Browns vs. Redskins: Full Report Card Grades for Cleveland
For the third straight week, the Cleveland Browns gave fans a reason to watch a fourth quarter of a game. The Browns nevertheless remain winless following a 31-20 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson continued his trend of making questionable decisions that cost the Browns, and Jackson deserves criticism for those calls. Nobody, however, can doubt Jackson's players want to compete and win for him. Unfortunately for Jackson and his staff, the Browns don't yet possess the horses capable of crossing the finish line with a lead intact.
The Browns again took steps in a positive direction. Fans need to remain patient, as that progress is coming in baby steps four weeks into the current campaign.
Cleveland trailed Washington 14-0 before the end of the first quarter. Even the most optimistic fan wouldn't have been shocked to see the visitors raise the white flag before halftime. That didn't happen, as the Browns rallied from behind and held a 20-17 lead in the third quarter.
That's admirable for this young team, even though the Browns didn't earn the desired result.
Quarterback
1 of 10
You won't confuse Cleveland rookie quarterback Cody Kessler with Brett Favre or Peyton Manning. Kessler doesn't have a cannon for an arm. He won't routinely launch 50-yard passes downfield.
Kessler more so looked like the real deal against the Redskins than he did in his NFL debut a week ago. The Cleveland coaching staff can work with Kessler and hope he continues to make positive strides if those individuals wish to keep the first-year pro in the starting lineup.
For the second straight week, Kessler's confidence grew as the game progressed. Kessler went from staring down single reads to going through progressions, locating open targets and delivering pinpoint throws. He completed 28 of 40 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown.
Kessler also tossed a costly interception late in the fourth quarter when he attempted to force a pass past Josh Norman to wide receiver Terrelle Pryor. The ball lacked zip, and Norman cut in front of Pryor and made the pick.
Kessler won't get away with those mistakes against NFL defensive backs. He doesn't have the necessary arm strength.
With that said, Kessler's touchdown pass to Pryor was a thing of beauty. Kessler remained in the pocket, transitioned through his reads and then delivered a perfect pass that only Pryor could catch.
Kessler also showed poise when facing blitzing defenders on multiple occasions.
Kessler hasn't earned anything other than another start. That he continues to earn additional play is a positive for a young man who was supposed to be a spectator this season.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
Here are where the frustrations with Cleveland's head coach begin.
Why, when Isaiah Crowell had been unstoppable for the majority of the first half, did the Browns elect to hand the ball to fullback Malcolm Johnson in the red zone near the end of the third quarter? Johnson fumbled on his one and only carry, and the Redskins recovered and then scored a touchdown on their subsequent possession.
Why, following a timeout caused by an injury, was Crowell on the sideline and not in the backfield with roughly 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter? Crowell had only 15 carries at that point of the game. He shouldn't have needed rest. Duke Johnson and not Crowell received a carry following the stoppage in play, and Johnson lost his handle on the ball while being tackled. Washington recovered near midfield, ending Cleveland's final promising offensive drive of the afternoon.
Crowell earned 112 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He averaged 7.5 yards per run. Crowell continues to look like a top-tier back, and he deserved more touches against the Redskins.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Terrelle Pryor repeatedly beat Josh Norman in one-on-one situations. Pryor caught Kessler's only touchdown of the afternoon, and the former QB who is now Cleveland's top wide receiver finished the game with five catches for 46 yards. While those numbers are nice, Pryor was largely an invisible man during the second half.
In fact, he did nothing of note in the last two quarters of play other than line up in the neutral zone before a snap.
Kessler and tight end Gary Barnidge are quickly building chemistry. Barnidge caught all seven passes thrown his way, and he finished the contest with 57 receiving yards. Those numbers may not leap off the screen, but they also don't show the number of times Barnidge served as a safety blanket for Kessler when the QB needed to earn a first down or get rid of the football to an open teammate.
Pryor and Barnidge can only do so much. No disrespect meant to Andrew Hawkins or Ricardo Louis, but they aren't drawing defenders away from anybody.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Cleveland offensive line playing better without Cam Erving at center is a trend.
Austin Reiter was next on the depth chart to fill in for the injured Erving, and those watching on television barely noticed the second-year pro throughout the afternoon. That says plenty about how well Reiter played as part of an offensive line that routinely won battles up front.
The Browns have no luck if not for bad luck, though, as Reiter suffered a knee injury late in the game. Per Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland, Hue Jackson told reporters after the game "it doesn't look good" regarding Reiter.
Cleveland's run blocking, as a whole, was exemplary on the road. Crowell could've been running through holes created by blockers an hour after the conclusion of the game had he been fed additional carries.
Pass blocking remains an issue, particularly as it pertains to picking up blitzes. Austin Pasztor had a rough first half, but his name was rarely called following halftime. That's improvement, as Paszor committed five penalties a week ago.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
There's little to say about the Cleveland defensive line because it did little of note.
Cleveland linemen failed to disrupt Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins throughout the contest. Defensive tackle Gabe Wright deflected a pass at the line. Emmanuel Ogbah had no answer for tackle Trent Williams, to the point Ogbah seemed to lose steam in the last half-hour of the game.
Most disheartening was the disappearing act of Danny Shelton. Shelton entered the game against the Redskins having put together multiple solid performances, but viewers wouldn't have known he was on the field for the majority of Sunday's contest. Shelton accumulated three tackles, none of which were memorable.
Needless to say, this unit didn't do enough in the loss.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
Cleveland's linebackers matched the lackluster performance put up by the team's defensive line in the first half. The one time you really noticed a Browns linebacker do anything was when Demario Davis failed to keep up with Washington tight end Jordan Reed on a play that resulted in Reed's second touchdown of the first quarter.
Cam Johnson then made a name for himself in the second half. Johnson, who joined the Browns earlier this weekend, twice sacked Cousins, including once on a blindside hit that nearly resulted in a fumble. Johnson should see more than a few snaps next Sunday after his play in Washington.
Johnson, alone, cannot save this unit's grade for the week.
Cornerback Jamar Taylor was sent to the sideline to be examined for a concussion when the Redskins had possession at the Cleveland 5-yard line with 10:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. Kirk Cousins, noticing the Cleveland defense was disorganized after Taylor was removed from the field, quickly snapped the ball and found Chris Thompson for an easy touchdown before linebacker Christian Kirskey could react.
This isn't Kirksey's first rodeo. Either Kirksey or somebody else standing near the end zone needs to know to call a timeout in that scenario.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Penalties committed by Cleveland secondary hurt the Browns too many times on Sunday.
Jordan Poyer cost the Browns 50 yards due to a pass-interference penalty on the first play of Washington's second offensive drive. The Redskins ended that drive with a touchdown. Cornerback Joe Haden, who dealt with lingering effects from a groin injury during the midweek, was twice flagged for pass interference. The second foul, which looked questionable on replay, helped keep a Washington drive that resulted in a touchdown alive.
Jamar Taylor, who did not suffer a concussion, deserves credit for jumping a route and intercepting Kirk Cousins in the second quarter. Cousins made a horrible throw, and Taylor made him pay with a turnover that gifted the Cleveland offense the ball at the Washington 12-yard line. The Browns scored a touchdown three plays later to tie the game at 14.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Cleveland's special teams deserve a game ball, as nobody associated with any unit upset fans on Sunday.
A week after kicker Cody Parkey missed three field-goal attempts, including what would have been a game-winning kick, Parkey converted both of his attempts against Washington. Parkey's longest on the day was from 51 yards out.
It's safe to assume you'll see Parkey kicking for the Browns again next week.
One would like to see more from Cleveland's kick returners. There were, however, only three opportunities for somebody to make impact on such plays. It probably isn't a good idea to have Duke Johnson returning kicks since he's part of a one-two punch in the Cleveland backfield, but such topics can be debated on your own time.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
Hue Jackson is a fan favorite among members of the Cleveland faithful, so much so that some refuse to criticize Jackson when he gets matters wrong.
Both fumbles Cleveland running backs lost were costly, and both were avoidable. Replays seemed to show Duke Johnson recovered the ball on the ground before anybody on the Redskins had full possession, but that doesn't change the fact Crowell and not Johnson should have been in the game on that play.
The Browns coming out of the tunnel flat for the start of the contest also can't be ignored. Washington scored 14 points seemingly before anybody wearing a Browns jersey realized the game had begun. The Browns then made adjustments en route to grabbing a lead, which leads one to wonder why the visitors were dominated in the opening period of play.
A fan can believe Jackson is Cleveland's coach of the future while still noticing his flaws. Coaching decisions hurt the Browns in a big way against Washington. Thinking otherwise is choosing to be overly positive about a head coach who is learning more about his team while on the job.
Grade: D
Overall
10 of 10
The Browns played well enough to beat the Redskins. They also played poorly enough to lose to a better team. Washington is, simply put, better than Cleveland in every aspect.
That's not surprising. The Redskins won the NFC East last year. Cleveland hit the figurative reset button this past offseason, and the Browns are starting a third-string QB who is a pleasant surprise because he isn't a complete disaster during games.
There's a well-known saying in football that a dozen or so plays a season can make the difference between a team finishing a year with a 10-6 record and that same team posting a 6-10 mark. Just about all of those pivotal plays went against the Browns in the first four games of the 2016 campaign.
Browns fans shouldn't lose sight that there's talent on the Cleveland roster. Maybe, just maybe, the Browns won't need to select a QB with a top-five draft pick next spring. That's only a good thing for a team that is in the middle of a major rebuild.
Overall grade against Washington: C
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