Cleveland Browns: Isaiah Crowell gets five carries in quest for 1,000 yards

The Cleveland Browns had some success in the running game in Sunday’s loss, but Isaiah Crowell had a painfully low number of carries.

Isaiah Crowell provided Cleveland Browns fans with the best play of Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Browns had the ball on their own 4-yard line before Crowell burst through the defense for 59 yards. The run set up a touchdown run for Duke Johnson, giving the Browns a 7-3 lead with 8:12 remaining in the second quarter.

Crowell would not receive another carry in the game.

For some reason, Hue Jackson decided to ice out Crowell for the remainder of the game, even though the running back had 72 yards on five carries. Yes, 59 of those came on one play, but that is what running backs do. They break off big plays and continuing to give the guy the ball means another big run could happen at any point.

But Jackson decided to have DeShone Kizer throw 37 passes, two of which were thrown to Ravens defenders.

Crowell now enters Week 16 with 788 rushing yards on the season, which realistically means he could reach the 1,000-yard mark this season. Perhaps if he played for any other team.

The fact Crowell only received five carries shows that Jackson is a major reason why this offense is as bad as it is. He makes his rookie quarterback, whose confidence is already shattered, continue to drop back and make mistakes.

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Just think to when Kizer was sacked and stripped in the end zone, leading to a Ravens touchdown. Crowell already had a monster run from a similar position on the field, but Jackson must have forgotten.

That play came midway through the third quarter when the Browns only trailed by a touchdown.

Only on the Browns do you see an inexperienced quarterback drop back in risky situations when a simple run would suffice, especially when the back is having a good day.

It makes zero sense and this has to say something to John Dorsey who is going to bring in a big draft class in 2018, likely including a quarterback with that top pick. How can he trust Jackson, who has already ruined Kizer?

Five carries is unacceptable and unfortunately for Crowell, it means he will likely fall under the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth straight season, while also finishing with under 200 carries once again.

Next: Talking doom and 0-14 in the DPD Podcast

Only in Cleveland does an 0-14 team refuse to run the ball.

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