Special Teams Cost Browns in New York, Lose to Jets 27-20: Game Notes
They continue to find the worst ways to amaze us each and every week.
Kevin Stefanski: “We’re going to win as a team. We’re going to lose as a team. So we’ll all own that, including myself.”
Here we are once again. The same script. Different week. The Browns went into New York aiming to get back on track with winning football and left in even worse shape then when they arrived. Largely due to two special teams blunders the Browns somehow pulled out another one of those incomprehensible losses.
“Since 1950, teams had been 225-0 when holding opponents to 175 or fewer yards and not turning the ball over. The Browns were the first team to lose in that span, per ESPN Research”
The defense did their part on the day outside of one long screen pass in the early 4th quarter, and the offense has moments in the game where they found traction but it was the two 1st quarter special teams touchdown the Browns allowed that did them in. The first was a 99-yard kickoff return by Kene Nwangwu where he went basically untouched up the right sideline and then the next special teams snap was a punt where the Browns allowed Isaiah Williams to scamper 74 yards for the touchdown also basically untouched.
Stefanski noted the issues with special teams and penalties after the game. “Listen, we’ll win as a team and lose as a team, it’s never going to be about one play but bottom line is we have to play smart. That’s the key to winning and losing.” The Browns cost themselves one final chance to get the ball back down 27-20 due to a defensive holding and then jumping offside on 3rd and 4.
The whole operation appears lost on how to reach the team goal and morale is at a very dangerous low point. Myles Garrett on the subject following the game. “Frustration is frustration. You try your best not to point fingers....we just got to be better.”
Kevin Stefanski has vowed to keep starting Dillon Gabriel for now and it remains a worthy situation to monitor closely as Shedeur Sanders gets healthier. The seat for Stefanski and the staff continues to be scalding hot and today only amplified the temperature. Bottom line is they just are not getting the job done. The losing culture infected the team last year and has stuck around through a second straight season.
Here are the Week 10 Game Notes.
Despite a poor showing on the first possession, Tommy Rees and the offense got moving for a 60-yard touchdown drive on the second possession and did some positive things on the day. I liked his gameplan from first watch more than I have any from the Browns since Week 1. It felt like he was intentional about moving Dillon Gabriel around off play-action and getting him off the single pocket spot and they also built on successful concepts from earlier in the game.
It’s a tough watch for Gabriel still. He took six sacks on the day, although not all his own, there were plenty to feel as though he worked into them or failed to throw with the necessary anticipation. He completed 17-32 on the day for 167 yards and two touchdowns but once again left too many throws/reads on the field. Par for the course for the rookie but it remains interesting he is the unquestioned starter based on these outcomes. He did use his legs more in this one which was a welcome outcome.
Quinshon Judkins ran the ball 22 times for 75 yards and it felt like he earned each and every yard. Not many of them were on wide open rushing lanes and he is proving his ability to play with pace and tempo is allowing defenses to unfold and he bursts through those small openings. Outside of Judkins you had one carry for Jerome Ford and two for Dylan Sampson for a total of -3 yards.
The Malachi Corley “extension of the run game” is something the Browns have to keep leaning into as he’s a tough runner in space and works well laterally to then climb vertical. He had two touches on the day for 32 rushing yards. HE might be their second-leading rusher soon at this pace.
Jerry Jeudy finally put forth a strong game hauling-in six of his 12 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. When he gets involved early he ends up a far more effective player across the game. He made some touch catches in the rain including this return route where he fought through the coverage for the touchdown catch on a ball that held up forever.
It was a quiet rest of the day for the other receiver as Cedric Tillman had just 11 yards on two catches and no other receiver had a catch. The Browns lived in 12 personnel for most of the afternoon.
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