CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In a game that had just about everything, the bottom line from Sunday’s 47-42 loss to the Chargers is this: Kevin Stefanski got outcoached by Brandon Staley, and that’s why the Browns left SoFi Stadium 3-2 and LA improved to 4-1.
The two teams combined for a whopping 1,025 yards of offense in a game that saw both teams go for it on fourth down multiple times, go for two, have the lead change hands eight times and the Browns shove in the go-ahead, and ultimately the game-winning, score for the Chargers.
An early entrant for the NFL’s game of the year, here are our Top Takeaways.
1. Stefanski has been so good since taking over the Browns, but he’s not immune from criticism. Why on earth he did not have the best running back in the NFL in Nick Chubb on the field with his team clinging to a 42-41 lead is beyond indefensible. On top of that, on third-and-10, he ran the ball instead of having Baker Mayfield try to throw for a first down. Either he thought Kareem Hunt could just teleport past the sticks, which given how Hunt runs isn’t too farfetched but for this situation was, or he has no faith in Baker Mayfield in that spot. As soon as they punted the game was lost.
2. Mayfield started off sensational. His only incompletion in the first half was a fourth down drop by Odell Beckham Jr. At some point, if Mayfield wants to be paid like an elite quarterback, he has to start playing like one, and that includes winning games late. He had the ball in his hands with 90 seconds to play and had to resort to multiple Hail Mary’s in the closing seconds. Sure, both of his starting tackles were out of the game, and he is playing hurt with the partially torn labrum, but the great ones overcome to win. Make no mistake about it, Mayfield is far and away superior to any quarterback the Browns have had in the last 30 years, but they need him to be better than he is with games on the line if they’re to realize their full potential. Justin Herbert has already had six game winning drives in just 20 starts. Mayfield has had seven in 50. Mitigating circumstances or not, that’s a stat that jumps out at you.
3. Unlike Week 1, there is no moral victory here. Stefanski and Mayfield did not get it done with the game on the line in a game they led multiple times in the fourth quarter and should have won. End of story.
4. Entering the game, the formula for offensive success was simple – ride Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and the No. 1 rushing attack against the Chargers 29th ranked run defense. Chubb and Hunt combined for 53 yards on the opening drive, surpassing the 49 yards Los Angeles allowed last week in their win over the Raiders. It was a sign of what was to come. When the dust settled, Chubb and Hunt combined for 222 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Chubb was sensational, what else is new? His 52-yard touchdown run early in third quarter to put the Browns up 27-13 made the Chargers look silly. Hunt crashed in from 3 and 8 yards out. Despite the valiant effort from Batman and the Tasmanian Devil, it wasn’t enough.
5. The Browns defense got off the field with a quick 3-and-out to start the game marking the first time they did not surrender points on the opening drive of the game. After a strong first half that saw them allow just eight first downs and 168 yards, they were torched in the second half. When the clock hit 00:00, they were battered, bruised, beaten and in shambles.
6. Shoving and pulling Chargers running back Austin Ekeler into the end zone was absolutely the right thing for the Browns defense to do in that situation. Ekeler wisely slid after gaining 8 yards on the previous play to help the Chargers bleed the clock and leave no time remaining for the Mayfield and the Browns to possibly answer. Letting the Chargers score, which they were going to do anyway, at least gave them one last chance.
7. You can’t blow coverages, and that’s what happened on Herbert’s 72-yard touchdown bomb to Mike Williams that put the Chargers back in front 13-10. It happened again in the fourth quarter on the 42-yard TD to Williams that gave the Chargers a 28-27 lead. While it’s unclear who blew the assignments, those are the mistakes that can’t happen once, let alone twice in a game. Inexcusable doesn’t do it justice.
8. Tight end David Njoku entered the afternoon with seven catches for 111 yards this season. Sunday, he doubled his catches and more than doubled his yardage with a seven catch, 149-yard performance. He caught Mayfield’s first three passes of the afternoon for 62 yards. Then came the 71-yard sprint to the end zone to give the Browns the lead right back at 33-28.
9. The red carpet got rolled out for Hollywood, outside of Hollywood when Mayfield found Rashard Higgins wide open thanks to extra attention being paid to Beckham for a 7-yard touchdown to give them a 10-7 lead with 12:46 left in the second quarter. Higgins finished with three catches for 29 yards and the score.
10. Although Beckham dropped a critical fourth-and-2 throw across the middle from Mayfield, ending the perfect 9-9 start for 130 yards by the Browns quarterback, he did the little things to help the offense all afternoon, including commanding attention and blocking. He finished with two catches for 20 yards but his effort when the ball isn’t going to him deserves credit.
11. Stefanski continues to go for it on fourth down with mixed results. His aggressiveness was rewarded by Hunt’s 3-yard touchdown run right before halftime and he would’ve looked like a genius had Beckham hauled in the first try. Staley went for it twice on the same drive, including at his own 24, which sparked a touchdown. The game saw the Browns go for 2 once – Mayfield shoveled the ball to tight end Austin Hooper successfully and the Chargers went twice – converting one.
12. For the second straight week Greedy Williams created a turnover. Last week it was his first career interception and this week a forced fumble before the half that led to a field goal to put them up 20-13 at intermission. It’s unfortunate he got hurt again.
13. The injuries are starting to pile up. Five of them Sunday. Right tackle Jack Conklin left the game in the second half with a knee injury meaning both starting tackles are banged up. Cornerback Denzel Ward did not return due to a neck injury. Cornerback M.J. Stewart left the game with a hamstring injury. Williams injured his shoulder again. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was taken to a local hospital as a precaution after suffering a throat contusion. The Browns have two games in 11 days against the Cardinals and Broncos on the horizon and heath right now is not on their side.
14. The officiating was terrible, but it was not why the Browns lost. Myles Garrett was held at least a half dozen times, including by his facemask and being tackled to the ground, with no calls. One of the no call holding penalties aided a 37-yard completion on third down to set up a Chargers touchdown. Center J.C. Tretter got called for holding while being shoved back with a hand in his own throat. The call detonated a drive and led to a Browns punt. Williams was holding A.J. Green on a fourth down deep ball but Green got called for interference. First down Chargers, and moments later a touchdown. Rinse, repeat. Higgins got tangled up and tackled on a second down throw in the fourth quarter, but no call. If it weren’t for an automatic replay review, the blind mice would’ve awarded the Chargers two points after their final TD. Replay caught their mistake and reversed that call.
15. With betting being legalized around the country and the NFL embracing it for easy revenue, they better clean up their own house when it comes to officiating because some questions are going to start being asked about some of these calls in big games.
