Browns vs. Bengals: Full Report Card Grades for Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns are young, inexperienced and lacking in talent on both sides of the football. Those three traits were evident throughout the team's 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Nobody can expect the Browns to win when the team is forced to play quarterback Kevin Hogan, a rookie who was on the practice squad not all that long ago and who had to replace the injured Cody Kessler against the Bengals. To his credit, Hogan provided a spark and several highlight-reel plays in the loss.
Hogan may be called into action when the Browns host the New York Jets on Oct. 30.
Cleveland's defense, from top to bottom, played like a unit that didn't belong in the National Football League. The only reason the Browns didn't surrender more than 559 offensive yards to the Bengals was because the clock ran out. To borrow the famous quote from former Jets linebacker Bart Scott, the Cleveland defense couldn't stop a nosebleed in Cincinnati.
The Cleveland Indians host the opening game of the 2016 World Series on Tuesday, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will raise a championship banner that same night. The Browns, meanwhile, remain the undisputed worst team in the NFL.
Same old Browns.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Cleveland quarterbacks must learn the importance of throwing the ball away and living to fight another down.
It's wonderful rookie QB Cody Kessler plays with heart and guts. Those aren't positive virtues on every play, such as the play where Kessler attempted to make something out of nothing and flipped the ball to tight end Gary Barnidge. Had Kessler bailed and thrown the ball away, he wouldn't have been crushed after connecting with Barnidge. That completion wasn't worth Kessler suffering a concussion.
Kessler's status for Oct. 30 won't be known until later this week.
Kevin Hogan repeatedly confused the Cincinnati defense with his ability to gain yards via his legs. Hogan finished the contest with 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries. With emergency backup QB Terrelle Pryor dealing with a hamstring injury and Kessler out with a concussion, though, Hogan running sweeps on multiple occasions in the second half made little sense.
It also must be pointed out that Hogan needs to learn how to slide, and soon, or else he'll be the fifth Cleveland QB to suffer an injury this season.
Hogan completed 12 of 24 passing attempts for 100 yards and a pair of interceptions. Nobody should bury Hogan for those numbers or for his play while in the pocket, because he shouldn't even be on the field this October.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
Kevin Hogan was Cleveland's leading rusher against the Bengals, but that isn't a knock on the team's running backs. If anything, it would've been nice to see the duo of Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson receive more touches before the game got out of hand.
Crowell was Cleveland's best offensive weapon during the first half, and he seemed on the verge of posting some impressive numbers before he was banged up in the second quarter. Crowell was not sidelined for long, though, and he finished the game with 63 rushing yards and a score on 12 carries. Johnson, meanwhile, picked up a total of 15 yards on six runs.
For whatever reasons, head coach Hue Jackson was not keen on "feeding the Crow" even though the Browns trailed the Bengals by only 11 points with 9:47 left to play in the third quarter. Jackson and company will need to work on getting Crowell additional touches next week, as the defensive line of the Jets will look to terrorize either Kessler or Hogan.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
You have to grade this unit on a curve for multiple reasons.
Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor attempted to play through a hamstring problem, but it was clear early on that he wasn't his explosive self. Pryor was targeted only four times, and he finished the game with two catches for 18 yards.
With Pryor a non-factor, the Cincinnati defense was able to concentrate on shutting other potential Cleveland weapons down. The hosts accomplished that goal, as tight end Gary Barnidge led all Browns players with six catches for 66 receiving yards. That defense didn't have much to worry about regarding the Cleveland passing attack after Kevin Hogan took the field.
No disrespect meant to Hogan, but there are reasons the Kansas City Chiefs released him in early September.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
4 of 10
One may assume, upon learning another Cleveland QB suffered an injury, that the offensive line of the Browns played poorly against the Bengals. That wasn't the case at all. In fact, Cleveland's offensive line was a bright spot for the Browns through three quarters of play.
Cleveland blockers dominated battles up front time and time again in the first half, and they did well to protect Cody Kessler even when Kessler held onto the football for seconds at a time during plays. One should also credit Cleveland's offensive line for the Browns earning a total of 180 rushing yards against the Bengals.
Center Cameron Erving left the contest early because of an illness. Erving hopefully is OK and feeling fine, but it's worth mentioning you probably didn't notice Erving's absence all that much.
The Browns were averaging over one offensive line rotation per quarter because of injuries/illness at one point of Sunday's game against the Bengals. It's almost miraculous Cincinnati accumulated only a pair of sacks against that unit.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Stop dropping tackle Danny Shelton in coverage. It achieves little, and it almost seems as if doing so takes him out of the game mentally.
Shelton started out well against the Bengals, repeatedly eating up blocking assignments and creating opportunities for outside rushers. Unfortunately for Shelton and the Browns, he didn't receive enough assistance from teammates in those moments. Defensive end Carl Nassib earned 0.5 sacks and got to Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton once, but his positive contributions were few and far between.
There's little positive to say about any defense that surrenders over 550 yards in a game. Cleveland's defensive line rarely hassled Dalton, and it was largely ineffective in slowing Cincinnati's rushing attack after halftime.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
Let's get the couple of positives out of the way right now.
Rookie Emmanuel Ogbah had another solid afternoon, and he continues to give Cleveland fans reasons to trust the process. Ogbah accumulated six tackles and a pair of sacks, although his second sack should've resulted in a flag after Ogbah dragged Andy Dalton down by his facemask.
Christian Kirksey is well on his way to leading the Browns in tackles for the season. Kirksey was Cleveland's best defensive player after 30 minutes of play, and he finished the afternoon with 4.5 solo tackles, 0.5 sacks and a tackle for a loss.
Cincinnati tight end Tyler Eifert was mostly a decoy after returning from a back injury, and thus Cleveland linebackers were able to focus on stopping the rushing attack of the Bengals. Cincinnati picked up 271 yards on 30 carries, good for an average of nine yards per run. The only reason Jeremy Hill didn't keep running after earning 74 yards five minutes into the third quarter is because the end zone stopped him.
Grade: F
Secondary
7 of 10
The Cleveland secondary surrendered a touchdown to A.J. Green on a Hail Mary pass thrown at the end of the second half, and that wasn't the unit's worst moment of the game.
Yes, that's how bad the secondary of the Browns is halfway through the campaign.
Cornerback Jamar Taylor failed to keep up with Brandon LaFell on the 44-yard touchdown play in the second quarter. Taylor, who fell down after biting on a move, couldn't even foul LaFell properly, as his attempt at pass interference didn't stop the Cincinnati wide receiver from finding the end zone. Sure, it would've been nice had a safety been behind Taylor to provide help, but it probably wouldn't have mattered much.
Cleveland's safety play continues to be a liability. Ibraheim Campbell, in particular, had another rough outing. Campbell took a poor angle and then whiffed on a tackle as Jeremy Hill completed his 74-yard touchdown journey, and Campbell didn't do enough to prevent A.J. Green from completing the catch on the final play of the first half.
Cornerback Joe Haden, who has been dealing with a groin injury, missed another game. He has played in only nine contests since the start of the 2015 season.
Grade: F
Special Teams
8 of 10
This portion of the piece is dedicated to Cleveland punter Britton Colquitt.
Colquitt averaged 41.8 yards on his five punts, but that's not why he's featured here. With 1:38 to play in the third quarter, Colquitt lined up around the Cleveland 20-yard line to boot the ball away. Colquitt's non-kicking foot was barely touched by a Cincinnati player after the kick, but the seven-year pro did well to flop to the ground and buy a 15-yard penalty for roughing the kicker.
That's not a snarky comment to make. Colquitt extended the offensive drive with his actions, and that is what one would hope to see from a veteran in such a situation.
Cody Parkey made the only field goal he attempted, a 28-yard chip shot.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
I have several questions for Hue Jackson and his staff.
Why does Jackson continue to defer when he wins the coin toss? He did so again against the Bengals, and Cincinnati predictably marched down the field to open the scoring on the game's first drive. Enough with analytics and whatever stats are leading Jackson to make this decision. It's not working. Try something else.
Why did Jackson elect to kick a field goal when the Browns faced a 4th-and-1 at the Cincinnati 5-yard line while trailing 7-0 early in the second quarter? Cleveland began the game with a record of 0-6. This team has nothing to lose. There was no reason to play it safe there.
Why punt the ball away when facing a 4th-and-3 at the Cincinnati 38-yard line when the score is 14-10 and under two minutes are left to play in the first half? Why call timeout after the Bengals run the ball in an attempt to eliminate the clock after that punt? That second decision resulted in Green's miraculous touchdown grab at the end of the half.
What is the thinking behind having Kevin Hogan run sweeps in the fourth quarter when he is the only remaining healthy quarterback on your team and emergency QB Terrelle Pryor is dealing with a sore hamstring?
Jackson may be a great motivator and a tremendous QB guru, but his in-game tactics leave much to be desired on a weekly basis.
Grade: F
Final Grade
10 of 10
It's understandable Cleveland football fans are frustrated. The Browns seemingly have no chance of playing meaningful December games, and it's only Oct. 23. It's possible the Browns could go 0-16 if they lose to the Jets at home next Sunday.
Remember, though, the Browns are now down to the team's fifth choice at quarterback. Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Cody Kessler and Charlie Whitehurst would all play ahead of Kevin Hogan if possible. How many other NFL teams out there have lost four QBs to injury in seven weeks?
Realistic Browns fans knew in August this team wouldn't be good. From listening to sports talk radio and checking social media after Cleveland's loss to the Bengals, it seems some didn't realize the Browns would be this bad.
The Browns are, indeed, this awful, and things may get worse if Kessler is sidelined for more than a couple of days.
Final grade: F
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