The Browns drop another close one against an inferior team
The Cleveland Browns dropped to 1-3 after a valiant effort from embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson in a game that came down to the wire. The Browns needed this one, but the team failed in the fundamentals in all three phases on Sunday.
The offensive line was an absolute mess once again, and the defense continued to try to rectify the entire season to date on every single snap when all they needed was assignment-sound football. Cleveland is licking their wounds on the offensive line after losing a starter for the second consecutive week on an extra-point attempt.
Regarding extra points, Dustin Hopkins missed a critical one after the defense came up with a fumble recovery that resulted in a touchdown by Rodney McLeod. That play put them within striking distance, but the poor play and mistakes were too much to overcome.
Cleveland’s coaching staff will continue looking for answers, but the good news is that Watson’s play is what you were hoping to get this season. It now falls on the rest of the team to look in the mirror to find answers to what ails this team.
Let’s now move on to the unit grades for this one.
Offense: C-
One touchdown ultimately won’t cut it and the offensive line is really bad.
Defense: C-
The defense is too focused on big plays and not enough on the fundamentals.
Special Teams: D
You can’t miss extra points in close games and miss out on pinning punts inside the 20-yard line.
Now let’s hear from you. How would you grade the team or players? Let us know in the comments below.
