Cleveland Browns: 3 takeaways from a loss in Washington
The Cleveland Browns are now 0-4 after a 31-20 loss to the Washington Redskins in what was supposed to be RG3’s return to the nation’s capital.
The Cleveland Browns were not supposed to be a playoff contender in 2016, but an 0-4 start is never easy for fans to stomach.
The Browns seem to be able to find a new way to lose every week, with turnovers being the main story this week. Two fumbles and an interception, on three consecutive drives, were the difference in Sunday’s game, dropping Cody Kessler‘s career record to 0-2.
The Browns once again looked sharp heading into halftime, and even held a 20-17 lead in the third quarter. Cody Parkey hit his second field goal of the day and seemed to have moved on after his disastrous performance last week, but it was not enough for a victory.
On to the takeaways:
Feed the Crow
Isaiah Crowell is having himself a great start to the 2016 season. He rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries in Sunday’s loss, putting his season total at 274 yards.
While the production was nice, there was no reason why Crowell should have only had 15 carries. It becomes even more frustrating when two separate players fumbled the ball on consecutive drives, when Crowell could have been on the field.
The first fumble came as the Browns were driving down the field in the third quarter, only for a Malcolm Johnson fumble to end a drive that could have put the Browns up 27-17. Instead, the Redskins marched down the field to take a lead that never went away. The second fumble was the fault of Duke Johnson, although his presence on the field is not as questionable as that of Malcolm Johnson.
Hue Jackson needs to give Crowell breaks throughout the game, but there is no reason for the fullback to be getting a handoff in the red zone when he rarely touches the ball throughout the course of any game. Putting Terrelle Pryor in the backfield would be a better option, so hopefully Jackson will learn to put more trust in his best playmakers.
The kicking game was an afterthought
Cody Parkey had a miserable debut as a Brown last week in Miami. His three missed field goals, including a missed game-winning field goal, were enough to call for him to be cut, but the Browns stuck with him and he proved he could move on from the misses, as all great kickers can.
Parkey hit two field goals Sunday and probably could have added one or two more if not for the three second-half turnovers.
A kicker’s name usually only comes up if kicks are missed, so it was nice that the focus was off Parkey in Sunday’s loss.
When will the Browns actually win?
After losing to the Redskins, the Browns now have to prepare for the New England Patriots, who will be bringing Tom Brady to Cleveland next Sunday as he returns from his four-game suspension.
The Patriots will be heavy favorites in the game, going up against the only 0-4 team in the NFL, your Cleveland Browns.
The 0-16 talk started up before the season began, but it is getting much more realistic after the Browns have blown chances to win in the past three games. And with Tom Brady coming to Cleveland next Sunday, an 0-5 start is looking like a near certainty.
The best remaining chance to win may be in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans, although that game is on the road so it won’t be an easy win by any means.
Next: Browns fight hard, lose to Washington
An 0-4 start all but ends any playoff hopes held by the team, so it will be interesting to see how the players respond to this adversity. Hopefully there will be some surprise wins in the next 12 games, but it is not likely after seeing the team’s seemingly inability to hold on to a lead in the first four weeks of the season.