Cleveland Browns: All duds, no studs in humiliating loss to New England Patriots
Cleveland Browns dud: Third-down offense
The Cleveland Browns struggled on third-down conversions against the New England Patriots. While they’ve converted at a 40 percent rate going into Week 10, putting them right in the middle of the league in conversion percentage, they went 1-for-11 on Sunday, equaling a nine percent success rate.
Most of the struggles on third down occurred because of poor execution on first and second down plays. The Browns found themselves in third-and-long situations more often than not on Sunday, and that plays directly into their inability to convert at a higher rate.
The lack of a true threat at receiver also plays a large role in this. When your best receiver can only run five-yard routes, he’s no better than a skinny tight end. Until the Browns find a true playmaker on the outside, a true upgrade over one named Jarvis Landry that scares opponents with an ability to get open on deeper routes, converting on anything more than third-and-five situations will be a struggle.
Cleveland Browns dud: Third-down defense
The Browns defense also had their share of issues on third-down. They allowed the Patriots to convert on seven-of-nine third-down conversions and allowed them to get each of their first seven of the game. It wasn’t until the game was well out of reach that the Browns defense was able to make a stop on third down.
One of the reasons the defense struggled so much on third-down is because they were on the field so much. With the Browns offense unable to sustain drives, the defense wasn’t able to get much rest. Yes, the defense was out of position on several plays, and there were some bad play calls on that side of the ball, but with a tired defense, it’s even harder to make plays that you should make.
If the Browns offense continues to struggle to move the ball and leaves their defense on the field, you can expect to see more poor performances like this. The two sides of the ball have to work hand-in-hand to execute better because when they don’t, you have outcomes like you saw on Sunday afternoon.