Cleveland Browns: Studs and duds from Week 15 meltdown
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns completely fell apart in a Week 15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Here is who stood out as studs and duds in their big meltdown.
This was just about the worst thing that could have happened to the Cleveland Browns. Not long after giving head coach Freddie Kitchens a vote of confidence, the front office had to sit back and watch as the rookie head coach was out-schemed by a fellow rookie coach.
Kliff Kingsbury led the Arizona Cardinals to an easy win as they moved to 4-9-1 on the season. Their 38-24 victory knocked the Browns down to 6-8, meaning they will be the only team to finish this decade without a winning record.
More was expected this season out of Cleveland and there will be a lot to dissect as they try and get things corrected. Here, we look simply at this one loss and select the studs and duds from the Week 15 meltdown.
Notable Omission: Cleveland safeties
Damarious Randall was flagged for a pass inference after originally looking to have stopped Christian Kirk on third down. The Cards threw a challenge flag though, and the officials agreed he did interfere with the receiver.
Had Randall gotten the stop, they could have held them to a field goal. The flag allowed Arizona to run in a one-yard score and make it 28-17.
That was the second gaffe by a Cleveland safety. Earlier in the game, rookie Sheldrick Redwine was ineffective in coverage on Dan Arnold.
The backup tight end made a six-yard touchdown grab with Redwine looking lost on the play. He may have thought Arnold was out of bounds but still, he needed to at least make an effort on the ball and he clearly didn’t.