Week 7 instant reactions: Browns doomed by late penalties
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns played well against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 but the ground game led by Gus Edwards proved to be too much to overcome
The Cleveland Browns suffered yet another heartbreaking loss as they were defeated by three against the Baltimore Ravens.
Cleveland has now dropped four games in a row and is sitting at 2-5 on the year. It’s been a frustrating start, to say the least, and the latest loss means they’re also in a huge hole in the AFC North.
Final. 20. 53. 23. 26
Before this one, the Browns were just one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals and the Ravens in the division but the defeat at the hands of Baltimore— as well as the huge win for Cincinnati against Atlanta — puts them two games back with a loss to one of the leaders. And they have to go against the Bengals next week off a big offensive explosion this week.
Penalties doom the Browns
Down 23-20, Cleveland had a shot to tie it up after Jeremiah Owusu-Koroamoah forced a fumble and got them the ball back. Things got off to a hot start as they moved it to the 34-yard line.
Jacoby Brissett then went deep for Amari Cooper who hauled in what would have been a touchdown — had it not been for an offensive pass interference call on Cooper. That pushed them back to the 44-yard line.
Facing a third-and-12, Brissett scrambled for seven yards to put them in field goal range but a false start — questionable as it was — made it a tough 60-yard kick. Cade York has the leg but it didn’t matter as it was blocked and the Ravens killed enough time that Brissett and the offense had no chance at the end.
Silver lining for Browns despite the loss
After a loss, it’s hard to find much to be happy about but the Browns can still hold their heads high after this one. while they did suffer a defeat, they played very well for the most part on defense and even set the offense up for a shot at the win.
They never allowed Lamar Jackson to completely dominate them as Baltimore had to work hard for every single yard they gained. After having their effort questioned following the loss to New England, it was nice to see some fire on that side of the ball, especially in the clutch.
Passing game looked sharp
All season, teams have dared Brissett to throw the ball and he’s been struggling recently. This weekend, he was good on 21-of-26 attempts for 258 yards and nearly had the winning touchdown.
It wasn’t enough for them to win but it opened up the ground game and since the defense had to respect his arm.
Up Next
Cleveland will head back home for Week 8 as they play the Cincinnati Bengals on Halloween. The Monday Night Football Game will be their latest chance at regaining some ground in the North but things are looking bleak at the moment.
