Cleveland Browns make too many mistakes in Week 2 loss to Ravens
The Cleveland Browns turned the ball over five times in a frustrating loss to the Baltimore Ravens to fall to 0-2 on the season.
The Cleveland Browns were not favorites heading into the game against the Baltimore Ravens, meaning they would have to play near perfect to pull out a victory.
They did the opposite.
The Browns turned the ball over five times, with DeShone Kizer throwing three interceptions and fumbling once, while Kevin Hogan had an interception of his own.
Hogan had to come in to relieve Kizer who missed half of the game with migraine issues, and looked decent thanks to the touchdown drive he led. However, his interception at the end of the first half was enough to go back to Kizer once the rookie was ready again.
On paper, the game didn’t seem so bad. The Browns outgained the Ravens on offense and had more first downs. But the five turnovers tell the whole story.
The defense did well considering they were on the field for over 33 minutes and had to respond to constant turnovers. It wasn’t a great performance, but how much better can a group do when the offense is doing whatever it takes to give the game away?
Four interceptions are painful to look back at, which makes the play-calling so frustrating. Yes, the Browns were trailing often, but running backs only combined for 14 carries. Isaiah Crowell had 10 carries for 37 yards, while Duke Johnson had four carries for 21 yards.
The most frustrating situation without a run came when Kizer threw an interception in the end zone early in the fourth quarter. The Browns were trailing 24-10 and still had hope, but Hue Jackson decided to call a quarterback run on first down that went nowhere, followed by a pass play that was thrown to the defense.
The interception is indeed Kizer’s fault, but there was no excuse for not handing the ball off in that situation. Why pay the offensive line so much money if they won’t be put to good use?
Fans expected some rough play from Kizer, although four turnovers may have been too much to forgive. But it’s early, and the upcoming schedule remains relatively easy, so it isn’t time to start the mock drafts just yet.
Hue Jackson is going to come out and place some of the blame upon himself for the loss, but he needs to make a serious effort to change things on offense. This team needs to run the ball more, or else the interceptions will continue as defenses are just dropping into their zones, not having to worry about the potential of a run.
Until some pressure is taken off Kizer, there is little hope for improvement.
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In good news, Rashard Higgins showed up and had 95 receiving yards, although that may be more of a reflection upon the lack of talent in the receiving corps more than anything else.