Raiders vs. Browns: Cleveland Grades, Notes and Quotes

The Cleveland Browns got down early and couldn’t dig themselves out of a 17-point deficit, falling 27-20 to the Oakland Raiders in Week 3.

Oakland was on its heels in the midst of a late Browns comeback bid, but that last-ditch effort was thwarted by Charles Woodson’s game-sealing interception.

Travis Benjamin broke free and was streaking down the sideline with Woodson shaded in his direction. Josh McCown saw him open and floated what he thought to be the equalizer with less than one minute left in regulation.

However, the veteran quarterback didn’t anticipate Woodson’s presence—or closing speed, apparently—and he snagged his 61st career interception.

Cleveland had plenty of chances to get on the scoreboard earlier in the game, too.

After a Raiders three-and-out was negated by a roughing-the-kicker penalty on Tank Carder, Derek Carr hit Amari Cooper for 40 yards to set up a three-yard touchdown pass to Andre Holmes.

Now trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, the Browns responded.

Isaiah Crowell’s 17-yard run and dive for the pylon came up short, but the team had the ball on 1st-and-goal from the Oakland 1-yard line. After two failed Crowell runs and a possible drop by tight end Gary Barnidge, Travis Coons connected on a 24-yard field goal with one minute and 44 seconds left to play in the half.

The Raiders struck back quickly on a five-play, 70-yard scoring drive to go up 17-3 before the half. Then they pushed their lead to 20-3 with a field goal.

It looked bleak, but McCown and the Browns offense fought back repeatedly. McCown rolled right and found Barnidge for a 28-yard score, and the ensuing extra point brought the Browns to within 10 points late in the third quarter.

The Raiders scored again in the fourth, and the Browns weren't able to make up for falling in that late 17-point hole.

It’s worth noting that in addition to throwing the game-losing interception, McCown missed Benjamin long and short, including on what would have been a game-tying touchdown on the team’s final drive.

The Raiders’ win gives Carr his first career road victory and just the West Coast team’s third since 2012.

Position Grades for Browns

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Position	Grade
QB	C-
RB	C
WR	B-
TE	B-
OL	C-
DL	C
LB	C+
DB	D
Special Teams	C-
Coaching	C

McCown is head coach Mike Pettine’s choice to lead the Browns this year despite a career's worth of mediocrity and a very uneven Week 3 performance against a beatable Raiders defense.

Was he terrible for four quarters against the Raiders? No, not terrible. But McCown did not handle pressure well and was sacked five times while looking clueless on how to navigate the pocket when pressured. He missed several deep throws that were open.

Many of his struggles came from hesitancy and holding on to the ball too long. Maybe it was rust, but maybe the team has seen enough of the journeyman and will eventually decide to transition to Johnny Manziel permanently.

We’ll see.

McCown’s receivers and tight ends caught nearly everything that was reasonably catchable.

Barnidge did have a drop that should have been a touchdown, forcing the Browns to settle for a field goal. He made up for it, though, with several other big plays, including a 28-yard score and a key fourth-down reception that kept the Browns alive in the third quarter.

Travis Benjamin played well and found separation frequently, but as mentioned, McCown wasn’t able to connect with the speedy wideout. He did score a touchdown on a short slant route, powering his way into the end zone with cornerback D.J. Hayden draped all over him.

Brian Hartline had a positive showing, catching five first-down passes on third downs, including one on the team’s final drive.

Offensive line play was again questionable but seemed adequate for the most part. One of the five sacks allowed on McCown was a poor block attempt by fullback Malcolm Johnson on Khalil Mack. Whoever thought having McCown drop back with that as a real matchup should be ashamed.

Defensively, the Browns were a mess again this week, allowing over 150 rushing yards for the third consecutive week. For a team built on strong defense and running the football, the Browns are in trouble because they have been horrible in both areas this season.

Amari Cooper was abusing Joe Haden early, catching three quick passes out of the gate. Haden has had a rocky start to the season with three straight poor performances.

He did help Chris Kirksey strip Cooper in the fourth quarter to give the Browns a chance. That came on a third-down completion that was well short of the to-gain marker and would have resulted in a Raiders punt.

Bright spots were few and far between.

Armonty Bryant had one tackle for loss, and Tramon Williams and Pierre Desir both played well in the secondary while recording a couple of key pass breakups.

Donte Whitner had a rough game with two missed tackles and some lapses in coverage. He sagged off Cooper and allowed him to catch and run for 40 yards.

Special teams coverage units were average, but Benjamin did muff a punt with about four minutes left to play. Luckily, the Browns defense did its part and forced a three-and-out, so it didn’t end up hurting the team.

Marlon Moore had another penalty this week.

Craig Robertson Lost to Ankle Injury

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Browns inside linebacker Craig Robertson left the team's Week 3 matchup with an apparent left ankle injury, according to the CBS broadcast. However, ESPN Cleveland's Emmett Golden reported that Robertson was seen walking into the locker room with a boot on his left foot.

Whether it's an ankle, Achilles or foot issue remains to be seen.

For a group that is already struggling to defend the run, losing its two-down inside linebacker is a worst-case scenario.

If Robertson misses a significant amount of time, expect special teamer Carder to step into a bigger role on defense. Kirksey will also play some more snaps if Robertson is sidelined for awhile.

Joe Haden and Tashaun Gipson Banged Up

Aaron Josefczyk/Associated Press

Haden hurt his ribs on the first play from scrimmage and was eventually sidelined after aggravating them during Cleveland's Week 3 loss to Oakland, the cornerback said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer.

Tashaun Gipson joined him on the sidelines with a groin injury, although both returned to action soon after leaving it.

In Haden's absence, it's worth noting that Johnson Bademosi was thrust into cornerback duty over beleaguered sophomore defensive back Justin Gilbert. Gilbert was active for the first time in 2015 after missing the first two weeks with a hip flexor.

Bademosi continued his preseason struggles and did nothing to prove he's anything more than a defensive backfield contingency plan and special teams ace.

Haden had X-rays and they were negative, but he will have an MRI on Monday, Cabot reported.

McCown on Browns Fans' Johnny Manziel Chants

Aaron Josefczyk/Associated Press

We knew if McCown struggled, there would be some unwilling to give him much of a chance. The first Manziel chants of the game fell in line with that train of thought and broke out in the second quarter after the quarterback missed Barnidge on a poorly thrown ball.

That errant throw and then a 10-yard completion on 3rd-and-14 led to more boos and a third consecutive drive without any momentum for Cleveland’s offense.

"There were 'Johnny' chants? I understand the situation that I’m in and this part of it. He’s an exciting young player that I know people want to see play. I understand that part, but for me, I have to just focus on where we are and what we’re doing,” McCown said during his postgame press conference.

Good luck blocking out a fanbase that’s getting more and more jaded by the minute, Josh. If there’s one thing that has been universally accepted about the Browns since 1999, it’s that their backup quarterback—Northeast Ohio native Brian Hoyer excluded—is always favored.

McCown has to do some positive things on the West Coast next week in San Diego. Otherwise, the fanbase and possibly his team are going to lose any remaining faith they have in the veteran.

Pettine: No Short Leash for McCown

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Mike Pettine never considered benching McCown in favor of Manziel, the coach said during his postgame press conference.

“You can’t put a player in a situation where he feels like he’s playing with a short leash. Then it just becomes self-fulfilling,” he said.

It’s hard to blame Pettine. After making a debatable call to go back to McCown this week, flipping back to Manziel that quickly would be a strike against the coach in the locker room.

But not considering a change at the position moving forward—especially when Manziel has shown marked improvement—may be a costly error for Pettine.

It’s obvious the Browns need to clean up areas other than quarterback before they become a winning franchise. But at 36 years old, it’s also equally hard to see how McCown plays any part in the team’s future.

The Browns aren’t going to win many games with McCown missing open receivers down the field, so there aren’t really any valid arguments against playing and developing Manziel on Sundays.

There are 13 games left until the next NFL draft. Is McCown going to turn the Browns around or is continuing to start him a fool’s errand and waste of a good opportunity to evaluate Manziel?

Mike Hoag covers the Cleveland Browns for Bleacher Report and is the managing editor of BrownsBeat.com.