Cleveland Browns: 3 takeaways on offense from the loss in Detroit

The Browns ran all over the Lions, until they didn’t

It took the Browns eight weeks and 13 days away from real game action to bring out the rushing attack we thought we were going to get from the start of the season.

Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson rushed for a combined 26 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. The Browns imposed their will on the Lions through three quarters, even completing an eight-play, 85-yard drive with 70 of those yards coming on the ground.

DeShone Kizer flashed his mobility with a mix of designed runs and scrambles resulting in seven attempts for 57 yards. He had scrambles of 20 and 18 yards, the former a part of a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, and the latter leading to the infamous pre-halftime debacle.

Notice in the first paragraph that I said three quarters.

The third quarter ended with Kizer leaving the game with injured ribs and Cody Kessler coming in with 11 seconds remaining. Kessler was sacked on third-and-11. The game was tied at 24-24.

The Lions took the lead with a solid nine-play touchdown drive capped off with Eric Ebron beating Derrick Kindred down the sideline for a 29-yard score, making the game 31-24.

With their backup quarterback in the game, Hue Jackson took it upon himself to completely abandon the run in the fourth quarter, running just one time in the quarter. That came on a second-and-21 after an 11-yard sack on Kessler to start the drive.

There were 10-plus minutes left in the game when the Browns took over and with only a seven-point deficit, the decision to not run the ball is completely baffling. Teams can score the ball moving it on the ground. The Browns even did it themselves earlier in that same second half.

Abandoning the run is one thing, but the kicker is that Hue Jackson forced Cody Kessler to drop back six times with the Browns down only seven. Hue should have run it at least four of those six times to try to move the chains and limit Kessler’s opportunities to throw.

Instead, he was sacked three times for a loss of 22 yards setting up quick three-and-outs and good field position for the Lions to extend their lead.

Yes, Kizer being knocked out of the game was a blow to the entire offense. But Hue Jackson did the team no favors by not sticking with what got them there. The sad part is, is that this isn’t the first time Hue Jackson has done this.