Browns vs. Patriots: Full Report Card Grades for Cleveland
The New England Patriots thoroughly dominated the Cleveland Browns en route to earning an easy 33-13 victory at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday.
New England possibly could've dropped 50 points on the Browns had quarterback Tom Brady continued passing the ball up through the end of the contest.
Brady, making his return to the field following a four-game suspension, completed 28 of 40 pass attempts for 406 yards and three touchdowns. The Browns, meanwhile, may have lost yet another starting QB and also a backup. As of the typing of this sentence, nobody can say, with any certainty, who will play QB for Cleveland when the Browns travel to play the Tennessee Titans next Sunday.
There's little positive to say about the Browns immediately following their loss to the Patriots. New England outperformed Cleveland in every aspect before eventually showing mercy and removing Brady from the action halfway through the fourth quarter. The game's outcome was decided long before that.
It appears Cleveland's fate for 2016 is also already known. The Browns remain the worst team in the National Football League for another week.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Cleveland rookie quarterback Cody Kessler had the best drive, to date, of his NFL career when he took the Browns down the field to tie the game at seven in the first quarter. Any good feelings one may have experienced watching that drive evaporated later that quarter, however, when Kessler accidentally tossed the ball out of the end zone for a safety as he was hit while attempting a screen pass.
Even worse, Kessler suffered an injury on the play. He didn't return to the field, and his status for next weekend is unknown.
Charlie Whitehurst took over for the injured Kessler, and Whitehurst very much so looked like a backup QB who wasn't in the league at the start of the campaign. Whitehurst completed 14 of 24 passes for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but his lone score of the contest occurred in the fourth quarter after the Patriots started playing soft coverages.
Whitehurst isn't a starting NFL QB in 2016 for many reasons. Nobody can doubt that after Sunday.
Grade: F
Running Back
2 of 10
One could easily bury Cleveland running backs Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson Jr. for the lousy numbers they posted against the Patriots. Crowell gained 22 yards on 13 carries, and Johnson accumulated a total of one yard on four runs.
Remember, though, the Cleveland rushing attack was up against it 15 minutes into the game.
Cleveland's offense was down to who is essentially the team's fourth-string QB following the first quarter, and the Browns trailed the Patriots 23-7 three minutes into the second period of play. New England did not need to work all that hard to shut down Crowell and Johnson throughout the second half. Yes, the Browns completely failed to establish a run game versus New England.
Cleveland's backfield was doomed before halftime.
Grade: F
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Raise your hand if you predicted before the game that Charlie Whitehurst would throw a touchdown to tight end Connor Hamlett. You must now lower your hands, as nobody believes any of you.
Hamlett received the first target of his pro career in the fourth quarter when the Browns were trailing 30-7. While there was little reason for anybody wearing a Cleveland jersey to celebrate, that nevertheless had to be a nice moment for the debuting rookie.
Andrew Hawkins was Cleveland's best overall offensive player against he Patriots. He caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter, and he provoked New England rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones in the third quarter while the two were away from the action. Referees missed Hawkins begin the altercation, but they witnessed Jones retaliate, and they tossed him from the game.
Fan favorite Terrelle Pryor was largely unspectacular while playing alongside Whitehurst. Pryor had five catches for 48 yards, but he dropped what should have been a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
4 of 10
Somebody, possibly John Greco, missed an assignment on the play that resulted in Kessler's injury and the safety that eliminated any momentum the Browns had in the first quarter. Greco is not supposed to start at center for the Browns. He isn't even the team's second choice at the position. The only reason Greco made the switch from guard was because of injuries to other would-be starters.
Tackle Austin Pasztor starred in yet another lowlight, this time against the Patriots, when he accidentally threw a stiff-arm to Whitehurst in the fourth quarter. Pasztor was largely inoffensive throughout the day, but that's a replay he likely won't want to relive.
Cleveland's offensive line handled the Patriots well when Kessler was on the field until his final play of the day. Too bad there's no reason for anybody to focus on that following a 20-point loss.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Rookie defensive lineman Carl Nassib returned to the lineup after suffering a broken hand on September 18. Nassib hit Tom Brady early into the contest, but that was his one and only noteworthy moment. Nassib ended the game with zero tackles, and you couldn't be blamed if you forgot he played versus the Patriots.
Nassib wasn't alone, as the majority of the Cleveland defensive line did little to disrupt Brady throughout the contest.
Danny Shelton appeared to celebrate a New England holding penalty when the Browns were trailing 30-6. Jamie Meder flexed on the field after earning a shoestring-sack of Brady in the third quarter when New England held a 23-point advantage. Those were two embarrassing moments from a unit that embarrassed itself with its play.
Grade: F
Linebacker
6 of 10
Where to begin.
Christian Kirksey accumulated 16 tackles, with 11 of them solo. It is likely, however, fans will remember Kirksey's missed tackles during the first half more so than the plays he managed to make. Kirksey was also beaten by New England tight end Martellus Bennett for a touchdown, and the Cleveland linebacker was twice flagged for holding penalties on the same drive.
Not good.
Bennett became yet the latest tight end to torch the Browns, as he was on the receiving end of each of Brady's three TD passes. Opposing coaches scheming against the Cleveland defense should know how to attack the Browns moving forward.
Demario Davis stopped running back LeGarrette Blount at the goal line on fourth down in the second quarter to keep the Browns in the game when the hosts were trailing by 16. Davis apparently wasn't aware of the score, though, as he posed on the field as if his tackle of Blount guaranteed the Browns a victory.
The Cleveland coaching staff needs to have chats with several players about such antics during the midweek.
Grade: F
Secondary
7 of 10
Brady threw for over 400 yards on Sunday. Nobody in the Cleveland secondary had a good game, and no individual in that unit had any reason to feel pride about his play during the final three quarters of the contest.
Jordan Poyer's highlights of the day included missing a tackle in the first quarter and then offering no help for Joe Haden when Haden was beaten on a deep pass in the second quarter. New England wide receiver Chris Hogan, a journeyman who began the day with eight catches in four games this season, beat Haden on that particular play.
Haden must've forgotten about that pass as he theatrically pumped his first after making a tackle when the Browns were trailing by 16 points.
Safety Ibraheim Campbell, who dealt with an hamstring injury over the past couple of weeks, was a liability in coverage. Jamar Taylor's memorable moment occurred when he jumped early and shoved an opposing WR before Brady snapped the ball.
Brady made playing QB in the NFL look easy on Sunday, but Cleveland's secondary did little to challenge the all-time great.
Grade: F
Special Teams
8 of 10
There's little to report here.
Cleveland punter Britton Colquitt was busy on Sunday, booting the ball away a total of six times. Colquitt averaged 44.5 yards on those punts, and New England's Julian Edelman only returned two of the kicks.
Cleveland placekicker Cody Parkey didn't attempt a single field goal, and he converted his only extra point of the afternoon.
Duke Johnson earned a total of 20 yards on two punt returns. That's 19 more yards than Johnson picked up out of the backfield.
In short, special teams were neither winning nor losing this game for the Browns.
Grade: D
Coaching
9 of 10
Why did Hue Jackson decide to go for a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter when the Browns were trailing 30-13? It really didn't matter in the long run, of course, but kicking the extra point there would've kept the game a two-score contest in the fourth quarter. Yes, the Browns eventually would've needed to convert a pair of two-point attempts.
That was nevertheless a silly and unnecessary risk to take.
Jackson cannot be blamed for New England dominating the Browns. These two teams are going in different directions this fall. The Patriots started a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame against the Browns. Jackson had to rely on his fourth option at QB on Sunday.
With that said, Jackson and other members of his staff should speak with players about dancing, posing and celebrating after making a play while being blown out at home. The Browns remain winless, they're the worst team in the league and they were dominated in their own stadium in front of what was largely a pro-Patriots audience.
Cleveland players can celebrate when they truly earn it.
Grade: D
Final Grade
10 of 10
You can only blame yourself if you are a Cleveland fan and you are honestly surprised about what took place at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday.
What did you think was going to happen? Did you believe Tom Brady, a man who deserves to be featured on any Mount Rushmore dedicated to the best quarterbacks in NFL history, wouldn't light it up against a defense that was humbled by rookie Carson Wentz in the first game of the regular season? Did you convince yourself, before the game, the 39-year old who is a four-time champion would be rusty?
Please.
Of course the game was a blowout. This was the start of Brady's unofficial "revenge tour" against the NFL, and he was surgical during his return to the New England lineup. Any chance Cleveland had of competing on Sunday vanished the second Kessler was lost to injury.
Odds are Kessler wouldn't have mattered all that much. He doesn't cover tight ends, after all.
Final grade: F
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