Cleveland Browns 2021 Season: The good, the bad, and the ugly
By Greg Newland
The Cleveland Browns have two games remaining but have been eliminated from the 2021 playoff picture. There’s more bad than good from this season, but let’s reflect.
I know the 2021 season isn’t over for the Cleveland Browns, but after being eliminated from the playoff race on Sunday, it’s hard to stay motivated as a fan. This isn’t some fair-weather fan take either, as I have watched nearly every second of the Browns games since their return in 1999, which includes almost every snap of the 0-16 season in 2017.
Six years ago, most of us would have killed to be 7-8 with a chance to finish over 500, but after making the playoffs last year and so much after rebuilding the roster, it’s hard to call this season anything more than a disaster.
The Browns lost six games by less than one score, and three of those should have easily been wins. Honestly, I’m sandbagging now, you should have at least won five of those. You just needed a first down vs. the Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders to seal the deal.
Injuries continued to be horrific, especially on the offensive line. Jedrick Wills was injured early in the season, and honestly, I’m hoping that ankle is still holding him back because he has struggled. The other tackle, Jack Conklin also missed a ton of games with a season-ending injury. Let’s not forget the sixth man, Chris Hubbard, who barely got any action before getting hurt.
COVID19 is another misfortune. It seemed like every week the Brown was without someone, but they also had the devastating hit the forced a reschedule and the team to be without eight-plus starters. That was the Raiders game, which looking back was a pretty big deal
The season isn’t over, but I’m ready to prepare for 2022, so here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the 2021 season.