Browns Film Room: The defense just can’t get off the field on third down

The Cleveland Browns snapped their one game winning streak this past weekend, losing handily to the Seattle Seahawks, 30-13. Unfortunately, the real defense showed up in Seattle giving up 30 points yet again this season. So far this season, the Browns defense has allowed 30 more points in nine of their 14 games. The defense has been run over by offenses almost every week.

One of the biggest reasons teams have had success versus the Browns defense is their ability to convert third downs. The Browns defense has allowed 41 percent of third downs to be converted, ranking 22nd in the league. On Sunday, the Seahawks were able to convert nine of their 12 third down situations. The Browns were just not able to get off the field.

So in this week’s film room, we examine some of the reasons the Browns struggle on third down situations.

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Mismatches

The Browns have faced a myriad of injuries on their defense, specifically in the secondary. This has forced players who are either less talented or very young to have to play more snaps. Here is an example of the mismatches caused by the injuries.

This play was a complete mismatch for the Browns defense. In this third-and-goal play, Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin was matched up versus Browns rookie corner Charles Gaines. It was a mismatch from the start. Baldwin runs a perfect corner route, juking the young rookie to gain separation fro the easy touchdown. Baldwin motions inside, but then runs out to the corner, freezing Gaines in his tracks.

Lost in Coverage

The Browns have also had breakdowns in coverage that have allowed successful plays in the passing game. Whether it’s miscommunication or not knowing what coverage they are in, the Browns defensemen have had trouble getting lost in coverage. Here is an example of this problem.

In this third-and-six play, the Seahawks complete seven-yard pass to move the sticks. The key to the play is the motion by receiver Tyler Lockett. This causes confusion between Browns corners Tramon Williams and Charles Gaines. Both Williams and Gaines go and cover Lockett, who is running a flat route to the outside. This leaves receiver Jermaine Kearse open in the inside after he runs a short streak and sits down at the first down line.

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The guilty party on this play seems to be Gaines, who should have changed assignments with Williams. With both corners on off coverage, the two should have changed assignments when they saw Lockett go outside and Kearse go straight up. It is a miscommunication that helped the Seahawks convert the third down play.

Bad Run Defense

On third and short plays and even longer ones, the Browns struggle to get off the field when offenses run the ball. The Browns run defense ranks 31st in the league, allowing 134.9 yards per game on the ground. Here is an example of the bad run defense.

On this third-and-one play, the Browns once again lose the edge on a run play. The success of this run by Seattle running back Christine Michael has to do with the Browns not keeping the edge. Linebacker Armonty Bryant gets fooled by the fake handoff to the fullback, allowing Michael to get the edge on the pitch. Bryant sinks too far inside to handle the edge and hold the run play from being successful.

No Pass Rush

One of the other big reasons for the Browns bad third down defense is the lack of pass rush the team can create. The Browns rank 22nd in the league in sacks, generating 28 sacks on the season. But, 16 of the 22 sacks this season came in just two games. Here is an example of the lack of pass rush for the Browns.

On this third-and-seven play, the Browns gave up a big 22-yard completion because of no pass rush. For reasons that I cannot comprehend, the Browns just send three rushers on this play. In doing so, the Browns put zero pressure on quarterback Russell Wilson. This allows Wilson to let the routes develop and throw a perfect pass without any traffic around him. The Browns have struggled to put pressure on the quarterback. The pressure usually only comes on blitzes or plays where they bring more than three rushers. This play had no chance of success.

Penalties

The last reason for the lack of success on third downs for the Browns defense is that the team commits big penalties to extend drives. Here is an example of the Browns extending a drive for the Seahawks because of a penalty.

The Browns seem to have penalties in the most inopportune times. On this third-and-eight play, the Browns suffer another big blow because of a penalty. This play could also be blamed on a mismatch between Seattle receiver Jermaine Kearse and corner Johnson Bademosi. Kearse is one on one versus Bademosi, definitely not a situation I like to see. Bademosi is in bad position trying to look for the pass, but in doing so he contacts Kearse and draws the penalty. It is yet another penalty to keep an opposing team’s drive alive.

Highlight of the Game

The highlight of the game was the opening drive of the game. It was pretty much the lone highlight of the game. Johnny Manziel and the offense drove 80 yards on 15 plays versus the Legion of Boom. It was an impressive drive by the young quarterback. But, sadly that was pretty much it for the day. Following that drive, the Browns were outscored 30-6 in the rest of the game.

Lowlight of the Game

The lowlight of the game was the Browns defense. It was completely dominated by the Seattle Seahawks. The Browns gave up 423 yards of total offense to the Seahawks. Seattle was pretty balanced, throwing for 241 yards and running for 182 yards versus the Browns defense. The Seahawks offense only punted one time during the entire game. It was a complete disaster on the defensive side of the ball for the Browns.