Cleveland Browns Week 6 failing grades not the mark of playoff team
By John Suchan
The Cleveland Browns continue their downward spiral as they get crushed by the Arizona Cardinals and don’t look like a team preparing for a playoff run
After the game was over between the Cleveland Browns and the Arizona Cardinals in which the Cardinals crushed the Browns 37-14, it was easy to make the call on the grades that each unit of the team earned. The Browns have been projected to be a challenger for a Super Bowl run since the start of the season.
After the team finished last season going 11-5 and winning a playoff game, much was anticipated.
Following their early season loss out in Kansas City against the Chiefs, Cleveland seemed to get it back on track in winning their next three games, but that roll has come to a swift halt in the last two weeks. Now, many that support the team are shaking their heads and questioning what exactly this team is this season.
The idea of progress for the Browns comes up a lot if you are a fan of this team. Before last season, and the arrival of coach Kevin Stefanski, fans would look at progress in terms of winning four games rather than three in a season. Then Stefanski came in and the team blew practically every record and statistic out of the water as they rolled through the season.
That honeymoon for Stefanski is over, and like anyone in a relationship knows, it takes time and practice to get things consistently moving forward. Right now, it seems there are so many issues with this relationship that you’re not quite sure how it’s going to work out.
In the meantime let’s look a bit closer at each part of the team. Let’s start with the only bright spot on the team with our special teams.
Special Teams Grade: B
They were the only part of the team that stayed away from making major mistakes and didn’t hurt the team’s chances in the game. Jamie Gillan had two nice punts over 50 yards.
It’s been reported the Browns might be looking at giving Gillan some competition this week by bringing some other potential punters in for a tryout. On Sunday, Gillan certainly looked more confident in his punts. Anthony Schwartz and Demetric Felton both took back a few punts and kickoffs and had some nice yardage on their returns. Scwhartz had one kickoff return for 35 yards which was nice to see. When will we see one run back this season?
Placekicker Chase McLaughlin continues his very nice season, knocking through two extra points. The Browns had a couple of opportunities for field goals, but they chose to go for plays on 4th down and lost opportunities at more points. This subject on the 4th downs will be discussed in our offense grade details in a moment.