4 Browns who deserve the blame for blowout loss in playoffs

It was a magical run for the Cleveland Browns who never gave up all year despite having several reasons to throw in the towel. Injuries to Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb should have derailed their campaign but they still found a way to make it to the playoffs with an 11-6 record.

They were unfortunately blown out by the Houston Texans but that doesn't take away from the great work they did. While we have a long offseason to figure out how this team will get better, right now, we'll spend a little more time looking back to their one-game playoff appearance. Here, we look at four Browns who deserve the most blame for the Round 1 defeat.

4. Jerome Ford, RB

On the year, Jerome Ford ended up putting up decent numbers with more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage. Despite that fact, he was inconsistent throughout the year and often spent too much time dancing in the backfield. That was again the case on Saturday. Ford finished with just 17 yards on nine carries and was often unable to make anyone miss.

Cleveland had to abandon the run early when Ford was averaging less than three yards per carry. That was the norm for him as he averaged 4.0 on the season but had nine games with less than three yards per attempt. That means the majority of his numbers came in bunches, including two 69-yard rushes that helped pad those stats.

Ford did play very well in Week 17 against the New York Jets which gave the Browns hope that they could lean on him in the playoffs. That wasn't the case which helped the Texans tee off on the quarterback all day.

3. Greg Newsome, CB

A first-round pick out of Northwestern in 2021, Greg Newsome entered his first career playoff game off a strong campaign. He was ranked 39th at the position according to Pro Football Focus, finishing with 49 tackles and 14 pass defenses. He even recorded the first two interceptions of his career — the first coming against the Baltimore Ravens, helping them knock off the eventual No. 1 seed in the AFC.

In a secondary that includes Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson on the outside, Newsome has spent a lot of time in the slot. He still proved he can play outside as well but then against the Texans, he struggled no matter where he was lined up.

Newsome was beaten early in the game on a third-and-six by Nico Collins. The Houston wideout got past him for a 38-yard gain. Newsome was able to recover on that drive as he broke up a pass to Robert Woods in the end zone, forcing a field goal, but the struggles continued for him after that drive.

Newsome was on the wrong end of a touchdown from Dalton Schultz, who ran right past him. C.J. Stroud hit Schultz in stride, who ran it in or a 37-yard touchdown with Newsome running behind him.

Cleveland has a decision to make on Newsome this offseason. 2024 will be his fourth season in the league and they'll have to make a choice on his fifth-year option. They took the option on Jedrick Wills last year but with Ward and Emerson under contract, there's a belief the Browns might pass on Newsome's.

2. Joe Flacco, QB

In no way is this a knock on Joe Flacco, who has been amazing in 2023. Signed in November, the 38-year-old took over late in the season and started five games. After losing to the Los Angeles Rams in his Cleveland Browns debut, Flacco reeled off four wins in a row. And he wasn't being carried by the defense either.

Flacco threw for more than 300 yards in each of their four wins and finished with 1,616 yards through the air and 13 touchdowns. The one concern, however, was his penchant for turning the ball over. During his five starts, Flacco had eight interceptions. Being a tenured veteran, he knew he couldn't throw the ball to the wrong team in the postseason and survive.

That's what ended up happening though as Flacco threw a pick-six on the first two possessions of the second half. Desperate to make something happen, Flacco and the Cleveland offense was throwing the ball while trailing 24-14 and that playing in Houston's hands.

While trying to escape pressure, Flacco threw a deep pass, although he might have been trying to get out of bounds, which was picked off by Steven Nelson. The safety, who got away with pass interference early in the game, took that one back 82 yards for a touchdown.

With the score now 31-14, the Browns were still trying to make something happen on the next series and Flacco again made a mistake. This time, he locked onto his target and linebacker Christian Harris stepped in front of the pass and went in from 36 yards out.

It was a frustrating way for Flacco to end his time with the Browns. Having said that, they might not have even been able to make it this far without him. Because of that, we'll always look back on Flacco Fever with fondness.

1. Jim Schwartz, Defensive Coordinator

As was the case with Joe Flacco, the Browns shouldn't be upset with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, even though he deserves blame for this loss. Schwartz took over a frustratingly bad defense which unperformed throughout the 2022 season and turned them into winners.

His unit finished first in the NFL in yardage which was a huge jump from their 14th place finish in 2022. They also ended up 10th in scoring (aided by some short fields due to turnovers) compared to 20th. On Saturday, however, they looked like the team Joe Woods coached last year.

Cleveland gave up a 15-yard toucdown to Nico Collins on a four-play, 75-yard drive. They also allowed Brevin Jordan to go 76 yards for a score and no one covered Dalton Schultz when he went in from 36 yards out. It could have been even worse as Nico Collins had a 59-yard touchdown but was overthrown.

Schwartz was the most experienced coach out there on Saturday but he had no answers for the game plan rookie offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik dialed up. They also couldn't stop C.J. Stroud as the rookie quarterback was 16-of-21 for 274 yards with three touchdowns.

To be fair, Schwartz didn't have Grant Delpit or starting middle linebacker Anthony Walker, but it's hard to think that would have made much of a difference on Saturday since the Browns struggled on the road all year to play well on defense. Heading into the offseason, that's where Schwartz needs to focus his energy since winning on the road is a necessity in the playoffs.

More Browns coverage