Who is to blame for the Browns’ offense?

Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack prepares to snap the ball to quarterback Josh McCown against the Oakland Raiders in a NFL game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The unquestioned strength of the offense was supposed to be the offensive line, especially with the return to health of Alex Mack.

But so far the line has looked more like the one we saw over the final 11 games of last season (when the Browns rushed for just 3.2 yards per carry), rather than the one from the first five games (4.4 yards per carry).

“We are capable of executing that plan (of running) and we are not going to deviate from it or panic from it,” Pettine said on Monday. “We need to play better. We need to execute. If you want to look at the biggest reasons why we have lost two of three games, it is exactly what you said. It’s because we didn’t run the ball well enough and we didn’t defend the run well enough.”

The Browns have also allowed 10 sacks on the season (five each of McCown and Manziel as the line shows no favoritism) and while Manziel needs to own his four fumbles, at least two of them were, at least in part, due to him having to scramble when the pass protection broke down.

“No matter how we think we are playing, when you are 1-2, you have to play better,” Thomas said. “That is the story for the whole team.”

On the bright side, Mack (+3.5), Thomas (+3.0) and right guard John Greco (+2.2) all earned positive grades on Sunday from Pro Football Focus, so maybe there is hope that the line is turning things around.

Blame the offensive line: 25 percent.

Next: Adding it all up