Cleveland Browns: All duds, no studs in humiliating loss to New England Patriots
Week 10 of the season was not a good one for the Cleveland Browns, as they failed to perform in every category in a humiliating 45-7 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Cleveland Browns came into Week 10 of the season having defeated an AFC North foe and state-sharing Cincinnati Bengals. After having little to no trouble in that game, many were hoping that the roller-coaster season that had happened through the first half of the season would finally start to stay on the rise.
After Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, however, it’s clear that there is plenty of downs left in this season for this team. Many thought that the drama of having Odell Beckham Jr. off of the team would push this team towards a positive light for the remainder of the year. Due to a lack of execution, proper game-planning, and just being plain outcoached, the Browns instead find themselves looking in the mirror again, searching for answers on how to right the ship.
The only real positive thing that can be said for this game is running back D’ernest Johnson’s performance, where he gained 99 yards on 19 carries. His explosive first quarter set Cleveland up in excellent position for their first and only touchdown of the day. Following that drive, however, it was nothing but negativity, it seemed, for the inconsistent Browns.
While the highlight of the entire team, Johnson’s performance wasn’t enough to make him a stud this week. Instead, this list contains nothing but duds, which seems fitting for how much of a dud the entire team played overall. Here are the duds that stood out and are the biggest reason the Browns got blown out on Sunday.
Cleveland Browns dud: Offensive line performance
The offensive line for the Cleveland Browns just saw two players receive a big payday within the last week, with guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller agreeing to three-year and four-year extensions, respectively. This is due to the week-in and week-out quality play from the offensive line, who always create holes for whoever is in the backfield at running back.
However, on Sunday afternoon, the Browns offensive line didn’t do their part in the pass-blocking game, allowing the Patriots defense to get five sacks on the day. They also allowed consistent pressure on passing plays, including one that saw Patriots pass rusher Matthew Judon run unblocked into the backfield and injure quarterback Baker Mayfield.
While they opened up plenty of holes for Johnson to run through on the day, their pass-blocking woes really hurt the team on Sunday. Not all sacks are on the offensive line, nor are all pressures on the quarterback. The Browns offensive line deserves some criticism for their play on Sunday afternoon, though. They may not be the main reason the team lost, but they certainly didn’t help put them in a position to win.