Browns Film Room: Who’s at fault for all the sacks?

The Cleveland Browns are 0-11 after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, 24-9. The Browns stayed with the Steelers for most of the game because of a valiant effort from their defense. But in the end, the Steelers defense dominated the Browns offense.

The Browns offense was held to just 209 total yards of offense. One of the biggest problems for the unit was the ability to keep the quarterback upright. The Steelers otherwise feeble pass rush defense notched eight sacks against the Browns on Sunday. What we want to know: Who is at fault for all of these sacks?

In this week’s film room, I will examine the eight sacks from Sunday and deliver my verdict on who is the main culprit that enabled the Steelers to record such a gaudy total. So with that, let’s get to the film room!

Browns Film Room Series: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10

Offensive line’s fault

This sack depicted above was solely charged to right guard John Greco. Greco got beat right off the snap by Steelers defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt. Tuitt got to the edge of Greco and ripped up to disengage from the guard and get to quarterback Cody Kessler for the sack before any of the Browns receivers were open.

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This sack is on several of the players assigned to protect quarterback Cody Kessler. The two players under fire on the play are running back Duke Johnson and center Cameron Erving. Inexplicably, the Browns gave Johnson, a running back, the assignment to block Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons. Johnson was pushed back by Timmons right into the lap of Kessler. Kessler was able to evade that rush, but he couldn’t get away from defensive lineman Javon Hargrave.

Hargrave performed up-and-under move with fellow lineman Stephon Tuitt. Hargrave went behind Tuitt and rushed right up the middle. Cameron Erving had the responsibility to switch onto Hargrave but was too slow to react, allowing Hargrave to run right to the face of Kessler and take him down when the rookie tried to escape the pocket. Kessler had no chance to find a receiver because he had to deal with evading two rushers.

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This is yet another sack that can be blamed on the protection of the quarterback. Right tackle Austin Pasztor was driven back into the pocket by linebacker Arthur Moats. This forces quarterback Josh McCown to move up in the pocket. Javon Hargrave and Stephon Tuitt are able to get free and give McCown no room to move, taking him down along with Moats. None of the targets on the play were able to get open before the rush got to McCown.

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This sack can be charged to the protection of Josh McCown. Once again the protection called for the Browns running back, this time Isaiah Crowell, to block linebacker Lawrence Timmons. Crowell is far less talented as a blocker than Johnson is so this matchup is a huge mismatch for the Steelers.

Timmons easily drives Crowell back into McCown, wrapping him up for the sack. McCown had no chance to do anything with Crowell getting driven back into him.

Quarterback’s fault

This sack is on quarterback Cody Kessler. On the play, he gets good protection from his six blockers. It allows him to scan the field and look for open receivers. But, he does not pull the trigger. He gives Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats the time to work his way to the backfield from the far right side of the pocket.

Kessler misses receiver Corey Coleman coming open in the middle of the field. Coleman is running a deep dig route and his running underneath the coverage, giving Kessler an open lane to throw to him.

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This is another sack that can be blamed on Cody Kessler. The Browns are in red zone, so quick passing is needed to have a successful play. The Steelers rush six defenders against six Browns blockers. The pressure comes from Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who rushing on the left side against Browns lineman Spencer Drango. Harrison gets pressure in the backfield, but Kessler’s pocket presence was horrible. He felt nothing until Harrison was right on him.

Worse: Kessler even moved right into the grasps of Harrison. He could have moved to the right, where the pocket was clean. Had he done that, he would see a wide open tight end Randall Telfer in the right corner of the end zone. But even before that, he could have had the option to throw to Shon Coleman, who was a passing target on the play. Coleman was open early in the play when he crossed the formation close to the goal line. Kessler missed all of these opportunities.

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This sack is on quarterback Josh McCown. On the play, the Steelers are rushing four defenders against five Browns blockers. Yes, the protection does fall apart pretty quickly, but McCown had several options to throw to make a successful completion.

The first and easier option is running back Duke Johnson who was wide open in the right flat—and I mean wide open. There is not one defender ten yards from Johnson. The other possible option opens up late, but before the pressure gets to McCown. The option is receiver Terrelle Pryor on the right side. He runs a ten or so yard dig route and gets open late when he makes the cut across the field. He is running open between two defenders in coverage. McCown holds onto the ball and misses these two options.

Both the offensive line’s and quarterback’s fault

This sack can be blamed on the protection and quarterback Josh McCown. The first fault on the play is from the protection. The five Browns offensive linemen completely break down on communication. Three Browns linemen were blocking Steelers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave in the center of the formation, but not one lineman picked up the blitzing linebacker Ryan Shazier. He runs free right between the right guard and right tackle. McCown makes a good move to avoid the rusher and run out of the pocket, but then he makes his mistake. He holds onto the ball too long, allowing Shazier to catch him and strip him. McCown should have thrown the ball away to avoid the sack. This sack is both on the protection and McCown.

Highlight of the Game

The highlight of the game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers was the Browns defense. It played valiantly against the high-powered Steelers offense. It allowed just 17 points to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense. The Browns defense held the Steelers to 313 yards of total offense. The defense was strongest in the redzone, holding the Steelers on multiple possessions to field goals. Yes, it was not a spectacular performance, but for a defense that has been dominated over the past many weeks, it performed better than usual.

Lowlight of the Game

The lowlight of the game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers was the Browns running game. The Browns ran 13 times for 33 total yards as a team. That is pitiful. Cleveland needs to run more, especially with the ever-revolving door at the quarterback spot. But, the offense has gone away from the run and become a pass-happy offense. But, the players in the run game need to play better, too. The Browns offensive line and running backs need to play better.