5 Browns whose stock is down after losing to the Ravens in Week 14.
The Browns dropped a heartbreaker, 47-42, to the Ravens in Week 14, as Cleveland was bested by Lamar Jackson for the fourth time in the last five games.
Unlike the opener, though–a game in which the Browns lost 38-6– the Browns were there, right up until the end. It was one of those games where whichever team had the ball last was going to win, and Jackson, in the role of franchise quarterback, made the plays franchise quarterbacks make on the final drive.
At 9-4, the Browns, still hold the No. 5 seed in the AFC Playoffs and the team should keep a stronghold on the top Wild Card spot with contests against the Giants and Jets next on the schedule.
Of course, Browns fans are tied of moral victories–and they should be. It’s just not enough to play with the Ravens, they’ve got to start winning some of these games–especially in front of a national television audience.
And while there were plenty of heroes that brought the Browns within a 1:07 of victory, I can’t help but think about the letdowns. That’s going to happen when a team allows their opponent to hang up 47.
Here’s five Browns whose stock is down in defeat.
1. Mack Wilson
It didn’t matter what Wilson did for the entire game. He cemented his name on this list with an ugly miss on what turned out to be a 19-yard touchdown run from Gus Edwards.
The box score didn’t redeem Wilson’s big fail, as the former fifth-round pick wasn’t credited with a tackle.
Wilson’s absence was egregious. He’s a starting linebacker whose primary job is to stop the run. Joe Shoebert may not be an elite linebacker, but he’d likely have added a tackle or two to the box score.
Wilson’s poor game re-enforces the notion that GM Andrew Berry address the linebacker situation this offseason. It’s clear this analytically driven front office doesn’t put as much value in the position as they do in the defensive line and secondary, but the Browns have to have at least one player worth a darn at the spot.
2. Cody Parkey
Cody Parkey’s done it. He’s successfully planted the seed in the minds of Browns’ fans as to whether he can make a kick when the pressure mounts.
He failed twice on Monday Night, missing what should’ve been a chip shot to start the second quarter, and then later on, when he muffed an extra-point attempt.
Fans need not forget that Parkey missed a huge kick for the Bears a few years back in the NFC Wild Card round.
Look, we all know it works with kickers. They mostly go unnoticed unless they hit a game winner, but they also find the headlines when they miss.
The Browns have closed the gap with the Ravens, but Baltimore is one of our biggest rivals. The Browns can’t afford to leave points off the board when the Ratbirds are on the other sideline. Had the safety not ended the game, the Browns would’ve lost 45-42.
Parkey’s brought more consistency to the position, but he hurt the Browns in Week 14. His misses were the difference in the game.
3. M.J. Stewart
From the hero who nabbed the key interception to the goat against the Ravens, and no, I don’t mean GOAT.
Stewart was flagged for pass interference on 3rd and 7, which gifted the Ravens 39 yards on their first drive. Ultimately, the Ravens cashed in a touchdown and that chunk of yards absolutely made a difference.
Other Stewart miscues:
1. With just over a minute remaining in the contest, Stewart couldn’t find the ball on Lamar Jackson’s 14-yard pass for Mark Andrews.
2. Jackson went to Stewart’s direction again on the very next play, hitting Andrews again, for 14 yards.
Twenty-four seconds later and Justin Tucker booted in the 55-yard game winner.
Things are dire in the secondary, as the Browns are playing to backups to the backups. This game also served as a reminder that Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams are missing in action.
Ward could be back against the Giants on Sunday, but don’t count on seeing Williams in 2020.
4. Jedrick Wills
Wills has been solid this season and the Browns likely have their franchise tackle of the future, but the first-round pick really looked like a rookie in Week 14.
Ravens rusher Justin Ellis really gave Wills a tough time, and the pocket just wasn’t as secure as it’s been lately. In total, Pro Football Focus said Wills allowed three quarterback pressures. He was also flagged for a false start.
Pass blocking has really been his strength throughout his first season, which is why it was concerning to see him have some struggles Monday night.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield helped his line out, by not taking a sack in this contest. He was as shifty as ever when the pressure hit, while designed rollouts also aided the third-year veteran.
To Wills’ credit, he got injured during the contest but returned to the game.
5. Edge contain
It’s hard to put Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi on blast for individual performances because they did things that affected the pocket. Throw Olivier Vernon and Porter Gustin into the mix, as well.
But the reason the Browns lost is their failure to stop the run, and really, Jackson’s decision making in the run-pass option is what doomed Cleveland.
How many times did we see Jackson fake a handoff to one of his backs, only to take it to the outside for a big gain?
When that happens, Garrett, Gustin and Vernon can’t be expected to make every tackle, but they’ve got to be able to kick the play back inside for the linebackers to clean up.
There was a point in the game when Jackson was still running the RPO where it became obvious he was going to run the ball every time. If I knew it from the couch, so the Browns knew it too, and they still couldn’t stop it.
The poor defensive showing probably re-enforces the need to draft for defense come spring time. Berry invested heavily in the offense in 2020, and it will be the defense’s turn in 2021.