There is no other way to state it other than the Cleveland Browns got outclassed by the New England Patriots on Sunday. It was ugly on broadcast view, and it was ugly when viewing the coach’s film as well.
However, the tape will not break down itself, so somebody has to do it. Before we turn the page completely to the Baltimore Ravens as the first of a two-game stretch against AFC North foes, we take one last look at the all-22 from the Browns’ loss to the Patriots.
Here are five aspects of the game that stood out upon further review.
Donovan Peoples-Jones continues to answer the bell
Coming into the season, there were glaring concerns about the pass-catching talent on this Browns team. And outside of this Patriots game, they have not had much difficulty moving the football.
Much of that relief in the passing game is due to the continued leap of tight end David Njoku, but also due to the stability and consistency of third-year wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. On the day against the Patriots, he finished with another four catches for 74 yards for the Browns.
On the season thus far, Peoples-Jones has racked up 265 yards on 20 catches. This puts him on pace for 56 catches and 750 yards receiving on the season. The Browns are seeing leaps from two pass-catchers with a backup quarterback under center. Their offense is going to be just fine.
Only 4 catches on the day, but Donovan Peoples-Jones continues to answer the bell as the WR2 in this offense. pic.twitter.com/Q55e9wWssp
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) October 19, 2022
DTs were not good, but played their best game
Do not take this to mean the interior of the defensive line had a good game. This unit is still the worst in the league by a large margin, but they collectively played their best game on the season. They even bucked up at the goal line and kept the Patriots out of the endzone.
Overall, the combination of Taven Bryan, Jordan Elliott, Tommy Togiai, and Perrion Winfrey still has quite a way to go. But they at least took a step forward against the Patriots. Instead of allowing 200 yards rushing, they cut their pace in half!
Things are bad along the defensive interior when there is at least a light found in this bad performance. Without a massive upgrade at the trade deadline, which is doubtful, the next 11 games along that unit are going to continue to be ugly.
Jacoby left chunks on the field
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett had exceeded expectations through four-and-a-half games for the Browns, but his play came crashing down on Sunday. The journeyman backup quarterback played like a journeyman backup.
Brissett missed a handful of chunk plays on the day against the Patriots. We are not talking about a few yards here or there, but massive, gamechanging chunks that were left on the field.
The Patriots even blew a coverage that left Anthony Schwartz running wide open down the field that Brissett failed to find. There are four massive and egregious plays on the day that had the potential to change the tide on the day.
But as they say, hindsight is 20/20.
Jacoby… brother. pic.twitter.com/nMJJsIGW94
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) October 18, 2022
Choose your flavor between 85 and 2 pic.twitter.com/0GGT8UjNib
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) October 18, 2022
David Bell out and up if Brissett steps up after evading initial pressure… pic.twitter.com/li9b3pS265
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) October 18, 2022
David Bell is still running if Jacoby hangs in a clean pocket for just one more second. pic.twitter.com/47F3Z9hib1
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) October 18, 2022
Hjalte Froholdt proves steady in relief of Wyatt Teller
The depth along the offensive line has been well-documented over the past three seasons, and it continued to come in handy against the Patriots. In the past, guys like Michael Dunn, Blake Hance, Nick Harris, James Hudson, and Chris Hubbard have spot started games for this team with minimal dropoff in the play of the unit.
And while Hjalte Froholdt was not perfect in relief of Wyatt Teller this past Sunday, he flashed his ability to thrive in a wide-zone scheme while remaining consistent in pass protection as well. The former fourth round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was forced into action early in this game, and graded out with a solid 69.6 PFF grade on the day.
As Teller is still in a walking boot, Froholdt may be forced into the starting lineup against the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. If this is the case, this continued consistency out of the backup guard will be nothing short of a necessity.
Hjalte Froholdt was not perfect for the Browns in relief of Wyatt Teller. But he was steady and further proof of the deep stable of offensive linemen in that room. pic.twitter.com/Ictg8IDohw
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) October 19, 2022
Alex Wright is getting better every week
Rookie defensive end Alex Wright was dominant during his time at UAB, leading to the draft hype he got and his top-100 selection. The hope was that Wright takes over as the fulltime next season after the contract of Jadeveon Clowney expires. He has not been able to ease in quite as slow as he may have wanted to, however.
The normal workload for the 78th overall pick does not usually entail being thrown into the starting lineup by Week 3 and averaging 33 snaps per game. Without a doubt, Wright has been thrown into the fire by the Browns as Clowney has continued to battle an ankle injury.
Despite an early start to significant playing time, Wright is getting better each and every week. He has taken his lumps, that is hard to dispute, but the flashes and glimpses are there with the third round rookie.
Good rep by Alex Wright to set a strong frontside edge and collapse rush lanes. pic.twitter.com/TthdSzdsfb
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) October 18, 2022
