The Cleveland Browns got their butts kicked by the Miami Dolphins
The Cleveland Browns fell to 3-6 on the season, after the Miami Dolphins whopped the Brownies 39-17. Heading into half it felt like the Browns still had a chance, down just 17-7, and a bad play-call away from being 17-10 but the Browns absolutely fell apart after the second half. The Browns gave up three touchdowns in the second half alone, and could barely respond when forced.
The issue is clearly the defense, they can’t stop anyone or anything for that matter. So when you consider that we know this, we’ve known this and will continue to know this, we have to ask why hasn’t Kevin Stefanski adapted to this. I don’t blame the coaches for how bad these players are, that’s on Andrew Berry for bringing in better talent. No, I blame the coaches for failing to adapt to this.
The Browns’ offense is methodical, and when you’re playing with a lead, that’s great. It’s a slow, time-consuming, and very simple offense. You run the ball, throw underneath, rinse, repeat. Remember what Coach Boone said in Remember The Titans? “I run six plays, split veer. It’s like Novacaine. Just give it time, it always works“.
That’s the Browns’ offense, in a nutshell. The problem is, the Browns’ offense only works with a great defense. When you can limit a team to just 17 or 20 points, the Browns’ offense is very good. When you’re forced into a shootout, the Browns’ offense is highly inept. It can’t keep up. People keep saying “you can keep up with just Nick Chubb” but you can’t. The Browns’ offense just can’t keep pace.
If they tried to be different, that’d be one thing, but they haven’t. They still call stuff underneath. They still call six or seven-yard routes. That’s fine if you have the lead but you have got to eat up more yards than the Browns do in a drive.
Look at the facts from this game alone. The Browns had 62 plays, the Dolphins had 67 plays. Fairly even. The Browns had 297 total yards, the Dolphins 491. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone to find out that the Dolphins only had the ball for about seven minutes more than the Browns. They had nearly the same amount of plays, but the Dolphins were able to maximize their time with the ball. They didn’t try to run the clock down. They had one goal; score.
The Browns don’t have the offense needed to compete with teams like the Dolphins and a change at quarterback may not help with that issue, as the problems are about the scheme and philosophy, not about the talent.
3 Good
Nick Chubb’s offensive abilities
The Cleveland Browns did not have a good day offensively, and some of that (all) is on Kevin Stefanski. Nick Chubb only had 11 carries heading into the final eight minutes of the game. Which is mind-boggling, as Chubb busted off a huge 33-yard rush for a touchdown in the fourth. The Browns over-relied on Jacoby Brissett passing, and Kareem Hunt rushing (1.5 yards per carry), and that doomed the Browns.
Linebackers stepping up
The Cleveland Browns really did rely heavily on Sione Takitaki and Jordan Kunaszyk. Who knows how they would’ve played with a better defensive front four? Myles Garrett was nowhere to be seen all game, and Jadeveon Clowney didn’t make an impact and had a flag against him at the worst possible time. Not to mention it didn’t matter who the defensive tackles were, as they got eaten alive. So all things considered, Takitaki and Kunaszyk did the best they could in the situation they had. Kunaszyk even had a huge play against Mike Gesicki where he yanked a touchdown away from him by attacking his right elbow. Clever move.
Special Teams
While the Cleveland Browns’ special teams have been lambasted all year, you can’t say that about today. Jerome Ford, who just came back from injury, had a few really good kick returns, including one that went for 48 yards. Cade York went 1-1 on field goals, and while he should’ve had a second opportunity, that’s Kevin Stefanski’s fault. Then Corey Bojorquez had one punt for 41 yards, which isn’t all that impressive but he did lead the game in most yards in a single punt. And yes, I’m stretching to find a third point.
3 Bad
The Play Calling
Kevin Stefanski is bad at playcalling. It’s easy to have a top offense when all you do is hand it off to Nick Chubb, but what happens when you can’t do that? Well, you score 17 points against the Miami Dolphins and you eat up most of the clock while doing so. Stefanski didn’t trust Nick Chubb early and it cost him late. Not only that, but Stefanski again failed a fourth-down conversation and potentially left points on the board. Would that have changed the game? Probably not, but every point matters. Stefanski’s offense is designed to be a time-suck, and in games where a team gets out of a lead, that comes back to bite them in the rear.
The Interior Line Struggling
The defensive tackles need to be fired. All of them. Veteran pro all the way down to the rookies. There has not been one game where the defensive tackles have stepped up. We look at guys like Perrion Winfrey, Tommy Togiai, and Taven Bryan and we want to like these guys but they’re just so bad. Winfrey is such a problem with the coaches that they won’t even dress him is telling how wrecked this unit is.
Lack of pressure
Not a single Cleveland Browns player got to the quarterback in a meaningful way today. Sure, Sione Takitaki got to Tua Tagovailoa in the fourth after a botched snap, but that wasn’t really a play he made. The Browns’ lack of a pass rush isn’t new and while Myles Garrett gets hyped for his sack total, the fact is that the Browns have not had a steady and consistent pass rush since Garrett arrived. Garrett can provide some pressure, but this team just isn’t built well enough to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Especially when Garrett’s on the sidelines sucking wind.