What a difference a week makes in the NFL. Last week the Cleveland Browns fought through one of the weirder weeks in recent franchise history en route to a 41-16 blowout over the Cincinnati Bengals. This week, they went through a normal(ish) week and got absolutely dominated 45-7 by the New England Patriots and a rookie quarterback. And I mean dominated. After scoring on their opening drive, the Browns’ offense failed to get anything going — and their defense wasn’t much better. Before the Browns welcome the Detroit Lions to Cleveland this week, here's our takeaways from the ugly loss.
This is the worst-case scenario for Cleveland’s offense.
In one garbage-time drive, Patriots backup quarterback (and Lakewood-native) Brian Hoyer went 3-for-3 for 85 yards and a touchdown. In three quarters, Baker Mayfield had 73 yards passing. Mayfield and D’Ernest Johnson led a stellar opening drive that ended with Mayfield finding tight end Austin Hooper in the end zone on fourth down. That’s where the offensive positives stop. For the next three-plus quarters, the Browns’ offense looked discombobulated, disjointed and stuck in the mud. Now, every offense is going to struggle against a Bill Belichick defense. But it was striking just how much the Browns struggled. While Johnson still got his on the ground (99 yards on 19 carries), Cleveland spent most of the afternoon in neutral. After opening with the aforementioned 11-play scoring drive, the Browns didn’t put together a drive of more than five plays until the third quarter when they turned the ball over on downs while trailing 31-7.
Should people be worried about Mayfield’s injury?
Another week, another injury for Mayfield. With 2:26 left in the third quarter, Mayfield left the game with a knee injury on a hit from linebacker Matthew Judon. While coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game that Mayfield could have gone back in if the game was closer (the injury was ruled as a knee contusion), Mayfield himself admitted that he’s “super banged up” with his knee, foot and shoulder injuries. Case Keenum offered relief, going 8-for-12 for 81 yards. It’s not that Mayfield was lighting the world on fire when he was in either, as his 36 passing yards in the first half was the worst start in his career. Mayfield’s status will be worth paying attention to throughout the week.
Cleveland’s defense lacked any kind of pressure.
In addition to the Patriots nearly doubling the Browns' production on offense (New England had 417 total yards; Cleveland had 217), the Browns defense only had two sacks — which were the team’s only quarterback pressures of the day. While rookie QB Mac Jones (19-for-23, 198 yards, three touchdowns) made some impressive throws, he also had all day in the pocket. For a defense built around quarterback pressure, two pressures won't get the job done.
It wasn't a good day for the wide receivers.
Cleveland’s wide receivers finished with 42 yards receiving, the team’s lowest tally in a game since 2016. While I still feel that it was smart to cut ties with Odell Beckham Jr., there’s no doubting that his departure cuts down on the team’s talent in the skill positions. Now, is that to say that Beckham Jr. would have turned the tide of this game? Not at all. But in a year where the Browns’ receiving unit has been extremely underwhelming, it would be foolish to expect his absence not to result in some kind of drop off. The unit got a little thinner Sunday as well, as speedy rookie Anthony Schwartz left with a concussion. Schwartz and Rashard Higgins both finished without a catch while Jarvis Landry led all the wide receivers with 26 yards on four catches.
What is going on the AFC North?
I’ll say one thing about the AFC North divisional race, it’s never dull. After starting the week with the Baltimore Ravens losing to the one-win Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, the Browns and Steelers both laid eggs on Sunday, with the Browns losing and the Steelers tying the winless Detroit Lions. At 5-5, Cleveland sits in the AFC North basement but is only a game and a half away from the 6-3 Ravens. The Steelers (5-4-1) and Bengals (5-4) sit in the middle. That said, the Browns have a golden opportunity to gain a game next week, as they welcome the now 0-8-1 Lions to FirstEnergy Stadium and the Steelers and Bengals each face off against teams with winning records (the Chargers and Raiders, respectively).