Cleveland Browns vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Full Report Card Grades for Cleveland

The 2016 Cleveland Browns may not be "tanking," but they appear to be a bad team. 

Cleveland fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 29-10 in Sunday's season opener. The Eagles thoroughly outplayed the Browns in just about every aspect of the contest, leaving no doubt the teams are going in different directions as it pertains to the current campaign. 

To their credit, the Browns fought hard and kept things close up through the middle of the third quarter. Cleveland even had an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead following a Philadelphia punt early in the third. Disaster then struck, however, when Cleveland center Cam Erving snapped the ball over the head of quarterback Robert Griffin III and out of the end zone or a safety. 

Philadelphia scored a touchdown on the subsequent drive, and the Browns failed to recover. 

Philadelphia rookie quarterback Carson Wentz was the big story heading into Sunday's game. Wentz, who could have been drafted by the Browns had Cleveland not traded the second pick of the 2016 NFL draft to the Eagles, completed 22 of 37 pass attempts for 278 yards and two touchdowns. 

Griffin, meanwhile, was lackluster in his official Cleveland debut. The same could be said about new Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson, who made several strange decisions during Sunday's game. Cleveland's defense deserves credit for doing all it could to contain the Philadelphia offense while being on the field for 39:20. 

In the end, however, no part of the Browns deserves high praise and a great grade one game into the franchise's latest reboot. 

Quarterback

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Robert Griffin III flashed impressive athleticism during his first official start with the Browns. 

Griffin rushed for 37 yards on five carries. He showed his agility and speed while evading pass-rushers on multiple occasions. Nobody can doubt Griffin's arm strength; He launched several beautiful deep passes, one of which sailed roughly 60 yards before it unfortunately fell incomplete. 

Griffin also struggled; He completed only 12 of 26 attempts. While Griffin was victimized by multiple drops, he often looked shaky and uncomfortable in the pocket. Replays showed he could have created a better passing lane for himself on a play that resulted in a Philadelphia interception. Griffin missed an open Andrew Hawkins in the left portion of the end zone during the second quarter. 

Most troubling, Griffin injured himself on a run late in the game. Rather than slide or run out of bounds on a third down, Griffin lowered his shoulder and plowed into a defensive player. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported after the game Griffin suffered a sprained shoulder. Per Cabot, Griffin expects to play next Sunday. 

Griffin didn't last a full four quarters before picking up his first knock of the campaign. That's concerning considering his injury history. 

Grade: D

Running Back

Michael Perez/Associated Press

The Cleveland rushing attack never got going against the Eagles. 

The numbers say Isaiah Crowell rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. That's nice, but it hides the fact Crowell's best runs of the afternoon occurred in garbage time when the game was no longer in doubt. Duke Johnson, meanwhile, averaged 7.3 yards per carry. 

Johnson only gained 22 yards, however, because he finished the game with a total of three carries. 

Johnson finishing the game with six official touches is unacceptable. He showed last season, while playing with both Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel, that he can be a real weapon in the passing game. Griffin only connected with Johnson three times during the loss to the Eagles. 

The Browns earning 120 rushing yards as a team looks nice on paper. Thirty-seven of those yards came from Griffin, who suffered an injury during one of those carries. Griffin won't make it through September if he continues to be the second-best running back on the Cleveland offense. 

Grade: B-

Wide Receiver and Tight End

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

I have nothing positive to say about this aspect of the Browns following the team's loss to the Eagles. 

Terrelle Pryor made a spectacular catch when he rose above a defender and reeled in a pass for a 44-yard grab that led to Cleveland's only touchdown of the afternoon. That play may, however, earn Pryor a reputation for pushing off of defensive backs. He needs to be careful about such antics moving forward. 

Corey Coleman began the third quarter with a 58-yard reception, the first catch of his NFL career. He finished the game with multiple drops and only two catches. 

Tight end Gary Barnidge, arguably Cleveland's best offensive player in 2015, had a pair of drops before halftime. Barnidge ended the game with zero receptions. Nobody on the Browns had more than three catches on the afternoon. Andrew Hawkins was largely an invisible man after Griffin missed him in the end zone.

Josh Gordon is not eligible to return for another three games. It's going to be a long 12 quarters of football for the Cleveland offense if Sunday offered any indication of what is to come. 

Grade: F

Offensive Line

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

The Cleveland offensive line was on its way to earning high marks as of halftime. 

Griffin enjoyed solid protection throughout the opening 30 minutes. Left tackle Joe Thomas played like an All-Pro. Cam Erving, a natural center who struggled while playing guard in his rookie season, looked much better serving as Alex Mack's replacement. There was little reason to mention the Cleveland offensive line at halftime, a sign of how well the unit played as a whole. 

That all changed early in the third quarter when Erving snapped the ball over Griffin's head and out of the end zone for a safety. 

There's no excuse for that play. It wasn't a particularly nervy moment of the game. What should have been a routine snap between center and QB erased any momentum Cleveland possessed, and it proved to be the game-changing moment of the afternoon. 

Those who make up an offensive line succeed together, and they also fail together. Erving gave two points to the Eagles. How many other offensive lines playing on Sunday literally gave points to opponents? 

Grade: F

Defensive Line

David Richard/Associated Press

Rookie defensive lineman Carl Nassib made a positive impression in his NFL debut. 

Nassib's numbers alone don't leap off a box score. He finished the game with three tackles, all solo, a sack and a pair of QB hits. His motor stood out more so than his production. Nassib was all over the field in a positive way, and he earned praise from analysts such as Yahoo's Charles Robinson for hassling and overwhelming the Philadelphia offensive line throughout the contest. The third-round pick may prove to be a steal of the 2016 NFL draft. 

Unfortunately, there's little noteworthy to say about the rest of the unit. 

The Cleveland defense prevented Philadelphia running back Ryan Mathews from carrying the ball into the end zone from the two-yard line late in the game. That would have been a nice moment had the Browns not been flagged for an offside penalty (more on that later). Nobody can blame the Browns for giving up a rushing score on the following play. 

The team's defense had played more than 39 minutes at that point. 

Grade: B

Linebacker

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The Browns preventing Mathews from earning an easy TD with less than 1:30 left in the game would have been a nice starting point for the team heading into midweek preparations. Outside linebacker Nate Orchard lined up in the neutral zone, however, presenting Mathews with another opportunity to score. Matthews found the end zone on his final carry of the afternoon, putting the Eagles up 29-10 with 1:12 remaining on the clock. 

Orchard finished the game with a pair of QB hits and zero tackles. 

The day was not a complete loss for Cleveland linebackers. Christian Kirksey picked up Cleveland's only other sack of the game, and that sack resulted in a Philadelphia drive stalling. Rookie Emmanuel Ogbah flashed promise but also faded during the contest.

Cleveland harassed and hit Wentz early and often. This defense needs a strong pass rush if the Browns are going to avoid being blown out in the majority of the team's games this year. It is worth noting, though, those hits did not prevent Wentz from torching the Browns on multiple occasions. 

Grade: B

Secondary

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Are you a Browns fan who began September concerned about the team's secondary? Those worries probably didn't disappear after Cleveland's loss to the Eagles. 

Cornerback Tramon Williams had a first half to forget. Williams got beat by Jordan Matthews for a 19-yard touchdown pass on the game's opening drive. He was then correctly flagged for holding on a third-down play, a penalty which extended a different Philadelphia drive. 

Joe Haden may have had an even worse afternoon. Haden was burned by Wentz and Nelson Agholor for a 35-yard Philadelphia touchdown that put the Eagles up 22-10 in the third quarter. Haden then seemed bothered by an ankle injury, but he managed to finish the game on the field. 

As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com pointed out, Haden's days in Cleveland may be running out if the Browns are ready to go all-in on a complete rebuild. 

While it's a good sign if you don't notice a team's offensive line, it usually means the secondary played poorly when you can't mention a single positive about anybody in that unit. 

Grade: F

Special Teams

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Cleveland's special teams units were inoffensive in the loss to the Eagles, minus one play. 

The Browns faced fourth down at their own 41-yard line early in the second quarter. Rather than punt the ball away while trailing 7-0, Hue Jackson instead went with a trick play. Duke Johnson replaced punter Britton Colquitt in the backfield and accepted a direct snap. Johnson lost yardage when he needed five yards to continue Cleveland's drive, and the Eagles took over on downs. 

Philadelphia earned three points thanks to this decision. 

The Browns surrendered a 40-yard punt return to Darren Sproles during the loss. That return didn't cost Cleveland any points, though, and thus was a forgettable moment.

Patrick Murray made a 35-yard field goal and an extra point, his only attempts of the afternoon. Colquitt averaged 50.2 yards on five punts. 

Cleveland's special teams weren't all that special, but they aren't why Cleveland lost the game.

Grade: C

Coaching

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

As Marc Sessler wrote for NFL.com back in September 2014, former Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine referred to the NFL as a "pass-fail" league. Pettine was right in that head coaches either succeed and win more often than lose, or they get fired. 

The Browns became the first NFL team to lose by double-digits this season. Hue Jackson failed on Sunday. 

The fake punt was arguably the worst decision made by any head coach on Sunday. Coaches only get praised for such plays when they work. Cleveland's defense keeping the Philadelphia offense out of the end zone the following drive is the only reason the fake wasn't disastrous. 

Passing on Wentz is, to date, the biggest decision made by Jackson, his coaching staff and the Cleveland front office. Wentz made Jackson and company pay on Sunday. 

Wentz doesn't get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for beating the lowly Browns. It's only one game. That one game happened to be awful for Jackson and the Browns. 

Jackson needs to be better. He'd probably be the first to admit that. 

Grade: F 

Final Grade

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

An optimistic Cleveland fan could have started his Sunday believing this was a "winnable" game for the Browns. Philadelphia was starting a rookie QB who suffered a rib injury in the preseason. Like the Browns, the Eagles began a new era after the 2015 campaign. Suggesting the Browns could leave Philadelphia with a victory was reasonable at noon on Sunday. 

The Browns lost by 19 points. In reality, the game wasn't that close by the end of the fourth quarter. 

Cleveland's defense performed admirably on the road when given little help from the offense. Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens go to Cleveland next Sunday. Flacco is a Super Bowl champion who, theoretically, should be better than Wentz. 

Baltimore began the season with a 13-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. 

The hope, moving forward, is that the Browns will one day be able to laugh as they remember this game as nothing more than a learning experience. For now, however, it is just another Week 1 loss for a franchise that lost more games than it won from 2008 through the beginning of 2016. 

The Browns played like the worst team in the NFL on Sunday. There's no point denying it. 

Cumulative Grade: F