Browns vs. Steelers: Full Report Card Grades for Cleveland

The Pittsburgh Steelers dared the Cleveland Browns to win at Heinz Field on the first day of 2017. Cleveland politely declined the offer. 

The Browns blew a 14-0 lead en route to a 27-24 overtime defeat on Sunday. Cleveland's final loss of a disastrous 1-15 season guaranteed the Browns the top pick of this year's draft. 

We can only guess who will be the one to decide what to do with that pick between now and springtime. 

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Browns may hire a "top scout" who would work underneath general manager Sashi Brown. Rapoport did not offer a name in his original report. 

Arguably the worst team in franchise history, this season's Browns finished their campaign with an appropriately lackluster performance. The Browns lost a lead against a team that used to be Cleveland's top rival, and the club then couldn't claim a victory the Steelers seemingly gift-wrapped.

After a forgettable season, fans of the Browns can now focus on mock drafts. 

Quarterback

Don Wright/Associated Press

Cleveland quarterback Robert Griffin III played well against a Pittsburgh defense that appeared uninterested in the action throughout the first half. Griffin completed a plethora of short passes, showed composure in the pocket and hit open receivers for two touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Cleveland fans also saw the worst of Griffin throughout the afternoon. 

He held onto the football way too long too many times. He ran into pass-rushers when he was able to remain in the pocket. The interception Griffin threw in the second quarter was an inexcusable mistake, as he failed to see linebacker Ryan Shazier and then forced a pass that never should have been thrown on first down in the red zone. 

Griffin gave the Browns a chance to defeat a Pittsburgh team that rested key players on both sides of the ball, but the former Washington Redskins starter couldn't make the one necessary play to win the game. That's the story of his stint with the Browns.

There is zero evidence Griffin is Cleveland's long-term solution at QB. 

Grade: B-

Running Back

Jared Wickerham/Associated Press

As Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski noted before the game, Pittsburgh started a makeshift defensive line against the Browns. Head coach Hue Jackson nevertheless gave running back Isaiah Crowell only 19 carries on Sunday. Crowell took advantage of his opportunities, gaining a total of 152 yards on the ground in the losing effort. His 67-yard run in the fourth quarter helped the Browns tie the contest with less than four minutes left on the clock. 

The Browns may have something special in Crowell, who at times this season played like one of the top backs in the league. Jackson routinely looked elsewhere in the second halves of contests, however, and he did so again during the overtime period in Pittsburgh. 

Crowell averaged eight yards per carry against the Steelers, and he seemed to gain momentum and confidence in the second half. His costly fumble late in the fourth quarter should be forgiven for reasons that will be explained later in this piece. 

Grade: B

Wide Receiver and Tight End

Jared Wickerham/Associated Press

Rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman must learn to fight for balls and help his quarterback in the future. 

Coleman failed to come back for a pass in the fourth quarter, and Pittsburgh cornerback Artie Burns nearly took the ball the opposite way for a touchdown. That wasn't the first time Coleman made such a miscue this season, and the hope is that the first-year pro will improve upon this aspect of his game between now and next August. 

Terrelle Pryor provided quite the audition for the Browns and for other teams on Sunday. He finished with seven catches and 94 receiving yards, and the double move he put on Burns late in the fourth quarter gave the Browns a chance to win the game after he gained 43 yards down the left sideline. 

It's safe to assume Cleveland fans will be outraged if the Browns don't retain Pryor for at least one more season. 

Grade: C

Offensive Line

Don Wright/Associated Press

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Cleveland offensive line against the Steelers. 

The Browns experimented by moving Cameron Erving from center to right tackle and starting rookie Anthony Fabiano at center, and that decision produced mixed results. Fabiano and Erving seemed comfortable in their roles early in the game, and the duo did well to protect Griffin against a Pittsburgh defense that didn't offer much resistance before halftime. 

Both men also made costly mistakes. Fabiano snapped the ball over Griffin's head in the second quarter, and the Steelers converted that turnover into seven points. The rookie also surrendered a sack for a loss of eight yards on a third-down play in the third quarter. Cody Parkey missed the subsequent 49-yard field-goal attempt. 

Erving, meanwhile, gave up a strip-sack that the Browns recovered. His day ended early when he suffered a knee injury as Parkey missed the field goal. 

Grade: B- 

Defensive Line

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The Browns have the cornerstones for what could become a stellar defensive line. 

Danny Shelton made positive strides throughout the season, and he routinely created problems up front against a Pittsburgh offense that was without its top stars. Rookie Emmanuel Ogbah ruined a reverse in the backfield, but he was missing in action as a pass-rusher. Carl Nassib and Jamie Meder provided glimpses of what they could become with additional snaps. 

This unit remains a work in progress. That was always going to be the case because of the youth on the line. Cleveland fans should feel excited about the prospect of either Myles Garrett or Jonathan Allen joining this group before next summer. 

Yes, Cleveland fans, there is some light at the end of this long tunnel. 

Grade: B-

Linebacker

Don Wright/Associated Press

Linebacker Jamie Collins is, at times, a frustrating player. 

Collins looked like the best defensive player on the field at times in Sunday's game. He also badly whiffed while attempting to tackle Pittsburgh running back DeAngelo Williams before Williams found the end zone late in the first half. 

Collins possesses All-Pro talent but also a tendency for taking plays off every now and again. The organization must fully evaluate all aspects of his game before offering him a massive contract. 

Christian Kirksey and Demario Davis both made an impact in blitz packages, and they were Cleveland's top defensive performers in the loss. Kirksey finished the outing with 12 total tackles and a sack, and Davis posted a sack and seven total stops on the day. 

Grade: B 

Defensive Back

Jared Wickerham/Associated Press

Cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun will want to forget Sunday as quickly as possible. 

Boddy-Calhoun's 67-yard interception return became a catastrophe when he fumbled the ball away for a touchback as he stretched to try to score a touchdown in the third quarter. That play resulted in a 14-point swing, as the Steelers scored on their next possession. 

Boddy-Calhoun's nightmare day only worsened from there. 

The rookie proved to be a liability in pass defense, particularly when tasked with covering wide receivers on his own. Darrius Heyward-Bey beat Boddy-Calhoun down the left sideline for a 46-yard gain in the fourth quarter, and Boddy-Calhoun gave up the game-winning touchdown in overtime when he couldn't defend Cobi Hamilton. 

Safety Ed Reynolds II was again solid against the run and the pass. Reynolds accumulated four tackles, and he sacked Pittsburgh QB Landry Jones once during the loss. 

Grade: C

Special Teams

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

Parkey missing a 49-yard field goal at Heinz Field isn't a reason to move on from him, but that miss cost them dearly in the final minutes of regulation. That's a shame, as Parkey did well to cement himself as Cleveland's place-kicker following an awful performance against the Miami Dolphins this past September. 

Parkey deserves a spot on the Cleveland roster next season. 

The Browns should also keep Mario Alford if only to see if he can improve as a returner. Alford averaged 30 yards on his two kick returns, and he looks far more comfortable performing those duties than both Joe Haden and Duke Johnson. 

It's unfortunate the Browns didn't sign Alford earlier in the season. 

Grade: C

Coaching

Don Wright/Associated Press

All the Browns had to do was kneel on the ball three times in the final minute of play to give Parkey a shot at redemption and a potential game-winning field goal. Coach Jackson instead chose to run the ball with Crowell, who fumbled inside the Pittsburgh 5-yard line. The Steelers recovered to end Cleveland's last drive of regulation. 

The Browns re-entered the red zone during the overtime period, and Cleveland faced a 1st-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 2-yard line after Mike Mitchell was flagged for yanking on Corey Coleman's face mask. Instead of trying to gain two yards with a bruising running back who probably needed a boost of confidence, the Browns twice threw the football. Cleveland lost 14 yards on second down after a bubble screen to Andrew Hawkins was nearly intercepted. 

The Browns settled for a field goal. 

Coaches are paid millions of dollars to get such decisions right. Jackson failed his players in Pittsburgh. 

Grade: F 

Final Grade

Jared Wickerham/Associated Press

There's a part near the end of The Fugitive where Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard tells Dr. Richard Kimble he's glad the ordeal is over because he "needs the rest." Cleveland football fans can relate to Gerard as the holiday season comes to an end.  

This was an exhausting campaign for reasons that go beyond the Browns losing 15 of 16 games. Cleveland is no closer to having a franchise QB than it was 17 weeks ago. Jackson is no better a coach than he was at the start of the season. The Browns are the worst team in the division, the conference and the entire NFL. 

Worst of all about Sunday's events is that the game showed how far the Browns are from contending. Cleveland couldn't beat a Pittsburgh B-team that committed mistake after mistake in front of a subdued home crowd during the first three quarters of play. 

Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, the Browns are "staying the course" with Jackson and the club's current front office. Those individuals have a lot of work ahead of them before the first night of the draft. 

Final Grade: D