The Cleveland Browns will officially have a losing season, after picking up their ninth loss on Sunday, falling to the San Francisco 49ers 26-8. The 49ers, now 9-4, were always going to be a challenging opponent for Cleveland, but the Browns didn’t help themselves out on Sunday. The team had far too many costly mistakes, assisting the 49ers in their victory.
The most notable mistakes were by Cleveland’s special teams. The Browns gave up a 66-yard punt return, which set San Francisco up for an easy score, and that was just the first of several problematic special teams moments. In the third quarter, Malachi Corley stepped out of bounds at the five-yard line on a kickoff return, backing Cleveland’s offense up. A series later, Gage Larvadain muffed a punt, giving the ball to San Francisco in the red zone.
Unfortunately, special teams blunders like those have become a theme for the Browns. It’s a big reason why the Browns are 3-9, and also why special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone is on the hot seat.
Special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone is on the hot seat for Browns
Ventrone, who spent time with Cleveland as a player, was once viewed as a top special teams coordinator in the NFL. However, joining the Browns as a coach in 2023, things haven’t been going that well as of late. Cleveland’s special teams has hurt the team all year, and that’s why fans have been calling for the team to move on from Ventrone. After Sunday’s game, it seems like a forgone conclusion.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski, who has defended Ventrone all season, did so again on Sunday. He expressed that Cleveland’s staff just needs to keep coaching its guys, and that Sunday was just an example of some young guys making some young mistakes. While that’s true, and while the weather can also be blamed as a factor, the reality is Sunday wasn’t a one-off.
Eventually, someone will have to answer for the special teams’ poor play, and that someone will be Bubba Ventrone. The team may not move on from the coordinator during the season, but if the group continues to look how it has all year, moving on from Ventrone will be inevitable.