Cleveland Browns Dominant Win Highlights Season’s Frustrations

By Peter Smith | Dec 14, 2015

The Cleveland Browns gave fans the first glimpse of what they were hoping this team would be in 2015 in a dominating victory Sunday. Unfortunately, it happened in Week 14.

The Browns were everything they hoped to be this year, running the ball at will and frustrating the woeful 49ers offense at seemingly every turn. In a season of overwhelming disappointment on and off the field, the Cleveland Browns provided a glimmer of hope Sunday and have an opportunity to perhaps change the outlook for the offseason.

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Coming into the season, the Browns were hoping to be able to take pressure off of the quarterback position and not need it to win them games. An issue that was not helped by the departing of offensive line coach Andy Moeller, the running game has been virtually nonexistent averaging less than 75 yards per game.

Then Sunday happened. The Browns ran for a team total of 230 yards, more than tripling that average.

Isaiah Crowell had the best game of his career, running the ball 20 times for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. Crowell’s day was highlighted by runs of 54 yards and 50 yards. As critical as those plays are, the rest of Crowell’s day amounted to 18 carries for 41 yards – far more typical of his career to date.

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Duke Johnson had a nice day in a complementary role, running for 78 yards on 13 carries. He did not put up the eye popping statistical runs that Crowell did, but he looked more confident as a runner than he has at any point this season. He had plays where he was able to make something out of nothing, make defenders miss and flashed a mean streak in finishing runs. Johnson was not as explosive, but he was far more consistent.

The ball carriers were better, but the switch from the struggling Cam Erving to Austin Pasztor at left guard produced immediate dividends. Pasztor came out and played with an edge, especially in the running game. The longest run of the day, the 54 yarder, was behind Pasztor.

Defensively, the Browns stopped the run for the first time all season. The 49ers were only able to run for 71 yards on 17 carries and 2 of those runs were for 26 yards, including a scramble from embattled quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Coming into the season, the Browns gave up 136 yards per game on the ground. Against the 49ers, they almost cut that number in half.

Not surprisingly, when the Browns stopped the run, it enabled them to rush the passer. And while it certainly helped going against a quarterback like Gabbert, they were able to tally 9 sacks. Not since week 2 against the Titans where the Browns were able to notch 7 sacks against rookie Marcus Mariota has the defense gotten anywhere close to that much pressure.

Against Gabbert and Mariota, the Browns have a total of 16 sacks. Against the other 11 teams they have played this year, they totaled just 10.

Gary Barnidge celebrated his contract extension with 5 catches, 84 yards and a touchdown in what is becoming a typical day at the office.

Meanwhile, Johnny Manziel played well for 3 quarters of Sunday’s game. The 2^nd quarter was one he would probably like to forget, but one he can learn from, as he acknowledged in his postgame presser.

Overall, the combination of being able to run the ball effectively allowed Manziel to take advantage of opportunities to make throws, both on script and on time as well as in situations where he extended the play with his legs, showed the best of what the Browns can be.

Dec 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) warms up prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns did not need Manziel to win them the game, but his presence enabled them to put the game out of reach. It is unclear where the future is with Manziel, but certainly, Sunday served as the prototype of what the Browns would like this offense to be on a consistent basis.

Sunday was great for the team, great for the dozens of fans in attendance, but where do the Browns go from here?

This could be just a blip on the radar or a springboard type performance. The 49ers are awful, which certainly played a part in the way the Browns played, but they did play well. Unfortunately, the Browns now have to go on the road to play against two of the hottest teams with two of the best home field advantages in the NFL in Seattle and Kansas City before hosting the season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The slate is a difficult one, but if the Browns cannot parlay this win against the 49ers into some meaningful improvement over the last three games, it becomes a meaningless sugar high in another frustrating season as opposed to real growth.

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If the Browns can go out and win a game or two, the team looks like they might have turned a corner. In that scenario, were it to happen, the forgone conclusion by some that owner Jimmy Haslam would clean house and start over becomes a critical decision for the future of the team. Stay with this group and combined with better support from the top, hope for further improvement or deem it too little, too late and hope the next group is better.

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