The Cleveland Browns have been winning ugly all season, but the magic finally ran out at rainy MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
A special teams disaster led to yet another deficit late in the fourth quarter, and Deshaun Watson and company came up short on their last-ditch attempts at a fourth consecutive comeback victory in a 17-12 loss to the New York Jets.
The Browns dropped to 3-2 and actually blew a fourth-quarter lead in this one. Watson floated a 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie Denzel Boston for a 12-10 lead with 6:15 remaining, but Cleveland couldn’t finish. The Jets improved to 2-3.
Here are nine immediate reactions to a disappointing result for Todd Monken’s Browns.
Cleveland's biggest flaws finally caught up with them in a game they should've won
1. Cleveland had all week to prepare for the rainy conditions, and the results were disappointing — especially on special teams. The Browns lost 30 yards of field position late in the fourth quarter on a high snap by Rex Sunahara that went through punter Cory Bojorquez’s hands. Andre Szmyt also missed his first extra point in the fourth quarter after entering the game perfect on all of his attempts (including field goals).
2. The Browns lost rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion in the first half to a head injury. He took a scary helmet-to-helmet shot from Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who will likely be getting a hefty fine from the NFL next week. Fitzpatrick had two 15-yard penalties called on him during the same drive, including a facemask — which was also while tackling Concepcion.
3. Concepcion’s injury highlights the importance of Cleveland’s wide receiver depth. Isaiah Bond saw a major uptick in playing time after Concepcion left the game and ended up leading all Browns receivers with 74 yards. Bond played 43 offensive snaps. Jerry Jeudy, the subject of much trade speculation, had just three catches for 19 yards.
4. The Browns’ lack of a running game crushed them in a game played in heavy rain. The Browns attempted more passes with Deshaun Watson (33) than overall rushing attempts (24). Quinshon Judkins was held to 44 scoreless yards and 3.1 yards per carry. This was the week for Cleveland to establish its dormant rushing attack, and that attack remains futile through five weeks.
5. The play of Adin Huntington has been a positive development. The defensive tackle looks like an undrafted gem by Andrew Berry and company. Huntington had a sack for the second straight game, added six total tackles, and recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter. With both Mason Graham and Mike Hall Jr. out, the Browns got strong production up front from both Huntington and veteran Maliek Collins.
6. The Browns struggled with Jets wideout Garrett Wilson. He had three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown on the game’s first drive and finished with over 100 receiving yards total. Cleveland had been excellent against opposing No. 1 wideouts, but that streak ended as well on Sunday.
7. Quincy Williams was Cleveland’s defensive star of the game. He forced three fumbles, including one inside the Browns 10-yard line that was recovered by safety Ronnie Hickman for a big turnover in the first half. Williams also had seven solo tackles, a pass breakup, and a tackle for loss. The speedy inside linebacker was all over the field for Mike Rutenberg’s defense.
8. On the injury front, right tackle Tytus Howard was in and out of the lineup with a knee injury. Cleveland also lost No. 2 running back Raheim Sanders to a hip issue. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger paid a visit to the blue medical tent, but he returned to the field and had a strip-sack on quarterback Geno Smith with under 5 minutes remaining.
9. There was no magic on Cleveland's final drive. Watson and the Browns went four-and-out after getting the football back down five with 1:41 remaining and no timeouts. Watson was sacked and fumbled the ball while scrambling on fourth-and-11, which ended the game.
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