NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: Ravens upend Patriots, Browns implode completely
By Randy Gurzi
27. Cleveland Browns (24)
Heading into this weekend, the expectation for the Cleveland Browns was for them to get on a roll. After going 2-5 during a tough stretch that included games against the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots they had just two teams remaining with winning records. They started that ‘softer’ schedule on Sunday, and it was as bad as the rest of their games have been.
Despite facing a quarterback with no experience in Brandon Allen, the Browns spent the entire game playing from behind. While they cleaned up some of the penalties and had no turnovers — another huge issue of theirs this season — they still were plagued by poor play calling, bad game management, misuse of timeouts, and questionable decisions late.
The worst of those decisions came on a fourth-down play that ended up deciding the game. Down 24-19 and in Denver territory, Baker Mayfield dropped back and tried to force the ball to Jarvis Landry. The ball fell incomplete and replay showed Odell Beckham, Jr. had a step on his guy in single coverage — but Baker never even looked his way.
It’s been common theme as their best player on offense has been under utilized and in this one, he received less than half as many targets as Landry. The Browns also seem to completely forget about him in the red zone, which is borderline criminal.
Making things even more crazy was a Twitter tirade that followed the game which included safety Jermaine Whitehead threatening a fan and a radio host for criticizing his play. It’s clear that head coach Freddie Kitchens has no control over this team and it feels as though his time with the team will come to an end after just one season. If he completes this one that is.