Cleveland Browns: Mixed bag performance vs. Rams yields second loss

The Cleveland Browns came up short on Sunday Night Football against the Rams, dropping to a disappointing 1-2 start on the season.

The Cleveland Browns were quite hyped to start the 2019 season but the new campaign hasn’t started off as planned. On Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams, the Browns fell at home, 20-13. However, they submitted a gutsy all-around performance, especially given their injuries. What should be taken away, though, is a mix of positive and negative reviews, specifically on offense.

Defensively, the Browns played relatively well considering they were without Christian Kirksey, Greedy Williams, Denzel Ward and Morgan Burnett. However, this makeshift defensive unit held the defending NFC champion to just 20 points and put Baker Mayfield and the offense in position to tie the game on the last possession of the game with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

The pass rush led by Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi both had big games, registering a sack against a relatively weak Rams offensive line. Garrett was also able to force a fumble that allowed the Browns to go into halftime with a 6-3 lead.

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Keeping with the positives, Mayfield and the Cleveland offense were effective with quick passes and utilizing RPO concepts. The second-year quarterback was much more accurate with his passes when he had less time to throw the ball, plain and simple.

Those plays were also effective in neutralizing the Rams’ pass rush for the better part of the first half. Coming into this game, the matchup in the trenches was a big concern for a Browns team that has a weaker offensive line going up against a monster in Aaron Donald. Thus, their success on those types of plays is a ringing positive in a losing effort.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all positive for Freddie Kitchens’ team. Once again, the penalties piled up far too high for the Browns. Things have been and still were way too sloppy in that regard with an offense that now has the weapons they do in Cleveland.

Furthermore, the offensive line remains a massive issue. And while Mayfield hasn’t been perfect, the performance of those protecting him has made matters far worse. As stated, this offense was effective when it was moving at a faster pace and pushing the ball out quickly. On longer dropbacks, though, Donald and the Rams lived in the backfield.

Moving forward, you have to hope that Kitchens and the Browns move towards more quick-hitting offensive plays to neutralize the ineffectiveness of the O-line. It’s hard to be successful when Mayfield doesn’t have time to utilize his weapons and, with 11 sacks in three games, that’s starting to look like the case. Either a shift in scheme or just improvement in line play is vital for living up to expectations.

The Browns have, unfortunately, dropped to 1-2 on the season with a date against rival Baltimore on the road in Week 4. Having said that, they performed perhaps better than expected overall against the Rams in primetime. So perhaps that’s a good sign for what’s coming down the pipeline — if they can address the still-problematic areas.