Defensive issues cost Cleveland Browns time of possession, and the game

The Cleveland Browns defense is a problem

Coming into this game, looking at the forecast, both teams knew it was going to be ugly. That said, I think it is safe to say that we did not see it being this ugly. From the Raiders running game in complete domination mode to the refs not being very generous to us, it was all bad.

For the Cleveland Browns, the defense has been an issue all season long. While it seems a bit repetitive at times, it is not beating a dead horse to continue to say that the defense needs major help. While new defensive coordinator Joe Woods has not been impressive, blaming coaching is something I believe we do too often.

The best part of the Browns defense is the front four. Myles Garrett is having a monster year, Sheldon Richardson has been solid, Larry Ogunjobi has been usable, and while Olivier Vernon has been absent all season, we saw him step up today with two sacks. Other than that, it is not too far off to say we have a few good players on defense and that’s it.

Denzel Ward is good, we have known that. Other than that, where do you go? The Browns could replace just about every linebacker and be better off than they are now. Mack Wilson went from promising rookie to sophomore scare. The secondary has been just as bad. Andrew Sendejo has been at the bottom all year long, Ronnie Harrison has too many dropped interceptions, and Karl Joesph has been quiet.

On the offensive side of the ball, Baker Mayfield got zero help while playing a clean game. From the Harrison Bryant fumble to the big David Njoku drop on third down, his help was nowhere to be found. While Jarvis Landry took a big hit late in the game on the pass to the end zone, that ball should have been caught as well.

This Browns team is very questionable 5-3. While their schedule looks pretty generous coming up after the bye, if they want to compete this season, they should be active before the deadline.

Again, it’s okay if it’s just not your day. That said, to lose like this and just get dominated is alarming, and they have a long two weeks ahead of them to figure it out.