Browns vs. Ravens: Full Report Card Grades for Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns jumped out to a 20-0 lead over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Baltimore then out-scored the Browns 25-0 to rally from behind and win in Cleveland.
Even the most cynical individual has to feel somewhat sorry for Browns fans.
The Browns deserve credit for coming out of the tunnel with fire and a desire to win the home opener. Cleveland's offense looked like a different unit with veteran quarterback Josh McCown starting in place of the injured Robert Griffin III. The defense of the Browns smothered the Baltimore offense in the first quarter.
Everything changed, however, when the Ravens blocked an extra point and then returned it the other way to the house for two points.
No one play cost the Browns a win over their division rivals. A team lacking talent on offense and defense merely made too many costly miscues against a gritty Baltimore team that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the second straight weekend. Cleveland fans nevertheless have multiple reasons to be hopeful about the team's future.
That future, unfortunately, remains difficult to see even with binoculars.
Quarterback
1 of 10
McCown is currently a better quarterback than Griffin III. That's not a hot take, nor is it a matter of opinion. The offense of the Browns looked like one actually capable of competing against NFL defenses with McCown under center.
The 37-year-old is hardly a perfect product. He occasionally throws passes into double coverage that cause fans to scream at their televisions. He sometimes forces passes when no window exists. He consistently matches touchdowns with interceptions.
But McCown proved he is tough as nails against the Ravens.
He took a beating early and often while in the pocket, and he suffered an injury to his left shoulder early in the game. He fought on, however, not missing a single offensive snap en route to completing 20 of 33 attempts for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns. McCown also threw two interceptions, the first of which occurred late in the first half and would have been avoided had he fired the ball out of play.
We don't know yet if McCown will be ready to go next week. Per Hayden Grove of Cleveland.com, head coach Hue Jackson told reporters after the game he isn't sure about McCown's status for the upcoming week. The Browns will need to sign a QB as soon as Monday, as rookie Cody Kessler probably shouldn't see the field during a game anytime soon.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
Browns fans were flying high when running back Isaiah Crowell sprinted 85 yards down the field for a score that put Cleveland up 14-0 with 6:47 left to play in the first half. Crowell rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and he left no doubt that he, and not Duke Johnson, is the lead RB in the Cleveland offense.
Johnson, meanwhile, was again largely invisible. After earning a handful of touches in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson received three carries against the Ravens. He also caught four passes.
The only real complaint here is that Crowell didn't receive more carries in the final three quarters. He was running hard and finding holes in the Baltimore defense. He should have ended the day with no fewer than 25 carries when all was said and done.
The Browns, to steal the phrase, needed to feed the Crow more often.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
One cannot adequately discuss this game without mentioning the taunting penalty called on Terrelle Pryor during Cleveland's final drive. The Browns would have had possession at the Baltimore 10-yard line with 27 seconds left in the game, but Pryor's alleged foul coupled with a defensive holding infraction erased the play.
Cleveland fans upset with this call would do well to remember replays appeared to show the toes of Corey Coleman were out of the end zone when he caught a 31-yard pass for the first touchdown of the game. These things tend to even out.
Coleman had himself a day playing alongside McCown. The rookie played like a superstar in the making, stretching the field on multiple occasions and finishing the contest with a pair of touchdowns and 104 receiving yards on five catches. Unfortunately, Coleman may be playing with a third different QB in three weeks if McCown is unable to play next Sunday.
The Browns need more from tight end Gary Barnidge. Barnidge, who registered a pair of drops and zero catches last week, caught four passes for 37 yards against Baltimore.
Pryor, meanwhile, finished the afternoon with three catches for 32 receiving yards.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
4 of 10
The stats say Baltimore sacked McCown three times and registered a total of eight hits on the quarterback. Watching the game, it seemed as if the Ravens hit McCown at least 20 times.
Center Cam Erving had yet another day to forget. The Cleveland offense was prepared to run a play on fourth down at the Baltimore 36-yard line in the second quarter until Erving jumped early. That penalty pushed the Browns back five yards and turned the situation into 4th-and-7, and Cleveland elected to punt.
Erving then seemed to injure himself on a strange play in the fourth quarter. He whiffed while attempting to make a block and then dove head-first into the turf. He eventually left the stadium in an ambulance, and the Browns announced via Twitter he was "experiencing cramps" and also dealing with "discomfort in his chest and ribs."
McCown not lasting even a single quarter without picking up a knock is the big story regarding the Cleveland offensive line. Cody Kessler may want to "get the flu" next Sunday morning just in case.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Cleveland's young defensive line will make opposing offensive coordinators sweat during planning sessions if the unit continues to play as well as it did in the opening eight quarters of the season.
Second-year Danny Shelton played arguably his best game as a member of the Browns, accumulating eight tackles in the loss. Rookie Carl Nassib seemed on his way to having another stellar outing in the first quarter, but he was slowed by a hand injury and failed to register a single tackle. The Browns need Nassib healthy and available as soon as possible.
It felt as if every part of the Cleveland defense, including the defensive line, remained in the locker room when the Ravens drove right down the field for a quick touchdown to begin the second half. Baltimore finished that drive in under three minutes, and Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco needed only three complete passes to cut Cleveland's lead to a single point only about three minutes into the third quarter.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Cleveland defense as a whole played well throughout the first half. The defensive line and the team's linebackers prevented Baltimore running backs from generating any real momentum during the game. Former Cleveland RB Terrance West rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries. Justin Forsett added 37 yards on 14 runs.
Demario Davis made several noteworthy stops. He blew up a potential screen pass in the backfield, he registered a hit on Flacco and he stopped Forsett on a fourth down. Davis led all Cleveland defensive players with nine tackles.
Christian Kirksey made seven tackles, and he nearly brought Flacco down for a sack. While Kirksey was one of five players to register hits on Flacco, Cleveland failed to notch a single sack in the loss. For the second straight week, observers learned the secondary of the Browns as a whole is not good enough to save the defense when the pass rush isn't consistently hassling a confident quarterback.
Cleveland linebackers must be better than solid in future games.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Cornerback Joe Haden quieted critics for at least one week.
Haden played better against the Ravens than he did at any point during the 2015 regular season. He grabbed a pair of interceptions, and he would have had a third pick had the ball not slipped through his hands. Haden did not have a perfect outing, however, as Mike Wallace beat him for a touchdown late in the first half.
The rest of Cleveland's secondary failed to match Haden's play. Tramon Williams was again a liability in the secondary. Jamar Taylor was literally turned the wrong way when Wallace scored his second TD of the afternoon. Baltimore tight end Dennis Pitta caught nine passes for 102 yards, and he could have had an even better day had Flacco targeted him more than 12 times.
Quarterbacks may stop testing Haden in the near future. That thought should terrify Cleveland fans.
Grade: C
Special Teams
8 of 10
Cleveland held a 20-0 lead and all of the momentum with 4:34 to play in the first quarter. Patrick Murray's extra point was blocked, though, and the Ravens recovered the ball and returned it the opposite way for two points. That three-point swing changed the game, as the Browns could not win or even tie the contest with a field goal on their final offensive drive.
There's more.
Murray did not even flirt with making a 52-yard field goal early into the fourth quarter, as his attempt wobbled well wide of the right goal post. That miss gifted Baltimore with a short field, and the Ravens turned that present into a converted field goal that put the visitors up 22-20 with under 12 minutes remaining in the game.
The Browns prevented Devin Hester from returning a kick for a touchdown. That's the nicest thing I can say about this unit.
Grade: F
Coaching
9 of 10
Credit head coach Hue Jackson for having the Browns ready to play at the start of the game. Cleveland out-performed the Ravens in every aspect of the game in the first 10 minutes. Baltimore's defense had no answer for Cleveland's offense, and the defense of the Browns forced a punt and an interception. Cleveland seemed to be headed for an easy victory until the Ravens blocked the extra point and turned that play into a two-point conversion.
I'd love to know what Jackson said to his players at halftime, because the Cleveland defense was asleep at the wheel to start the second half. Coaches earn praise when players are motivated and filled with energy, and they should, thus, be criticized when players make life easy for opponents.
Cleveland running backs ran the ball a total of 21 times even though the Browns jumped out to a 20-0 lead. That's baffling, and it's even more bewildering when you realize McCown picked up an initial knock in the first quarter.
In the end, Jackson's team blew a 20-0 lead at home. That's inexcusable for any NFL team.
Grade: F
Final Grade
10 of 10
This loss should frustrate Cleveland fans for a variety of reasons.
The Browns scored 20 unanswered points in under 11 minutes. McCown looked like a franchise quarterback for a couple of drives. The Cleveland defense gave up only a pair of touchdowns.
What happened?
At no point during Sunday's game did the Ravens play like a team vastly superior to the Browns. Cleveland noticeably lost a spark after McCown suffered the shoulder injury in the first quarter, and the Browns let the Ravens hang around during a game Cleveland should have won by multiple touchdowns.
Blame the offensive line for McCown getting hurt. Blame everybody in the Cleveland secondary minus Joe Haden for playing poorly. Blame the special teams units, or even blame the refs.
An adage in sports tells us good teams find ways to win games, and bad teams find ways to lose. The Browns lost to the Ravens as a team. Cleveland's offense registered no points in the final three quarters. Poor special teams play cost the Browns six points. The Cleveland defense didn't make enough stops.
The Browns won a single quarter against the Ravens, and Cleveland failed to hold a 20-0 lead at home. No team in football is worse two weeks into the campaign.
Grade: D-
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