The penalty on reserve center Nick Harris for holding Christian Wilkins nullified DeShaun Watson's eighty-four touchdown pass to Amari Cooper and an earlier missed extra point by Dustin Hopkins cost the Browns at the end as they were forced to try for a fourth down conversion at the Las Vegas nine with DeShaun Watson's sack ending the drive.
DeShaun Watson threw a touchdown pass to tight end Blake Whiteheart on the first drive of the game for the Browns only trip to the end zone with Rodney McLeod scooping a Raider fumble and running twenty-five yards for the remaining Browns touchdown.
Cleveland drops to 1-3 with the defeat and will travel to suddenly energized Washington next week.
Brownie Bits
1) DeShaun Watson hitting a wide-open Amari Cooper for the long score only to be called back for Nick Harris's holding penalty is typical Browns.
Commentator Ross Tucker was critical of the call at first and then backtracked to thinking the call was acceptable.
2) Here's my issue with the call, holding happens on every play and therefore could be called.
It isn't unless it's egregious and in this case, I didn't think it was that obvious and decided the game.
By the letter of the law, it was holding but by the code of consistency, it shouldn't have been called.
3) DeShaun Watson completed his first nine passes but for a measly forty-four yards.
Either Kevin Stefanski or Watson isn't confident in Watson's shoulder because Watson rarely looks downfield.
Other than the touchdown that was called back, Watson's longest completion was for only nineteen yards.
4) Watson's interception wasn't his fault either as Amari Cooper's hands failed him and the ball bounced straight to Tre'von Moerig.
While I don't see signs of the superstar quarterback that Watson was in Houston, he has been avoiding the big mistakes other than taking so many sacks.
5) While it's not Amari Cooper's fault that his score didn't count, Cooper was at fault for the interception and dropped another pass as well.
The veteran finished with four catches for only thirty-five yards.
6) DeShaun Watson does seem to be developing some chemistry with Jerry Jeudy and while this isn't resulting in big plays, it may eventually do so.
Jeudy finished with six catches for seventy-two yards and a team-high nine targets.
7) The Browns lost center Ethan Pocic for much of the game and even though the Raiders sacked Watson three times when the Browns were in crucial situations, the Las Vegas pass rush was in the face of Watson.
8) The defense did its normal strutting and woofing but allowed a team with Gardner Minshew at quarterback and missing its top weapon, Davante Adams, to score twenty straight points.
Much of this is due to some awful tackling which has crossed all over the game with players more interested in landing the punishing hit rather than taking the ball carrier to the ground.
The Browns do this often and when it backfires it can have consequences as it did on the touchdown scored by D.J. Turner as two Browns tried for the crunching highlight only to have the tackle broken and the touchdown scored.
9) The run defense wasn't stellar either as a Raider rushing attack that was at the bottom of the league finished with 152 yards and two scores.
The game reminded me of the 2022 Browns where teams suddenly realized Cleveland had run-stopping issues and then shoved it down their throat all season.
10) Isaiah McGuire hadn't seen the field often since being drafted in 2023 but it was his hit that caused the fumble which turned into a Rodney McLeod touchdown.
11) On the final drive, the Browns strolled along and allowed loads of time to roll off the clock as if they were trying to run the time to the end.
The tactic makes sense if you are waiting for a field goal attempt but not if needing a touchdown.
I found that quite needless.
12) Dustin Hopkins missed a key extra point but late in the first half, Kevin Stefanki chose to punt rather than have Hopkins attempt a fifty-eight-yard field goal.
Fair enough but Hopkins had hit earlier from fifty-six and the indoor stadium had perfect conditions, so I have no idea why the Browns didn't try Hopkins.
It was far from a sure thing but it didn't make sense to me.
13) This season is nearing the point where a hole is dug that the Browns cannot get out.
Road games at Washington and Philadelphia loom and I'd say a split of those games is paramount.
A few weeks ago, I would have felt that Washington would have been an easy win but the WFT has put things together the last two games and is rolling along well.
If the Browns return to Cleveland 1-5 and play as they are now, the three-game homestand vs the Bengals, Ravens, nad Chargers might put some people in the potential firing zone.
Just saying.
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