Cleveland Browns season taking on a familiar look
By Thomas Moore
Oct 11, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) runs through the line during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
There is a feeling of deja vu that is starting to envelop the Cleveland Browns as they prepare to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Browns are coming off a surprising win over an AFC North Divisional rival, are showing surprising signs in the passing game, and are struggling mightily to stop the run on defense.
If this all seems familiar to you Browns fans, it is because we saw all this just one year ago.
Five weeks into the 2014 season:
- the Browns were coming off a stunning win over the Pittsburgh Steelers;
- quarterback Brian Hoyer was the toast of Cleveland as he was completing 60 percent of his passes, while throwing for 1,224 yards, seven touchdowns and just a lone interception and, in the process, quieting the calls for Johnny Manziel;
- the offense was averaging 26.8 points per game; and,
- the run defense was an embarrassment, giving up an average of 149.6 yards per game.
Fast forward to today, and we find that:
- the Browns are coming off a stunning win over the Baltimore Ravens;
- quarterback Josh McCown is, if not the toast of Cleveland, at least not a party crasher, as he is completing almost 68 percent of his passes, with 1,203 passing yards, six touchdowns and just one interception, all while quieting (mostly) the calls for Johnny Manziel;
- the offense is averaging 23.6 points per game; and,
- the run defense is an embarrassment, giving up an average of 149.4 yards per game.
The win against Pittsburgh last season was part of a run by the Browns that saw them win six of eight games and take a temporary hold on first place in the AFC North. That run was aided by games against Oakland (winless at the time) and Tampa Bay (one win entering the game), but the Browns also managed to lose to Jacksonville (winless at the time) and Houston (a losing record at the time), so you can’t attribute all the success to an easy schedule.
That is one of the big differences when looking at the current edition of the Browns, as the schedule is about to get extremely more difficult. Over the next seven weeks the Browns will face Denver (a team the Browns have not beaten since 1990), Arizona (currently 4-1), the unbeaten Bengals twice, and Pittsburgh (never an easy game).
The other significant change from last year to this is the absence of a running game on offense. Through the first five games of 2014, the Browns averaged 146.4 rushing yards per game and had run for eight touchdowns. This year? It’s 88.4 yards per game and the Browns have only found the end zone twice on running plays.
While the continued inability to stop the run is troubling, the lack of a running game is just as much of a concern.
We all saw what happened last season when the running game fell apart, brining down Hoyer with it. While it is a pleasant fantasy to think that McCown will continue to play the way he has, history tells a different story. And when McCown struggles, the Browns are going to need the running backs there to help pick up the slack.
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It’s possible that the running attack is not as bad as it looks on paper. Take away a poor opening weekend, and Isaiah Crowell is averaging 4.4. yards per carry, which is a serviceable number. Duke Johnson may not be a running threat at the moment, but he’s proved valuable the past two weeks in the passing game, which is always nice to see.
And while it is always a bad idea to get overly excited about another team’s castoff, Robert Turbin is healthy and may soon see the active roster. The Browns coaching staff is high on Turbin and he should have plenty of opportunities to inject some life into the rushing game.
The one thing going in the Browns favor is the play of the offensive line, which while not as dominant as last season is still one of the best in the NFL. (At least according to Pro Football Focus’ rankings.) If Alex Mack, the only lineman with a negative grade, can get back to playing the way he can, and Joel Bitonio can shake a rough start to his second year, the line should be able to boost the running game and keep McCown’s fall from being to steep.
There are a lot of similarities between this year’s Browns team and the one from the same point last year.
The biggest difference, however, is that with 11 games left on the schedule this year’s squad still has plenty of opportunities to write a different ending.