Browns: Offensive numbers reveal a major mess
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns continue to sit at the bottom of the weekly power rankings, thanks to a woeful offense under head coach Hue Jackson.
The offensive numbers are staggering when it comes to the Cleveland Browns.
Through eight weeks of the NFL season and 24 games in head coach Hue Jackson’s system, the Browns are:
- Thirty-first in the league in points at 14.9 per game.
- Twenty-sixth in the league in yards at 301.2 per game.
- Thirty-second in third-down conversion at 29 percent.
- Fourth highest in penalties with 63.
- Thirty-second in turnover margin at minus-12.
- Thirty-second in quarterback rating at 56.1
- And the biggest: a 1-23 record since the start of the 2016 regular season.
Quarterback whisperer indeed.
Let’s roll into the weekly power rankings, where the Browns continue to be securely ensconced at the bottom of the pile.
ESPN:
"No. 32 (no change): “Dimanchophobia” is the fear of Sunday. The Browns must have a serious case of it, because they’ve lost 25 straight games played on Sunday, which, according to Elias Sports Bureau, is tied for the longest Sunday losing streak in NFL history (1976-77 Buccaneers). The Browns’ remaining eight games are all Sunday games. (Pittsburgh No. 4, Cincinnati No. 20, Baltimore No. 23)"
"No. 32 (no change): Us there any reason to think they won’t be in this spot at the end of the season? They just aren’t good enough to win right now. (Pittsburgh No. 3, Baltimore No. 14, Cincinnati No. 23)"
"No. 32 (no change): If you were up early and watched the Browns lose to the Vikings, it seemed like progress. They were competitive for a while. And they still lost by 17 points. The Browns have trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter of seven of their eight games. (Pittsburgh No. 4, Baltimore No. 19, Cincinnati No. 23)"
"No. 32 (no change): Can’t buy a win — or, going by what happened Sunday, a decent second-half performance, either. DeShone Kizer went the whole way at quarterback, which was refreshing. The bigger issue: He averaged 5.3 yards per attempt. The run game, however, was effective — when the game situation allowed for it. This was especially true early on, with Isaiah Crowell getting the good guys on the board first. Unfortunately, the fumbles — including Crowell’s — stung. Cleveland isn’t at the point where it can lose the turnover battle and win games. Next up: the bye. Can’t lose that one. (Pittsburgh No. 3, Baltimore No. 20, Cincinnati No. 24)"
Next: Browns: A rough start to the bye week
The Browns are on a bye this week, so barring some huge debacle in San Francisco this weekend, the Browns should stay safely right where they are.