CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – A day after losing an instant classic on Monday Night Football, a harsh reality exists for the Browns: the defense continues to hemorrhage yards and points when it matters most.
To be fair, Cleveland’s defensive unit was a work in progress from day 1 this season and injuries combined with a lack of quality depth have exacerbated the problem.
To Kevin Stefanski’s credit, he remains a no excuses coach.
“Our standard does not change regardless of who is in there,” Stefanski said Tuesday afternoon. “[Monday] night we, again, just did not get it done. There are a few plays that I know I have seen our guys make before, and we did not make them last night. Their guys made plays.
“I would not overstate who is in there and who is not in there. We just have to make sure that we do our job, regardless of who is in there.”
The injuries have taken their toll.
The Browns drafted Grant Delpit specifically for night’s like we saw Monday, but he didn’t get to play a snap this season after rupturing his Achilles during camp. Cornerback Denzel Ward, who was having a Pro Bowl to All Pro caliber season, has missed the last three games due to a calf injury. Emerging safety Ronnie Harrison is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
So, it should not be a surprise to see that Lamar Jackson did what Lamar Jackson does – beat you with his feet and kill you with his arm – Monday night with 124 yards and a touchdown on just 9 carries while only having to complete 11 of 17 throws for 163 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown right out of the locker room to make it a 42-35 game with 1:51 remaining.
Jackson accounted for nine of the Ravens 10 longest plays, and four of those came on the ground.
“Pretty much, he beat us with his feet, like I thought he would,” defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who recorded a sack giving him 4 ½ on the season, said.
After the Browns tied the game at 42 on Kareem Hunt’s 22-yard touchdown catch, it took Jackson just 1:02 to go 38 yards in six plays to give Justin Tucker a shot at a game-winning 55-yard field goal leaving just 2 seconds on the clock.
Game. Over.
“Everybody saw, the man is dynamic,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “That is what he has been doing all year and his whole career.”
Again, the defense had no answers and no way to stop the bleeding.
“We have to stop him,” Garrett said.
Luckily for the Browns they been able to build substantial leads in a couple of games – 27 at Dallas and 31 points at Tennessee to withstand second half onslaughts and preserve victories.
Opponents are converting 44% of third downs and are a staggering 20 of 23 against the Browns on fourth down this season.
That’s a problem.
The Browns have surrendered 212 points in the second half with 129 of those coming in the fourth quarter this season. They’ve been outscored in the final 30 minutes by 58 points.
Despite averaging 26.7 points per game – the most in the expansion era, it feels like it’s going to take an offensive explosion for the Browns to win down the stretch.
“I would not characterize it that way,” Stefanski said. “I just feel like as an offense, we feel that way every game regardless of who we are playing. I think that more speaks to the expectations that I have of our offense, nothing more or nothing less.”
Still a Chance – Stefanski still won’t rule out cornerback Greedy Williams for the remainder of the season despite Williams disclosing on social media that he’s been trying to work through nerve damage in his shoulder as a result of an injury he suffered in August.
“He is doing everything he can, and we will see how it plays out,” Stefanski said. “It is really a day-to-day thing. What I appreciate about Greedy is he is in here working very, very hard. I do not think that we are saying he is not coming back because I do not think that has been the case yet.”
Missed the Cut – Running back Nick Chubb did not make the list of eight finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award released Tuesday.
Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell, Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David, Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, Colts defensive end Justin Houston, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Eagles center Jason Kelce and Patriots receiver Matthew Slater remain up for the award.
A panel of former players – Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg, and Leonard Wheeler – voted on the finalists.
Hilliard Claimed – Running back Dontrell Hilliard, waived by the Browns Sunday, was claimed by the Texans.
Houston received the customary roster exemption for the former Browns back until he clears COVID-19 protocols.
Injury Report – S Andrew Sendejo (concussion); DE Myles Garrett (elbow), LT Jedrick Wills and RG Wyatt Teller will be evaluated through week. CB Denzel Ward (calf) and KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring) are “progressing” while Stefanski is hopeful TE Austin Hooper (neck) can return this week.
