Ohio State jumps one spot to No. 3 in latest AP Top 25
October 1, 2018What is going on with the NFL? While We’re Waiting
October 2, 2018The Cleveland Browns are now 1-2-1 in 2018, after falling to the Oakland Raiders in overtime on Sunday, 45-42. The Browns lost another crushing game in which a myriad of things transpired that turned the game away from the Browns. Yes, the officials in the game were quite bad. They had numerous controversial and flat out wrong calls. However, the Browns lost the game. And, one of the big reasons Cleveland failed to bring home the victory was because of their lack of fundamentals. The Browns are still failing at the simple fundamentals of the game.
In the loss to Oakland, the fundamentals that the Browns really struggled with were tackling, ball security, missed assignments and decision-making. The tackling was simply atrocious by the Browns defense. According to Browns Head Coach Hue Jackson on Monday, Cleveland dropped nine balls during their game versus Oakland. Much of this is just a lack of focus. The wide receivers would get open for Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, but they lost the focus to complete the catch. The drops were killer. The first touchdown of the game came on a pass that deflected off of wide receiver Antonio Callaway’s hands and into the waiting hands of a Raiders defender. Catching the ball is a fundamental task in football and the Browns failed to do that on Sunday.
The Browns have been a turnover machine on defense, but the offense has done their fair share of turning the ball over. The biggest problem for the offense has been the ball security. Cleveland has fumbled nine times this season, but luckily they have only lost two of those fumbles. Nine fumbles is tied for the third most in the NFL. On Sunday, the Browns fumbled three times, losing two of them. The two lost fumbles for the Browns, both by Mayfield, kept the Raiders in the game. They have been lucky that they have recovered most of them, however, the trend is not good because their luck may end. The Browns need to take care of the ball and secure the ball.
The Browns defense was bad versus Oakland. The unit gave up 565 total yards versus the Raiders. One of the big reasons the Browns defense struggled versus Oakland was due to missed assignments. The Browns allowed Raiders pass catchers to get wide open throughout the game with the underneath routes being the most vulnerable areas for this problem. The Browns were losing players in coverage, giving the Raiders space for yards after the catch. According to Pro Football Focus, the Browns allowed 209 total yards after the catch. That is due in large part to a breakdown in coverage where players are left open in space. Cleveland was losing many one-on-one battles, but a lot of their coverage problems was due to missed assignments where pass catchers roamed without much coverage. Missed assignments can kill a talented defense. It is a breakdown that can be avoided by knowing your job at all times.
The decision-making has been a team-wide problem for the Browns. The coaches’ decision-making in play calls and player usage has been troubling so far this season and Sunday was no different. The coaches need to sharpen their decision-making. The players also show a lack of correct decision-making. Whether it’s deciding to run the ball out of the end zone on returns or not committing penalties that stall a drive, the Browns players need to clean this up. Overall, the Browns need to be smarter.
These lack of fundamentals are some of the keys to why the Browns are struggling to close out games. Cleveland is committing these fundamental fails, causing them to collapse in key moments. In order for the Browns to finish off games, the team needs to take care of the fundamentals first.