ATLANTA — The Browns didn’t do sufficient in key moments in their 23-20 loss to the Falcons, and our takeaways are digging into while those moments took place and what went wrong on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
- Errors early and late cost Browns maximum
The most essential factors of the Browns’ loss occurred on their first few offensive drives and final protective drives.
Cleveland commenced the sport with three journeys to the pink region the primary four instances they possessed the ball however best had 10 factors to expose for it at halftime. Head educate Kevin Stefanski elected to head for it on fourth down on the first drive, which ended at the four-backyard line, and the Browns needed to kick a subject aim on the second of such purple sector drives.
The Browns weren’t inside the crimson zone the rest of the game. Factors in the ones sequences might’ve paid big dividends late, and the results were an example of how aggressiveness can come back to chew.
“i’m pissed off by way of all of it,” Stefanski stated. “i am frustrated that I failed to positioned our men in function to be successful. That’s genuinely what i am pissed off by.”
The Browns nonetheless managed to seize a 20-17 lead with nine:fifty eight left way to a 28-yard run from Nick Chubb, but then the protection commenced to expose cracks.
Falcons QB Marcus Mariota turned into held to 7-of-19 for 139 yards in the game, but 42 of them got here on a damaged insurance play on a 2d-down bypass to Olamide Zaccheus with three minutes. Zaccheus then won any other 15 yards because of a facemask penalty on Denzel Ward — a mental mistake that followed a coverage mistake moved the Falcons into Browns territory. The play changed into the biggest advantage the Falcons had on their drive that led to Younghoe Koo’s go-ahead forty five-yard discipline purpose with 3 minutes left.
“obviously, we’re no longer designing it to have a guy wide open,” Stefanski stated, “but we just need to ensure we get them in desirable function and make an amazing play when the ball comes our way.”
drives earlier than that, the Browns allowed the Falcons to build a ten-play, 75-yard landing drive that contained handiest run plays. The Falcons won 172 of their 202 dashing yards in the second half of.
“They wore us down,” Stefanski stated. “We ran out of gas a pair instances, and they made us pay. We should discover a way to get off the sector.”
Neither facet of the ball had a horrible recreation. The Browns outgained the Falcons 403 to 333 yards, and the defense held the Falcons to a few-for-nine on 1/3 downs. Cleveland had ownership of the ball for greater than 11 mins than Atlanta, and before Brissett had often played a clean, green recreation earlier than he threw an interception on a 3rd-and-23 on the Browns’ very last power.
The Browns just didn’t make the plays when they mattered maximum each early and late.
“We simply failed to do enough,” Brissett stated. “We knew it become going to be a 60-minute football recreation, and we did not make sufficient performs down the stretch.”
- Browns preferred being competitive, however failed to execute
No factor of the game actually become arguably more essential for the Browns than the overlooked purple sector opportunities in the first half of, so permit’s break them down a chunk extra.
The Browns seemed easy on their first force up until the closing play. Brissett had an immediately reference to TE David Njoku for gains of 20- and 25-yards, whilst RB Nick Chubb had won eleven yards on his first run of the day.
So Stefanski felt confident whilst the Browns superior to the Falcons’ 2-yard line. Chubb turned into stopped for a 2-yard loss on third-down, and Stefanski grew to become to Brissett to skip on fourth-and-three. Brissett looked for Njoku again, however he had defenders all round him, and the pass by no means had a chance.
Stefanski felt good about the play due to how properly Brissett appeared to open the sport.
“We wanted to attain sevens in the pink region,” Stefanski said. “We honestly felt like we could. We tried to run it on that 1/3 down and were given knocked again, which was unlucky, but we simply failed to come away with points, and that falls squarely on me.”
On the very last force before the half of, the Browns were at the flow once more and reached the Falcons’ 1-yard line. Stefanski known as a run play that turned into crammed at the road on first down and switched to a pass play on 2nd down, but a holding penalty moved the Browns lower back another 10 yards.
Two greater incompletions caused a 29-yard field purpose from Cade York, however there was nevertheless a experience of disappointment that the Browns couldn’t score a touchdown earlier than the penalty.
“You wish you could do something unique because of the result,” Stefanski said. “We felt properly approximately the plays whilst they’re no longer there. You’re no longer thinking you’re coming away with a preserving penalty. You’re questioning you’re coming away with a third-and-1.”
Brissett said he become nice with the Browns staying competitive on the first power and at some stage in the game. The ones high-chance, excessive-praise plays have worked for the Browns before, however they still need to be better offensively for those choices to constantly pay off as they must.
“we’ve been going for quite a few fourth downs, and we have been getting it,” Brissett said. “We recognize Kevin for giving us that trust … They consider us to head for it, and we simply need to convert it, and we can.”
3. Pissed off, however no want to panic
The Browns had an opportunity to stay in sole ownership of first region in the AFC North and lost it.
Frustrating? Truely. But they nevertheless stay on even ground with the relaxation of the division. The Ravens squandered a 17-point lead and lost to the bills. The Steelers allowed a touchdown inside the very last 30 seconds to lose to the Jets. The Bengals picked up simplest their first win of the season Thursday, but nonetheless continue to be in fourth in the division.
After a loss like Sunday’s, it is apparent the Browns still have a whole lot of development to construct for you to consistently stay ahead of those teams within the department, however with the results some place else in the division, the loss isn’t as costly as it is able to experience.
“one day at a time,” Brissett stated. “We pass home from right here, and we’ll pass back and watch the film for whoever we play subsequent … this does not change our plan. Our plan is one week at a time.”
