BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In the NFL, every game is big or important or whatever cliché you choose to use.
For the Browns, this week’s game against the Ravens is that and then some.
They could either resuscitate the 2022 campaign with a win or see a fourth straight loss line them up for last rights, just in time for Halloween.
“The only way is up,” quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who threw a pair of interceptions and fumbled in a 38-15 loss to the Patriots last week, said.
“We have beaten ourselves a lot in these games but [our goal] is to eliminate those [mistakes] and then to see where the results lie.”
Brissett did his best not to make too much of the ramifications of the outcome.
“Honestly it’s another game in the NFL, which is a treat in itself,” Brissett said. “Versus a very good team. That’s another reason. Versus a division opponent, another reason. Needing a win is another. So it’s a bunch of reasons why we need to be ready to go this week and I think the guys understand that.”
Even with a win over the Ravens, the Browns will be back in “must-win” mode when the Bengals come to town in Week 8, but they are in danger of a complete collapse after entering the year with high expectations of themselves as well as from fans.
“It's a very important game for us,” receiver Amari Cooper, acquired in a March trade from the Cowboys, said. “I know the momentum of a win can do some amazing things to a locker room, so that's what we're trying to do.”
Cooper has done his part early on. He leads the team in catches, yardage and receiving touchdowns but they’ll need another big game from him in Baltimore.
Nick Chubb leads the NFL in rushing still, despite head coach Kevin Stefanski holding him to just 12 carries last week.
Maybe he’ll get the chance to carry Cleveland back into contention.
“It’s important, very important. We know these games mean more,” Chubb said. “At the end of the day, it’s still a game. We have to go out there and play them with who we’re playing so we understand that but definitely a sense of urgency with this team. We’ve lost the past three games I believe so we all feel that. We all understand what’s going on and we’re all eager to go out and play our best game.”
Chubb has worked to help the Browns shake their losing ways under Stefanski but a 2-4 start this year has been frustrating for everyone.
“It’s been hard,” Chubb said. “Obviously work really hard in the offseason, coming to not quite what we all expected, but it’s still a long season, a long way to go. Anything can happen. We’re trying to stick around, starting with this game up front. The season isn’t over. We still have a long way to go. We have a lot of work to do, but we’re still in it.”
How bad are things going on the field?
Safety John Johnson III called into question the commitment of some of the team’s younger players away from the facility and their willingness to do what is required above and beyond. A sentiment echoed by a few other veterans this week.
“We're not playing well. Everyone knows that. It's not a secret,” Johnson said. “But the truth of the matter is that's what's in front of us and that's what we can accomplish if we lock in 100 percent.”
Johnson wouldn’t go as far as to say this game will make or break their season, so we’ll say it for him.
“I feel like you can look at it that way,” Johnson said. “But you've also got to just narrow it down to if we win this game, we'll put ourselves in a situation to get that first place spot, but it's going to be one week at a time, one day at a time.”
The defense has been especially disappointing with a new problem seemingly popping up each week while coaches and players scramble to patch them through film study, meetings and practice.
“I think every game first and foremost is an opportunity to seize an opportunity,” linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah said. “But as we know, [the] division’s on the line, that's what the main focus is. Focus on the little steps to win the game, win the division, et cetera and move on. But yeah, this is definitely a great opportunity to do that.”
Big plays as the result of miscommunication, blown coverages, technique or missed tackles have become commonplace on defense. The Browns can’t afford any of that against the Ravens – and especially quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“Next game is always the most important game but when you’re coming off three losses, it’s definitely a big game and obviously, it’s one of our rivals,” cornerback Greg Newsome II said. “So it’s definitely a big game.
We’re going to treat it as such and were gonna treat it like the next game. We have a next game mentality so whatever game’s up that week is the most important game of the season so we’re gonna treat it like that.”
Left guard Joel Bitonio has seen the good, the bad and the ugly since he was drafted in the second round in 2014, more so the bad and ugly, but he’s learned when the pivotal moments in a season arrive.
“We're in a big moment for our season,” Bitonio said. “We're not where we wanted to be record-wise. We have two divisional opponents. You know, you handle your business and you see where you're at there. No one's really pulled away in our division yet, so it is a big moment. I think the guys understand the sense of urgency, you know, it's something. We have to find a way to get a win and we've been stressing that.”
If the Browns don’t get it done in Baltimore, they might as well grab the shovels and start digging, assuming the hole they’ve already dug for themselves isn’t deep enough.
