CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Through six games it’s hard not to argue that the Browns have been among the NFL’s most disappointing teams but Sunday was a gut punch, and reality check.
The 37-14 thrashing by the Arizona Cardinals dropped the Browns to 3-3 and was so lopsided both backup quarterbacks – Case Keenum and Colt McCoy – got to mop this one up.
Even worse, Baker Mayfield reinjured his left shoulder and Kareem Hunt was carted to the locker room early in the fourth quarter with a right calf injury after being unable to put any pressure on it. Cleveland was already without Nick Chubb as well as their starting offensive tackles.
There’s another game Thursday night.
Here are our Top Takeaways from a game everyone would like to forget.
1. Aside from the one-sided shellacking, the headline Sunday was Mayfield's re-dislocation of his left shoulder in the third quarter after being strip-sacked by Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt. The injury looked much worse that the Week 2 dislocation that resulted in a torn labrum while he tried to make a tackle following an interception against the Texans. This time, he was in a sling after the game. Mayfield stayed down on the field for a few minutes while trainers tended to him. Players from both teams took a knee around him. He eventually walked off under his own power straight to the medical tent for examination. It was the third turnover of the afternoon committed by Mayfield.
2. Mayfield said after the game, “We are going to see what we are made of. Our backs are up against the wall right now, and I like our chances.” It's impossible to not respect Mayfield’s optimism and toughness, but as the injuries pile up, it’s hard to resist feeling like this season is about to go off the rails and turn into a flaming disaster.
3. It’s hard to write this, especially considering Mayfield’s situation and him trying to play through an agonizing injury, but Kyler Murray and that Cardinals offense, which racked up 352 total net yards and four touchdowns through the air, is what we all expected this year and have yet to see it materialize in Cleveland, and as the injuries pile up, we may not.
4. Hunt, who looked tentative at times already trying to play through wrist and knee injuries, was diagnosed with a calf injury after being helped off the field and then carted to the locker room. Already down Chubb, losing Hunt would be devastating considering how many times he’s lit a spark offensively early in the season.
5. The Browns played from behind again Sunday. After going with an empty backfield on their opening series despite the Cardinals ranking 29th against the run, a mental mistake by James Hudson III, filling in at right tackle for Jack Conklin, cost Mayfield and the Browns a 17-yard completion on third down. The five-yard penalty set up third-and-11 and Mayfield’s pass to Beckham fall incomplete forcing the first punt of the afternoon. Despite comments postgame to the contrary, Hudson struggled all afternoon and it was clear as day how much they missed Jedrick Wills Jr. and Conklin.
6. Someone please tell Kevin Stefanski field goals are worth three points and fourth down sacks of your quarterback net you zero. Mayfield got dropped for a loss of nine on a fourth-and-4 at the 14 in the first quarter marking the fourth time this season Mayfield has gone down on fourth down. Trailing 30-14 with 12:12 remaining, Stefanski went for it on another fourth-and-4, this time at the 7, and Odell Beckham Jr. was unable to haul it in. But at least Mayfield wasn’t sacked, so, progress?
7. Regardless of what the analytics tell Stefanski about going for it, when you are converting just 6 of 15 on fourth down, you need to take the 3 when you can and stop going for it until your offense plays at a level that justifies it.
8. The defense is a complete and utter disaster. They've given up 84 points the last two games which isn’t going to get it done. The opening series saw them allow Murray find Christian Kirk for a 21-yard touchdown on third-and-17 for a 7-0 lead. The throw came right after Murray lost 14 yards by falling on an errant snap, which should’ve been a gift. Four defensive penalties – Denzel Ward for two defensive pass interferences and Malik McDowell for a facemask and then a late hit on the quarterback – highlighted the second defensive series. Murray found DeAndre Hopkins, who went through four defenders on his way to the end zone, for a 13-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead, but the 42 free yards were a killer.
9. Joe Woods’ unit gets a bone for forcing three Matt Prater field goals despite less than ideal positioning. A 36-yard field goal made it 17-0 after Mayfield was strip sacked trying to elude an avalanche of pressure from Arizona defenders. Prater then had to kick a 52 yarder after Jadeveon Clowney sacked Murray on third-and-2 following Mayfield’s fifth interception of the season. That’s just 6 points allowed on two turnovers deep in their own territory. Mayfield’s throw deep to Rashard Higgins was errant and it resulted in a 23-yard interception return to the 28 by Cardinals cornerback Robert Alford up the near sideline.
10. Another game and another communication breakdown in the secondary. It led to Hopkins’ second touchdown of the day – a 9 yarder to make it a 30-14 game. Hopkins had just three catches for 55 yards but two of them were touchdowns.
11. The first half was salvaged by Mayfield’s Hail Mary completion to Donovan Peoples-Jones for a 57-yard touchdown, his second TD of the afternoon. At 23-14, it was a miracle the game was even that close. Peoples-Jones was the lone highlight on an otherwise miserable day.
12. Myles Garrett got a sack to go with his Kyler Murray headstone. Garrett buried Murray in the third quarter for his eighth sack of the season. He is the third-fastest player to hit 50 career sacks, achieving it in his 57th career game. Only Reggie White (40) and Derrick Thomas (54) got to 50 faster.
13. Turnovers and penalties kill you and the Browns were guilty of both sins multiple times. Three turnovers turned into 13 points. Nine penalties, 88 yards. Elementary football folks.
14. We did not have McCoy taking a knee from the Victory formation on our Week 6 bingo card. But those might have been his favorite snaps of his career.
15. The officiating continues to be putrid, and the Browns are fighting enough injuries to worry about the men in stripes. The flags were generous with the Browns defense on the field but not so much with Arizona’s. Beckham was clearly interfered with on the sideline with no call to the dismay of everyone.
Malik Jackson got hit in the fourth quarter with the weakest roughing the passer call ever. Fans let the crew hear it, especially in the first half. What happened to home cooking? In the end, it didn’t matter because the Browns just got waxed, but it’s a problem the walking wounded don’t need to fight right now and while they say they’re not allowing it to affect them, they’re human and it stands to reason that it really is.