fan base plenty to be salty over for the next two weeks.
Was this a weird game? Yeah. With weather ranging from windy, to hail, to snow, to sleet, anything you thought you knew about this matchup was thrown under the giant waves being stirred up out on Lake Erie.
Then, the Browns had six drives…THE ENTIRE GAME. This is supposed to be the modern era of the NFL. Scoring, touchdowns, all that stuff, and there’s Cleveland, setting a mark they didn’t want, as this is the fewest amount of drives in a game in the last 30 seasons.
You won’t find Baker Mayfield in here, as the quarterback was 12-of-25 for 122 yards. His adversary, Derek Carr had similar stats. It wasn’t a day to show off passing skills, although it should be noted Mayfield did not complete a pass in the second quarter.
Also missing here: Andrew Sendejo. I couldn’t listed him here, but there were other problems on this day.
Here’s the six Browns whose stock dropped in what should’ve been a winnable game against the Raiders in Week 8.
1. Larry Ogunjobi
Ogunjobi had been grading out well again the run early on, and while the Pro Football Focus numbers haven’t been released, I don’t know how even the analytics can put a rose on this one.
As a whole, the Browns defensive line was shoved around often, and particularly, the fourth quarter was a tough one for the UNC Charlotte product.
About mid-way through the quarter, with the Raiders facing 3rd and short, Josh Jacobs treated Ogunjobi like a scarecrow, blowing by him for a first down. The drive resulted in a field goal, which obviously was a big difference in the game.
The facemask infraction was also a tough one to watch. Ogunjobi was giving it his all but go Carr’s facemask. He tried to let it go, but if it’s obvious at home, the refs are likely to see it as well.
It is unfair to pin this on Ogunjobi, as the entire front four were brutalized and out-toughed by Las Vegas’ rushing attack–an embarrassment for a West Coast team to come into Cleveland do this to the Brownies. Missing Myles Garrett, who suffered a reported knee contusion, was also a big setback the defense couldn’t overcome.
2. Rushing attack
It didn’t take one day in November for teams to experience an endure winter’s worth of weather at FirstEnergy Stadium.
That’s why the onus is on the the Browns rushing attack, and I mean everyone: From Kareem Hunt, to Jedrick Wills, to Jack Conklin.
This is the AFC North. The weather is bad. The Browns were playing a terrible defense from Vegas, and were out-gained 201 yards to 101. Kareem Hunt had 14 carries for 66 yards. He ran hard. Effort wasn’t the problem.
The issue was the Browns getting out-physicaled at the line of scrimmage to the point where they couldn’t sustain drives like the Raiders did with Josh Jacobs.
It seemed Jacobs would pick up six on 1st and 10, or run for seven every time the Raiders faced third and short.
While the stats show Hunt having a decent game, it doesn’t tell the story that the Browns couldn’t control the ground game on the their home turf. It’s a tough pill to swallow considering the offensive line is supposed to be the strength of the team.
3. David Njoku
I’m teaching my first grader that if a ball hits you “in the numbers,” you better darn well catch it. So, imagine his surprise when a big-time Browns receiver dropped the easiest pass that’ll ever be thrown his way.
I know, Njoku had a big play earlier in the game and it was great, but if a novel of his career had to be written, the title “Inconsistencies, the Life and Times of David Njoku’s NFL Career” still holds up. He oozes potential, looks the part, and once you start to believe in him, you find yourself ripe for disappointment.
With that critical drop, you could feel the deflation from limited fans in attendance, as well as everyone watching at home. You just knew the Browns blew a big opportunity. Imagine if he caught it. He could’ve run a 10 more yards. The odds for the Browns to score a TD on the drive would’ve been through the roof.
Pregame, rumors started floating again about the possibility of a fourth-round pick being offered for Njoku–and I believe it, as crazy as it seems. Someone will see the good and believes they can unlock the Miami product.
But as long as he’s in a Browns’ uniform, well, we’re still waiting.
4. Takitaki and 5. B.J. Goodson
If the Browns cared about the linebacker position, they would’ve had to have fared better against Josh Jacobs than they did on Sunday, right?
Sione Takitaki found Fox’s spotlight for the wrong reasons, as he got sucked into the line and rather than making a tackle for a loss, allowed Josh Jacobs to zoom by him.
Goodson struggled against Raider guards Denzelle Good and Gabe Jackson, who took him out of the play by promptly giving him a good shove.
Goodson finished with six tackles, but another misstep came with 12 seconds remaining in the second half, when Raiders running back Jalen Richard took up the middle for 12 yards on 3rd and 4. He must’ve had “Hello” on the front of his jersey and “Goodbye” on the back. Yikes.
Not much is really said about the linebacking corps heading into the trade deadline and I don’t expect that to change. The Browns have had ample time to try something to dramatically improve the position, but they continue to go with status quo.
6. Cody Parkey
Overall, Cody Parkey has been fine. You don’t hold your breath like you have the past three years when someone attempts an extra-point.
But Parkey had a big let down in this one, as a field goal would’ve kept the Browns in the game at 16-9 with all three of their timeouts.
Yes, the weather was bad, but he had hit from 41. The miss came from 37 yards.Kevin Stefanski sent him out there because he thought he could make it.
Earlier in the game, Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson doinked one off the left upright on an attempt that looked like a knuckle curveball in his best attempt to negotiate the lakefront’s hectic winds.
It’s probably unfair to put Parkey here for one miss, but this game was really a test for him. The weather was not optimal and the pressure was high. And to bottom line it, he didn’t get it done, just as Njoku’s drop setback the offense earlier in the game.
For the season, Parkey is 10-of-11 with a long of 48 yards since taking over for Austin Seibert. Here’s hoping he gets back on track after the bye.