Browns vs. Ravens: Full Report Card Grades for Cleveland
Nov. 10, 2016 may have been the night when Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson lost pockets of fans.
Jackson didn't lose the faith of those individuals because the Browns lost 28-7 to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday. He didn't lose those fans because Cleveland blew another lead, or because the Browns were shut out in the second half or because the Browns are now 0-10 and seemingly getting worse with every week this month.
Jackson made yet another curious and interesting decision during a game, but that move negatively affected his team and made little sense at the time.
That choice not only backfired on Jackson. It may lead to players within the locker room questioning a winless coach during the final seven weeks of what is already a lost campaign.
Quarterback
1 of 10
There's little to discuss about the numbers rookie quarterback Cody Kessler posted against the Ravens. We know Kessler lost the confidence of his coach in the third quarter when Jackson replaced the first-year pro with veteran Josh McCown because, per Casey Kulas of ESPN Cleveland, the Cleveland offense "needed a spark" in Jackson's eyes.
That's not a move a coach makes when his team is losing only 13-7 in the third quarter unless he no longer believes his starting QB can win the game.
McCown failed to cement himself as Cleveland's QB for longer than two quarters on Thursday. The 37-year-old tossed a pair of interceptions, one caused by Terrell Suggs getting his hand on the ball before McCown released it and another when McCown tried to force a throw into double coverage. He also lost a fumble on a Suggs strip-sack.
Robert Griffin III was throwing passes on the field during warm-ups as he attempts to return from a shoulder injury. Following tonight's events, we should assume Jackson will go back to Griffin as soon as possible.
Grade: D
Running Back
2 of 10
The Browns have zero legitimate rushing attack as of the second full weekend of November. That much is clear.
Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland's leading rusher, averaged fewer than 10 carries per game in Cleveland's last four contests. Crowell, no longer being fed for whatever reasons, ran the ball nine times for a total of 23 yards against the Ravens. Fellow RB Duke Johnson averaged three yards on his two carries.
Both Crowell and Johnson caught three passes in the losing effort.
The Browns entered halftime with 17 passing plays, nine carries and a one-point lead. Cleveland lost another second half, during which Jackson and his staff abandoned the run game.
Those two trends may be related.
Grade: F
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
We'll start with the one positive, and it's a player who may have been anonymous among casual fans before the first half of the contest.
Rookie tight end Seth DeValve was put in a position to make a play when the Browns lined up at the Baltimore 25-yard line halfway through the second quarter, and DeValve did well to get separation and then catch a perfectly placed pass from Kessler for Cleveland's only touchdown of the night. That also happened to be DeValve's only offensive contribution.
Terrelle Pryor was largely held in check by the Baltimore defense and a dink-and-dunk game plan, as he caught five passes for 48 receiving yards. Corey Coleman finished the night with three receptions and a lackluster 17 yards. Tight end Gary Barnidge caught one of the four passes thrown his way.
The game was a defensive battle throughout the first half, but any momentum the Cleveland offense possessed evaporated after McCown threw his second pick of the contest.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
4 of 10
This was the worst Cleveland's offensive line played, as a whole, all season.
Center Cameron Erving whiffing on blocks and literally falling to his knees during battles up front should no longer surprise anybody. Erving is overwhelmed playing the position, and it's difficult to imagine the Browns will trust him to be the team's starter of the future past Jan. 1.
The previously mentioned Suggs dominated Joe Thomas throughout the evening. Suggs blew past the veteran left tackle on multiple occasions, particularly after McCown entered the game, and Thomas appeared downright overmatched in the second half.
Austin Pasztor performed like a backup, at best. Spencer Drango was a liability in pass-blocking.
This unit had a bad night.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Perhaps Carl Nassib is hitting the rookie wall before our very eyes, or maybe missing out on reps and game action because of injury earlier this season is impacting him. Whatever the reason, Nassib had a quiet game for the second week in a row, and he achieved little in pass defense.
Nassib wasn't alone. Rookie Emmanuel Ogbah, who has been a linebacker in name only for weeks, registered three tackles and a pair of QB hits. Danny Shelton did well to penetrate the offensive line and help Jamie Collins earn a tackle for a loss, but Shelton's contributions disappeared after halftime. That has been the case for Shelton during too many games this season.
Shelton and Collins are pieces to build around, but they can only do so much in this defense.
Grade: C
Linebacker
6 of 10
Jamie Collins looked like a true superstar after being on the Cleveland roster longer than for a week before being inserted into the lineup.
Collins' stats, on their own, are impressive. He finished the game with nine tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack. Those numbers do not, however, show how Collins lined up in multiple spots on the defense, but they also don't inform you he had only a single assisted tackle following halftime.
Christian Kirksey was again Cleveland's leading tackler, and Kirksey came close to intercepting Flacco during the first half. Kirksey, Collins and Demario Davis made for quite the trio at this unit until the game got out of hand, and all three should be part of the team's rebuild so long as the Browns can sign Collins long-term.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Cornerback Joe Haden would be headed back to the Pro Bowl if he could only play against the Ravens every week. He grabbed his third interception of the season, all of which have occurred in games vs. Baltimore, when Flacco made a horrible pass into the end zone during the third quarter. Haden also knocked away a pair of passes.
Things started out well for Briean Boddy-Calhoun, as the rookie intercepted a pass down the right sideline after Steve Smith Sr. seemed to give up early on his route. Boddy-Calhoun made a diving catch into the end zone, ensuring the Ravens would not score points in the opening frame.
That, unfortunately, was Boddy-Calhoun's only bright moment. Per Mark Harrington of Pro Football Focus, Boddy-Calhoun surrendered seven receptions and a pair of touchdowns on the eight passes thrown his way during the loss to Baltimore.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
The Browns need to find reliability and productivity in their return games.
Cleveland's defense stopped Baltimore's offense on the game's opening drive, and both Joe Haden and Duke Johnson were placed on return duties. Haden and Johnson, for whatever reasons, both attempted to catch the punt near the middle of the field at the Cleveland 20-yard line, and thus the two came dangerously close to gifting the Ravens with possession and subsequently a score.
That was only Johnson's first scary moment returning a punt, as he played a kick on a bounce for the second week in a row. Johnson should be removed from returns until he learns when taking a risk isn't worth a possible consequence.
Britton Colquitt punted the ball seven times. Yes, the Browns had as many punts as points.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
The Browns won the coin toss and deferred, and the Ravens began the first offensive series of the game at their own 17-yard line. Cleveland had to use a timeout before Flacco first snapped the ball, though, as the Browns sent 12 players onto the field following the kickoff.
That was a sign of things to come.
Jackson used two timeouts in the first 4:31 of the game, but fans quickly forgot about that when he made the move from Kessler to McCown in the third quarter. There's no defending that decision. Kessler, as far as we know, was healthy, had a touchdown pass and zero interceptions, and the Browns were losing by only six points when he was benched for the remainder of the contest.
Kessler probably isn't the answer past 2016 for the Browns, but we all received an inside look at what Jackson really thinks of the rookie QB on Thursday night.
Jackson has lost 10 straight contests, his in-game decisions leave a lot to be desired and his asking fans to "trust" he made the right move selecting Kessler over Dak Prescott in this year's draft class looks worse than ever.
Grade: F
Final Grade
10 of 10
No Browns team has ever been this bad 10 games into a season. This is the first Browns roster to go 0-10 in franchise history.
Explaining away last Sunday's blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys was easy. Cleveland is the worst team in the NFL, while the Cowboys are the best side in the NFC and maybe contenders to win the Super Bowl. Those two clubs are at opposite ends of NFL power rankings for many reasons.
The Browns nearly beat the Ravens in September. Cleveland even held an 18-point lead that afternoon. You wouldn't have known that had you watched only the second half of Thursday's game.
The final 30 minutes of action resembled a college team trying to hang with a pro roster during a scrimmage.
Jackson benching Kessler was a controversial decision that cost the Browns a chance to win. Trying to sell going back to Kessler if Griffin is healthy and able to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 20 could be Jackson's toughest task to date since accepting the Cleveland job.
Final Grade: F
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