Cleveland Browns: Grades from the horrendous loss to the Bengals
Quarterback: F
It was nice to have Robert Griffin III back, until the game actually started. While he provided mobility that the position has not brought the Browns in ages, he also showed a great deal of rust.
This was evident in his final stats, miserable in so many ways. Completing just 12 of 28 pass attempts, Griffin threw for 104 yards. He also threw an interception on a flea flicker play in which he decided to throw the ball into triple coverage.
On the ground, Griffin proved to be a much different quarterback. Trying to revive a career built on escape ability, the 26-year-old carried the ball seven times for 31 yards and a touchdown.
But more indicative of his performance than any individual stat was Griffin’s failure to put the ball on wide open receivers on multiple occasions. Missing receivers in the flat and over the middle, his 16 incompletions are not all a credit to strong defense. In fact, most came as a result of a combination of inaccuracy and drops. It was a very sloppy afternoon in this regard.
Of course, Griffin wasn’t put in the most ideal situations. Field position set up the former Baylor Bear to fail. But he himself was the one who followed through, and failed.