Browns roll over Miami 31-6

     Quinshon Judkins scored three touchdowns on a rainy and windy day in Cleveland as the Cleveland Browns crushed the Miami Dolphins 31-6.

Judkins finished with eighty-two rushing yards to lead the offense on the day.

The defense was the true star of the afternoon, forcing Miami to turn the ball over four times (three interceptions and a fumble), and Tyson Campbell returned one of the interceptions for a touchdown.

Cleveland improved to 2-5 with the win and will travel to a surprising 5-2 New England team next Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1) Quinshon Judkins scored the three mentioned touchdowns and finished with eighty-four yards with forty-six of those yards on one scoring run.

Judkins' numbers showed an average of 3.4 yards on the day which isn't overly impressive.

2) BUT the numbers don''t show how dominant Judkins was. as he was the only offensive weapon (from either team) to do anything on a dreary day.

3) Dillon Gabriel didn't throw an interception (although he did throw one that was overturned by a Miami penalty) for the third start in a row,

The Browns passing game is still bad but thus far Gabriel has been able to avoid the crushing mistake in his starts.

4) However, Gabriel still can't get the ball downfield, completing only one pass longer than twenty yards.

A lot of that is the Browns playcalling to get the ball out as quickly as possible to avoid sacks but I still wonder how much would change even with an improved line.

5) Tyson Campbell was acquired two weeks ago from Jacksonville for Greg Newsome and the main reason that was given for the trade was Campbell's fit in the system run by Jim Schwartz.

Campbell took a Tua Tagovailoa pass to the end zone for a touchdown but it was another play by the newcomer that impressed me more.

6) Miami's Devon Archane appeared to be on his way to a touchdown run (It turned out to be a 46 yard gain) when Tyson Campbell chased him down from across the field.

It not only showed Campbell's speed, it also was a hustle play showing his attitude.

I researched several Jaguar sites after the trade and while some were critical of Campbell's play none of them hit him for lack of effort.

7) The Browns defense sacked Tua Tagovailoa four times to go with the four turnovers and sent him from the game in the fourth quarter in favor of seventh round draft choice Quinn Ewers, who once played one game for Ohio State.

Miami has big problems, maybe worse than the Browns.

8) Grant Delpit had a big day, finishing with a forced fumble, a sack, and forced Tua Tagovailoa to rush a pass from a blitzing Delpit that resulted in an interception.

9) Cleveland's offense still stinks on ice and it's asking a lot of the defense to do this every week.

They have a few games left against crap teams such as the Jets, Raiders, and Titans, so those could be won but I don't see them beating anyone of note.

Sad Browns sunk by Dolphins 20-3

       After some of the worst football that you'll see over sixty minutes, the Miami Dolphins, who are somehow still in the playoff chase, scored two second-half touchdowns to pull away from the Cleveland Browns for a 20-3 win in the Browns final home game of the season.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson finished with 170 passing yards with an interception and a lost fumble.

Jerry Jeudy caught twelve passes and ninety-four to lead the position players.

Cleveland floats to a 3-13 record in a hopeless universe and will travel to Baltimore next Saturday to conclude a dreadful campaign.

Brownie Bits

1) Enough of this nonsense that Dorian Thompson-Robinson needs to play to "see what he has"!

I wrote last week about this but the fact was driven home again against the Dolphins.

They know what he has.

2) All of that said, it doesn't hurt anyone to start him in Baltimore.

The Ravens have a division title to lock down and are motivated to crush the Browns after losing to them in Cleveland, and it doesn't matter who the Browns start at this point.

The Browns can start DTR, Jameis Winston, or Bailey Zappe (who lit up the Browns in 2022), you can make a case for starting any of the three, and the Browns still aren't winning although I would rate Winston, Zappe, and then DTR if making a list of most likely to shock the world.

3) I complained last week about Jerry Jeudy's lack of looks (three targets, two catches for twenty yards) during the loss to Cincinnati.

In typical Browns fashion, DTR threw to Jeudy eighteen times, completing a dozen, which seemed a bit much but credit for trying to get Jeudy the ball at least.

4) The Browns look like the same listless team that dug a deep hole with DeShaun Watson.

No one gets down the field, and the quarterback can't get them the ball if they did and you get this weird offense that throws the ball a lot (47 attempts in the loss) yet never seems to get anywhere with the Browns longest passing gain of the day, a mere eighteen yards to Jerry Jeudy.

5) The loser in the passing game with the increased Jeudy use?

Elijah Moore caught one pass of five thrown to him for one yard.

6) The Browns tried fourth down on four occasions and failed on each of them.

7) Miami didn't light the scoreboard up but it had to be rewarding for their winning quarterback Tyler Huntley, who the Browns released following training camp to keep Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Huntley completed twenty-two of twenty-six passes and threw a touchdown in a win.

8) Myles Garrett sacked Tyler Huntley twice and became the first player to have fourteen or more sacks in four straight seasons.

It's quite an achievement for Garrett but I could have done without the dancing considering the Browns were down ten points when Garrett dumped Huntley.

9) Entering the season, cornerback Martin Emerson was seen as a possible franchise cornerstone with an extension offering as a formality after the season.

Instead, Emerson has struggled and is easily the team's biggest disappointment on defense.

Emerson intercepted a pass against Miami but grabbed the ball by committing one of the worst pass-interference penalties, as he just eliminated Jonnu Smith from the play in the second quarter.

In the third, Emerson grabbed Tyreek Hill's facemask in another ridiculous penalty, indicative of his regression this season.

10) Good news department- Dustin Hopkins made a kick! Hopkins made his only attempt with a twenty-five-yarder in the second quarter.

Who says I am always negative? 

11) I think the Browns have a bright spot in recent weeks as Isaiah McGuire has shown potential as a pass rusher.

McGuire played well against Kansas City two games ago and has collected sacks against Cincinnati and Miami.

It'll be interesting to see if the Browns give the 2023 fourth-rounder a chance for a starting position at defensive end in 2025.

12) This was an awful football game and I'm torn about which will be better to watch- the ineptness but reasonably close game as this one (the game was ten points or less until the middle of the fourth quarter) or the likely blowout game this Saturday vs Baltimore in which the game will be lopsided but you'll see some strong play from the Ravens? 

Browns sunk in Miami, lose 39-17

  The Cleveland Browns season of hope essentially ended on Sunday in Miami s the Miami Dolphins punished the Browns run defense for 195 yards and pushed them off the field as Miami grabbed a 39-17 victory on an over 100-degree day in South Florida.

Jacoby Brissett threw for 212 yards and a touchdown with Donovan Peoples-Jones his main target with five catches for ninety-nine yards.

Cleveland drops to 3-6 on the season and will travel to Buffalo next Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1) Before we dig into the loss, toss away any playoff hopes now.

Considering the final two games before DeShaun Watson's return are at Buffalo and Tampa Bay at home, winning both to reach the circled amount of five wins in the Jacoby Brissett zone.

It's not happening and while I'd take a surprise in winning both, I've seen little from this team to have hopes that could happen.

2) Kevin Stefanki's in-game playcalling continues to baffle me.

Stefanski's planned first drive (or more depending on the number of plays involved) is usually a pretty strong set and the Browns scored a touchdown on their first drive against Miami.

3) It is the disjointed decisions thereafter that mark the questions that I have.

For example, Amari Cooper after a great game against the Bengals will have only three passes to him.

Cooper caught all three for a mere thirty-two yards.

4) Compare that to the targets of backup tight end Pharoah Brown, who is known for his blocking and not his pass-catching and was thrown to five tines, catching two for thirteen yards.

5) As other teams have done, yet another squad uses a game against the Browns to turn into a ground game bully as the Dolphins rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

When teams use backs such as Jeffrey Wilson and Rakeen Mostert to batter you, you have a severe problem.

6) The Browns under Andrew Berry and Paul DePodesta have made it pretty clear that they don't value defensive tackles and linebackers as highly as other positions.

To a certain degree that's understandable as under a salary cap, a team can't be super at every position but the Browns are getting below-average production at these positions and their weakness at those spots is why the opponents are punishing the Browns run defense or lack thereof.

7) This makes me think of this- Will Berry/DePodesta admit in the off-season that perhaps their decision to devalue these positions and bargain shop (with the exception of the 2021 second-round drafting of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah) for cheap alternatives hasn't worked out as planned?

Or will they double down and rather than try to upgrade, continue to stay with their position and hope for the best?

8) The defense was terrible as besides the 39 points allowed, Cleveland didn't force a Miami punt throughout the game and only made one stop on fourth down.

No excuses for that terrible performance.

9) I can't hammer Kevin Stefanski for not using Nick Chubb enough (eleven carries, sixty-three yards, and one touchdown) as the Browns trailed most of the game and needed to score quickly but I can about his lack of use for Kareem Hunt, who carried six times for nine yards but was thrown to only one time.

Wasn't the advantage of having Hunt around due to the various ways that he could be used in the passing game?

10) Offensive line issues were easy to see in this game as Wyatt Teller attempted to return after a two-game absence with a calf injury but didn't take long to discover that the calf was not in strong enough condition for Teller to play.

The Dolphins sacked Jacoby Brissett three times and pressured him constantly as Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin struggled with the speed rushes of newly acquired Bradley Chubb and veteran Melvin Ingram.

I know this is a better run-blocking line than pass-blocking but Wills has disappointed in his last two seasons and Conklin seems to be breaking down at the end of a fine career.

11) This seems like someone has made mistakes in either team building, banking on the wrong coaches, or errors in talent evaluations.

No one is perfect and mistakes will always occur but the Browns sold the premise of being an elite team that was close enough to justify the three first-round selections etc package to land DeShaun Watson despite the baggage that arrived with him from Houston.

The flaws of this team don't make a strong case that the premise was a correct one.

Someone will likely pay for those errors unless DeShaun Watson gives the Browns a super-sized jolt over those final six games.

Browns complete homestand sweep-dump Dolphins 41-24

The Cleveland Browns completed the triple crown of offense on Sunday with a 300-yard passer (Baker Mayfield, a 100-yard rusher (Nick Chubb) and a 100-yard receiver (Jarvis Landry) and more importantly, 41 points as the Browns won their third game in a row with a 41-24 win over the visiting Miami Dolphins.

Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Jarvis Landry with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt each ran for a touchdown as well with the Browns scored their high point total of the season in the victory.
Joe Schobert led the defense with two interceptions and four passes defended.

The Browns improved to 5-6 with the win and with the Raiders loss to the Jets are now just one game behind four teams at 6-5 (Raiders, Steelers, Titans, and Colts) for the final wild-card spot.

Brownie Bits

1) Ok, it's the Dolphins, which is similar to the 2015/16 Browns, but it still showed the growth of the offense after some struggles.
It still seems like they leave points on the table too often and I think Freddie Kitchens still doesn't want to realize that this team plays better when the offense flows through the running of Nick Chubb and now Kareem Hunt, but they did what they needed to step forward- win three winnable games at home.

2) I didn't think it was a groundbreaking thought when I thought Jarvis Landry would have a huge game against his former team and it was accurate as Landry caught ten passes for 148 yards with two touchdowns.
Landry never accepted the way that the Dolphins moved away from him after his production in Miami and would be ready to play against a porous Dolphin secondary.

3) Joe Schobert continues his excellent play of late with two interceptions and four passes defended along with his usual amount of tackles.
Schobert has often been lumped in by me with various Browns linebackers through the years as tackle accumulators, but not players that make plays and are difference makers.
Schobert is quickly changing those thoughts.

4) Austin Seibert missed another field goal at the Dawg Pound end of the stadium in his only attempt.
Siebert hit on all five of his extra points and hit his other two field goals at the other end of the stadium, but I have to say that I'm not without concern if Seibert has a big kick at the Dawg Pound end.

5) With the absence of Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi, the Browns defensive line was going to be looked at carefully in this game to see just how badly those losses weakened the unit.
Garrett won't be walking through that door, but Ogunjobi's loss was only for the Miami game and someone was going to have to step up.
The player that did that was Sheldon Richardson, who sacked Ryan Fitzpatrick twice and stuffed the run as well.
Richardson gave the Browns the type of game that they'll need with Ogunobi's return next week but especially needed it against Miami without him.

6) Baker Mayfield made better decisions in his 327 yards passing with three touchdowns game and Mayfield's only interception bounced off Odell Beckham, so there were plenty of positives.
However, he's still missing receivers and one throw caused tight end Demetrius Harris to take a huge hit, so there is work to be done.

7) Baker Mayfield was also sacked only once in the game and the offensive line was very effective in the running game, so there is hope that the offensive line is coming together. Greg Robinson and Chris Hubbard aren't hearing their names discussed, so things aren't so bad.

8) The Browns punted once in this game.
Once. How many times has that happened since the Browns return?

9) Now after a dominant victory over the Dolphins, the rematch looms with Pittsburgh.
I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a playoff game, but since the field for the playoffs has receded back to the Steelers and Browns a bit, it certainly is a game with serious implications for both teams.
Cleveland needs a win a bit more as they are one game behind, but Pittsburgh needs it as well.
Should the Browns win Sunday's game, they would have the same record as Pittsburgh and would have the tiebreaker over them as well if needed, so it's huge for both teams,

10) I hope the game doesn't get out of control and it could when you consider all that happened during their first meeting.
Mason Rudolph was benched as the Steelers barely squeaked by winless Cincinnati yesterday and the Steelers might consider starting Duck Hodges, a rookie that threw for the only Steelers touchdown of the day.
While Hodges would be an untested rookie, Rudolph hasn't played well of late and with the events of the last game in Cleveland, Mike Tomlin might be boxed in at quarterback.
Even with all that, the Steelers are to be respected and they will have a riled-up crowd for support on Sunday.
It should be a very interesting game in the Steel City.

For want of a toe-Browns lose in Miami in Overtime

The Cleveland Browns combined an inspired gameplan with some incredible efforts from players not known for such to almost grab their first win of the season.
Sadly,new kicker Cody Parkey missed three field goals,including one that could have won the game at the end of regulation and the Miami Dolphins earned a 30-24 win..
Cody Kessler threw for 241 yards in his first career start,but the true star was Terrelle Pryor,who caught eight passes for 144 yards.passed for 35 and rushed for 21.
The now 0-3 Browns will travel to Washington next Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1) Before we get started on this game,I wanted to address a concern.
Carson Wentz lit up his first real team (Browns and Bears previous) in a 34-3 win over the Steelers.
After the Paul DePodesta comments that Wentz wasn't a "top 20" quarterback in their evaluating of talent-I worry about the front office picking the right QB if next year comes down to DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame or Clemson's DeShone Watson.
The Batphone has officially turned red...

2) More Wentz-Three different Browns front office tenures have traded players that could have resulted in impact talents-Julio Jones,Sammy Watkins (among others) and now Carson Wentz over the last six years.
The trades featured a number one pick the following season-none of which were in the top ten and with the Eagles starting 3-0,that one does not look to be a high pick either....

3) Now to the Browns in this game.
Terrelle Pryor didn't only play great or even to use the cliche' "left it all out on the field",he seems to be maturing as a person.
Pryor seems to be well past the guy that needed to be the center of attention at Ohio State and has really bought in.
Perhaps that is Pryor's background with Hue Jackson,but its been something to see,

4) Hue Jackson wasn't perfect in this game,but his game plan was inspired and put the ball in the hands of his most explosive player as much as he possibly could.
One would think that makes sense,but you would be amazed how many times that does not happen.

5) I was surprised that Jackson chose to kick off in overtime.
I won't beat up too much for that,but will for the decision to not try to get a little closer for Cody Parkey at the end of regulation.
I would have tried a play or two to try to get a little closer for a guy that had already missed two field goals at that time.

6) I didn't even have time to write about Cody Parkey being signed to replace Patrick Murray after Murray injured himself in practice and being placed on injured reserve.
I cannot imagine Parkey not being at least challenged by someone (or more) this week and I wouldn't be surprised if we might have seen the last of Cody Parkey in those ugly uniforms.

7) The name that immediately entered my name was the former Bear Robbie Gould and wondered if he was with someone else already.
I did a quick Google search of Gould and came up with this.
Read the link and come back,but this makes me think of a scenario that I discussed with Ramon Malpica months ago.
What happens when the old school "football guy" Hue Jackson starts butting heads with new wave "analytics" guys Sashi Brown/Paul DePodesta over talent?
Could Hue Jackson build popularity in his innovative game plans keeping an overmatched team somewhat competitive and be able leverage that with Jimmy Haslem with "These non-football people aren't giving me what I need to win"?
Long way to go,but if that rumor is true-we could look back in a year or even months and say this all started with Robbie Gould vs Cody Parkey.
File that one away.

8) I haven't always been a fan of the front office,but assuming they get the blame for Parkey over Gould,it's time to give them credit for the assumption that they run the waiver wire as three recent pickups had nice days.
Tyrone Holmes pass rush forced the hurried throw by Ryan Tannehill that fellow pickup Briean Boddy-Calhoun turned into a pick six. Boddy-Calhoun had a decent enough performance with Joe Haden out (despite being beaten for a score) and Corey Lemonier sacked and forced a fumble that set up Parkey's miss at the end of regulation....

9) Cody Kessler was OK when you consider everything.
Kessler didn't get intercepted (although he did lose a fumble) and managed to keep the game within reach by avoiding the big mistake.
Kessler brought the type of short game accuracy that Hue Jackson talked about after drafting him in the third round,but also showed the lack of a big arm that had followed him from USC as well.

10) The offensive line continued to allow their passer to get pounded as Kessler was sacked three times and took numerous hits.
Combine that with a bad day for right tackle Austin Pasztor with three holding penalties and two false starts and you have a recipe for seeing Charlie Whitehurst before this year is finished.

11) Glass half full-two games that could have been won and the team played reasonably well.
With continued strong effort,this team will win a few games (1-4) before the finale...

12) Glass half empty-Two opportunities missed,three of the next four on the road,the only home game is against the Patriots in Tom Brady's return (Thanks schedule maker) and this could see the Browns at 0-7 (I can see the Browns having a chance to win in Nashville against the Titans) entering a October 30th home game vs the Jets.
Can this team continue to scrap as hard then as now?
Interesting question...

13) Final note:I wonder what Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer thought as they watched Terrelle Pryor today and wonder how Robert Turbin did in Indianaplolis (4 carries for 9 yards)...