During the Cleveland Browns’ Week 3 win over the Carolina Panthers, there was a moment late in the game where Browns head coach Todd Monken made a decision that could’ve cost his team the game. Cleveland was leading the game 21-18 with 1:05 left in the fourth quarter, and the offense faced a 4th-and-1 from the Carolina 15-yard line.
The Browns could have easily kicked a field goal, putting them up six points, which would’ve forced the Panthers to try for a touchdown with a minute left in the game. The other option was to go for it on fourth down. If the Browns converted, they would be able to kneel out the clock. If they failed to convert, Carolina would get the ball, only needing a field goal to force overtime.
Cleveland chose the aggressive option, attempting to pick up the first down and end the game right there. Unfortunately, the Browns were stuffed on a fourth-down run, and they gave the ball back to the Panthers. Ultimately, though, everything worked out for Cleveland, because the defense was able to intercept Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and secure the victory.
That’s the good side of the coin, though. There was a possibility that Carolina got in field goal range, forced overtime, and escaped the game with a win. If that happened, Todd Monken would’ve faced a ton of criticism for not taking the field goal, and essentially costing his team a win.
Monken talked about his decision after the game, and said it was fifty-fifty. The coach spent more time talking about what the offense did wrong on second and third down, and also praising the defense, than he did detailing what went into his decision.
While Monken didn’t explicitly say it, his decision to go for the fourth-down conversion was a challenge to his team. It was a challenge to his offensive line to go get one yard and end the game, and it was a challenge to the defense to come up big if the offense fell short.
These types of challenges have become a pattern for Monken in his young tenure as the Browns head coach, and it shows what kind of team he’s demanding Cleveland to be.
Browns are quickly establishing a new identity under Todd Monken
Going back to Week 1, Monken’s first game as an NFL head coach, there was an overlooked moment that quickly revealed the kind of coach that Monken is. In the second quarter of Cleveland’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion caught a quick screen, but fumbled the ball as he tried to maneuver his way up the field.
The Jaguars recovered the fumble, and their offense punched in a touchdown five plays later. So what did the Browns do when they got back on offense? Go right back to Concepcion. Monken, the offensive play caller, called a jet sweep to Concepcion on the team’s first offensive play after the fumble.
The head coach sent a message of trust to his young team, and that also comes with an expectation to deliver. That was the case when Cleveland won the coin toss in the first two games, and elected to receive, putting pressure on the offense to score. The same can be said for everything that Monken has said about Deshaun Watson. The head coach routinely talked up his veteran quarterback, and set a clear expectation for him to play winning football.
With Monken as the team’s head coach, it’s clear that he’s going to build his players up and put all his belief in them. That also means that he’s going to challenge his team by putting them in make-or-break situations where they have to deliver. Browns players have done their part in the last two weeks, and Cleveland is 2-1 as a result.
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