After a disastrous loss on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns have a short week to get rid of the feeling. These 3 items will need to be cleaned up if they want to win.
If you are reading this, you’re more than aware of what happened to the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. It’s easy to cheer that the entire AFC North lost so it doesn’t matter, but the Browns missed a golden opportunity. If you play that scenario out 100 times, the Browns win 99 of them.
There’s plenty of blame to go around, Nick Chubb shouldn’t have scored, Cade York should have made the extra point, and the defense certainly should have given more resistance than a wet paper bag. The past is the past and it’s time to move on.
This week now becomes a pivotal moment in the season. Another winnable game at home vs. a division rival. The Browns could come out and lay an egg or could come out guns blazing and really play well. I wouldn’t be shocked by either type of performance.
Players lost the game last week, but how this team comes out on Thursday night will be a lot of coaching. Can Kevin Stefanski and the staff work through the mental chaos of last week and get ready for the biggest game of the year so far? Here are three areas the Browns will have to improve on if they want to win Thursday night.
Where Cleveland Browns need to improve
No. 3: Pass Rush
Not only was zero pass rush a killer at the end of the game on Sunday, but the Cleveland Browns will also be without Jadeveon Clowney and Chase Winovich on Thursday night. Myles Garrett continues to cause a lot of problems, but he just got too tired to close out the game.
Guys like Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas are going to see a lot of snaps and have a real chance to make a name for themselves. Mitch Trubisky and the Steelers offense have struggled all season, but they could catch fire quickly with a little momentum and no pass rush.
So far this season we have seen hardly any blitzes from Joe Woods as well. To keep Trubisky on his toes, expect to see a few more pressures from the edge with blitzing safeties and linebackers.
No. 2: All of Special Teams
It’s really easy to blame Cade York for Sunday. After saving the Browns with a game-winner the prior week, he missed a crucial extra point that could have at least forced overtime. Truthfully, I’m not sure I would have wanted to watch any more of that game so he may have done us a favor.
But if you look at the tape, there was a ton of pressure off the left side on that point after attempt (PAT). You could argue if he wouldn’t have pushed it right, it would have been blocked. Either way, the pressure certainly caused him to rush. It was a great learning experience and hopefully, it will only make him better.
But I have a bone to pick with all special teams. First, Cleveland seemed to give up more return yards on punts and kickoffs than any team in the NFL. At this point, I want them to kick it through the endzone at any chance possible just to avoid a return.
Additionally, our return game has been dreadful. Jerome Ford showed a little promise on kickoffs, but if I never saw Demetric Felton in a Browns uniform again, that would be just fine. Catching punts isn’t easy, but there has to be someone better on this roster. Just tell them to fair catch everything and make sure they catch it, that would be one step better than what they are getting from Felton now.
Last but not least, catch the stinking onside kick. You almost never see a team successful with all the new rules, yet it seems to happen to the Browns every single year. Amari Cooper has to be more aggressive to get to the ball, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah can’t just run away from it and try to hit someone.
It’s going to take a team effort to beat the Steelers, and the special teams play is going to have to be much better.
No. 1: Secondary Communication
I’m not sure this even needs to be said out loud at this point, but the biggest thing that needs to be cleaned up for Thursday night is the secondary communication. Not only did they give up another long touchdown pass at the end of the game to let a team back in it, but they also were soft in coverage all day making things look easy for Joe Flacco.
I’ll also throw in here, that tackling (especially from the corners) needs to be better as well. Every time a run gets funneled outside it’s a bit of a crapshoot on if they are going to be able to make the tackle or find a way to get out of the play.
After two weeks of poor play, it’s time to figure it out for this secondary. The pressure is real and that makes it easier to overthink everything. Expect Joe Woods to simplify the calls in the huddle and not disguise coverage as much.
The soft zone coverage from yesterday made me feel like I was watching the 2015 Browns who just tried to slow the bleeding on defense from getting beat by 50 every game. This offense was lights out and was even methodical with the ball to give the defense a break, yet the secondary constantly gave up big plays.
If you take a few drops away yesterday from the Jets, Flacco may have put up 350 passing yards and another touchdown on this secondary.