After winning five of their last six prior, the Cleveland Browns have now dropped their second game in a row. Losing to the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 36-19 on the road, the Browns were outclassed, especially on the defensive side of the ball as defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has had his unit throttled two weeks in a row by veteran quarterbacks. Despite some early heroics from veteran Joe Flacco in his first start as a Brown, the repeated scoring drives by the Rams proved to be too much to overcome.
This now makes three-in-a-row for the Rams as well, as they advance to 6-6 on the season with an outside chance to fight their way into the playoffs. After starting 7-3, the Browns now fall to 7-5 with five games to go in their season.
In a less-than-stellar reason to write a post-game analysis, here is your Week 13 4 Downs as the Browns now need to right the ship. And do it fast.
1st Down: A promising debut for Joe Flacco
Despite the back-breaking interception, this was a promising game for Flacco in his Cleveland debut. The defense could not get a stop and he pressed down the stretch. Overall, however, there is a ton to build from as Flacco will presumably lead the Browns the rest of the way down the stretch.
He finished with 254 yards passing and two touchdowns in addition to that one interception. For most of the game, Flacco was decisive with the football and even drilled some holes we have not seen a quarterback in Cleveland make in quite some time. It did not help that the run game was once again a non-factor for most of the game as it failed to find efficiency once again.
Expect Flacco to start at home against Jacksonville and every game from here on out. The Browns can win with the output they got from the 38-year-old veteran today. If the defense decides to hold up their end of the bargain.
2nd Down: Receivers step up in absence of Amari Cooper
Despite losing Amari Cooper to a head injury in this game, the Browns got the rest of their pass catchers to step up. Their passing attack or output from their receivers in the second half was far from an issue. It was a strong point for the Browns.
This is something the Browns have needed as nobody outside of Cooper and tight end David Njoku has made much of an impact in the passing game. That was not the case today, and we even got a glimpse of the player we expected Elijah Moore to be for the Browns this season.
Outside of Cooper’s production, the Browns got 83 yards on four catches from Moore. Even Cedric Tillman and David Bell answered the call when they were targeted. Tight end Harrison Bryant added another 49 yards and a touchdown through the air.
With Cooper ruled out after concussion evaluation, the Browns are realistically going to be without him this next week against the Jaguars as well. The Browns will need these players to continue to answer the bell.
3rd Down: Sean McVay royally outcoaches Jim Schwartz
Let’s call it like it is. The NFL’s supposed best defense has been outclassed in back-to-back weeks by veteran quarterbacks. And today, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was outclassed by a wide margin by Rams’ head coach Sean McVay.
Usually, it is the offense putting the defense behind the eight ball. This week it was the other way around as the already decimated offense had to continuously play from behind all game. At some point, that is too much to ask of a team starting their fourth quarterback, without their two best offensive playmakers, their starting right and left tackles, and more.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford neutralized any pass rush by getting the ball out quickly like a professional, but the Rams frequently solved the riddle pre-snap as they were able to scheme open wide-open receivers all day long. Stafford finished the game with a strong .22 Expected Points Added per play, and a total EPA of 8.4.
Creating no turnovers, the defense was gashed through both phases of the game by the Rams. And it won’t get easier for Schwartz and his defensive unit as they have Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence to gameplan for next week.
4th Down: This team misses Denzel Ward extremely bad
This secondary is lost without cornerback Denzel Ward.
He has missed back-to-back games, and the passing defense has been gutted in back-to-back weeks. Not having a cornerback you can trust to put on an island has been a massive issue.
While the Browns have been out-coached schematically in two straight games as well, getting at least a lockdown cornerback back on the field to take one player out of the game will make a huge difference. As the Browns now prepare for the Jacksonville Jaguars next week, getting Ward back on the field will help to neutralize wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
Ward is desperately missed in Cleveland.
Extra Point: Browns somehow still control their own destiny
Despite dropping two games in a row, the Browns still control their own playoff destiny. Sitting at 7-5, the Pittsburgh Steelers also dropped their game to the Arizona Cardinals. The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts also sit at 7-5 on the season.
The Browns hold the tiebreaker over the Colts and still have a chance to take a tiebreaker over the Steelers as they have one more AFC North game to play this season. Even despite dropping two straight, the Browns would still be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
Finding wins in the remaining five games is not difficult to find either, especially if they can continue to get this type of play out of Flacco. While they have a tough game against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week, the Browns then round out their schedule with the Chicago Bears, Texans (a game with seeding implications), the Rodgers-less New York Jets, and the Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals.
Even if the Browns can find three more wins in their last five, they will find themselves in the playoffs.
