Upstart Browns, Brian Hoyer Not Good Enough to Overcome Offensive Line Problems

When Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack went down with a broken leg against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, it was evident there would be a time of transition.

Though John Greco handled the center duties well in relief of Mack in what became a 31-10 win for the Browns, he had never played the position before. To take over for a two-time Pro Bowler, one who has played over 5,000 consecutive snaps and who is the highest-paid player at his position this year would be a tall order.

That shift in the offensive line is what directly led to the Browns' 24-6 Week 7 loss to the previously winless Jacksonville Jaguars. The Browns came into the game knowing that they wouldn't be able to run often, with the Jaguars allowing only 74.3 rushing yards on average over their last three games.

The offense would therefore be in quarterback Brian Hoyer's hands. The problem is that things didn't work out according to plan.

Hoyer has looked better than average this season thanks to his line, which was anchored by Mack and with Greco at right guard. According to Football Outsiders, the line ranked 10th in pass protection and 12th in run blocking through Week 6. Hoyer had been sacked only six times.

Though he's surpassed completing 60 percent of his passes just once this season, the line allowed him time to throw. Prior to Week 7, he was Pro Football Focus' (subscription required) most accurate passer on the deep ball—passes of 20 or more yards. He completed 15 of 24 attempts for 531 yards, two scores and one interception. 

Opponent	Outcome	Atts.	Comp.	Comp.%	Yds.	TD	INT
@ PIT	L, 30-27	30	18	60.00%	222	1	0
vs. NO	W, 26-24	40	24	60.00%	204	1	0
vs. BAL	L, 23-21	25	19	76.00%	290	1	0
@ TEN	W, 29-28	37	21	56.76%	291	3	1
vs. PIT	W, 31-10	17	8	47.06%	217	1	0
@ JAX	L, 24-6	41	19	39.02%	215	0	1

With Greco at center and Paul McQuistan at right guard against Jacksonville, however, Hoyer no longer had that time. He completed a dismal 39 percent of his passes—18 completions on 41 attempts—for 215 yards, no scores and an interception. The Jaguars sacked him three times and hit him another seven times, one resulting in a lost fumble. 

The Browns knew what they were getting into when it came to the Jaguars run defense. Via Matthew Florjancic of WKYC, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan broke it down on Friday, saying,

"

You've got to take what they give you, and they're a very sound defense. It's very similar to Seattle. It's a hard eight-man front... Any team that runs an eight-man front, there's not much room to run. If you can get through there and you get someone out of a gap, there's no one behind them. You've got to stick with it. Hopefully, we can get first downs, and the more you can do it, the more you've got a chance to break a long one.

"

Still, the Browns didn't seem to do much to adjust to the eight-man fronts the Jaguars gave them. To their credit, they did stick with the run, doing so 30 times, but it netted little gains. Ultimately, those 30 rushes added up to only 69 yards, a 2.3 yards-per-carry average. Ben Tate led the way, with 36 yards on 16 carries. There was no chance to break out a long run.

Hoyer has played some good games, but his weaknesses were well-masked by such a high-performing offensive line and productive running. Without that line and without that running this week, Hoyer's weaknesses shone brightly.

He wasn't very accurate. Andrew Hawkins caught five of his nine targets. Miles Austin caught only three of eight, Taylor Gabriel caught three of seven and Jordan Cameron ended the day with just one catch on six targets. Travis Benjamin had zero catches, despite four targets.

Hoyer wasn't all that great against the Steelers either, with just eight completions on 17 attempts. But the run game and line both held up, leading Cleveland to the win. A strong offensive line trumps an elite-level quarterback when the elite-level quarterback has a poor line. Now that Cleveland's offensive line has come back down to earth, so has Hoyer's stat line. 

Some of those accuracy issues were on Hoyer; others were the result of dropped passes. But the majority were errant throws because of pressure. The line is the source of all offense, both good and bad. No quarterback, Hoyer included, is going to look as good as he can if the line doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.

Coaching decisions didn't help the Browns' offensive efforts either. A second-half choice to go for it on fourth down rather than kick a field goal to give the Browns a 9-0 lead proved costly, and head coach Mike Pettine acknowledged that after the game.

What Pettine assumed was that the offense would find itself in scoring position again. He was wrong. The Browns went 0-of-2 in the red zone, and both of those red-zone appearances came in the first half. They never had an opportunity to score in the final 30 minutes of the game. 

It's been a known for this whole season thus far that the defense has been a liability for the Browns. It was again on Sunday, with the Jaguars scoring 24 points—the most they've scored in a game thus far—and putting up 185 rushing yards. 

The offense has been the side of the ball to carry the Browns to their three wins. So when the offense cannot click, a loss is nearly guaranteed. That's why the loss of Mack and the insertion of McQuistan into the line has been a difference-maker for the team in a bad way.

Team	Record
Baltimore Ravens	5-2
Cincinnati Bengals	3-2-1
Cleveland Browns	3-3
Pittsburgh Steelers*	3-3

The line issues should iron themselves out as everyone gets more comfortable with the new center. It's just a matter of time. However, no one can yet say how much time that's going to take. The Browns are still in contention in the AFC North, with a 3-3 record that ties them with the Steelers and just behind the 3-2-1 Cincinnati Bengals. 

But that may not be the case for long. Any extended period of adjustment on offense that leads to outcomes like Sunday's will put them further into a hole difficult to dig out of, even when Josh Gordon returns from suspension next month. 

Greco—or Nick McDonald, who may get time at center eventually—won't ever be Mack. There aren't even 10 centers in the NFL comparable to Mack, let alone 31. This is a storm the offense must weather for the remainder of the season. Its first full-game attempt against the Jaguars was a failure. The question now is when—and perhaps if—it can turn it around.