Browns lose to Chargers: 5 takeaways from a record-setting day
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns fell to 0-12 on Sunday in what turned into a record-setting day for head coach Hue Jackson. Here are five takeaways from the game.
The Cleveland Browns dropped Sunday’s game to the Los Angeles Chargers by the score of 19-10.
The loss drops the Browns to 0-12 on the season for the second consecutive year, and moves the club one step closer to becoming first NFL’s first 0-16 team since the Detroit Lions in 2008.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Browns on Sunday, however, as the San Francisco 49ers rallied for their second win of the season, giving the Browns a comfortable two-game lead over the 49ers and New York Giants for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Houston Texans also lost again, making their first-round selection, which the Browns own, looking more and more like a lock for the top 10.
Here are five quick takeaways from another frustrating day from the Browns.
Josh Gordon makes his return
In what may have been the most predictable play call, and not in a bad way for a change, quarterback DeShone Kizer targeted Josh Gordon on the Browns first offensive play of the game.
Gordon caught the pass for a nine-yard gain, and would go on to finish the day with four receptions for 85 yards, including a 39-yard catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter. Those four catches were the result of a game-high 11 targets, however, so it may not have been the productive day that Gordon’s fans will have everyone believe.
Having said that, and knowing that some of the misses were because of Kizer’s inaccuracy, but San Diego cornerback Casey Hayward also deserves credit for taking Gordon out of the game.
Gordon’s first game back went about as well as could be expected given that he has been away from the game for three years. The big test will come next week as his body adjusts to being back on the field and opposing defenses keep a close eye on him.
Spencer Drango and Shon Coleman hold up OK
Coming into the game it looked like it was going to be a long day for Cleveland tackles Spencer Drango and Shon Coleman as they were doing to be dealing with Los Angeles defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
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For the most part, however, Drango and Coleman held up pretty well.
Ingram had four tackles and did not come anywhere close to hitting Kizer, while Bosa’s biggest play through the first 55 minutes of the game was a roughing the passer penalty.
Bosa came up big when it mattered, however, as his strip sack of Kizer with the Browns on the Chargers 13-yard line and trailing 19-10 helped seal the win for the Chargers. Bosa was helped by the fact that Kizer held onto the ball forever, but he still made the play and the Browns did not.
Still, Coleman and Drango deserve some credit for holding up pretty well against a pair of the league’s best pass rushers.
DeShone Kizer remains inconsistent
It was another down day as Kizer continues his rookie roller coaster.
This week Kizer was back to missing open receivers, overthrowing others and underthrowing a few, as he finished just 15-of-32 for 215 yards and turned the ball over on consecutive drives late in the fourth quarter.
Kizer has now had seven games where he has completed less than 52 percent of his passes, still holds onto the ball too long, and can’t string together any kind of consistency.
Basically, Kizer is what he is.
The Browns have something at tight end
It was another nice day for tight ends David Njoku and Seth DeValve, who more often than not have been bright spots for the offense.
Njoku finished the game with four receptions (on just six targets) for 74 yards and a touchdown — his fourth of the season. That is the most touchdown receptions by a rookie tight end in franchise history. Not Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome. Not Pro Bowlers Milt Morin or Kellen Winslow. David Njoku has the team record. Think about that the next time someone tells you the front office can’t draft.
DeValve added two catches for 33 yards, giving the two tight ends almost half of the team’s receiving yards on the day.
It may not be much to some, but it is certainly something to build on.
Hue Jackson – record-setting coach
Sunday’s loss dropped the Browns to 1-27 under head coach Hue Jackson, the worst start for a head coach with a team in NFL history.
The NFL started playing games in 1920 and their have been around 500 head coaches since then and not a single one of them did as poorly as Jackson has done with the Browns.
Next: Browns lose to Chargers, fall to 0-12
Take a bow, Hue. It is not every day that you can set a coaching record.