David Njoku was a big part of the first half for the Browns offense, both in catching and blocking. (Cleveland Browns)
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.INGLEWOOD, CA
Instant takeaways from Browns 47-42 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers …1. Scoring fest in LaLa Land: Up and down the Browns and Chargers went for 60 minutes of breathless offensive football. The Browns did it mostly on the ground with Nick Chubb (161 yards, 1 TD) and Kareem Hunt (84 total yards, 2 TD). The Chargers did it with the golden arm of quarterback Justin Herbert. In the end, not even two missed PATs by the Chargers could save the Browns. Herbert was relentless against a Browns secondary depleted by the loss of both starting cornerbacks. He threw for four touchdowns and ran for one, and running back Austin Ekeler added two touchdown runs, as the Chargers outlasted the Browns, 47-42. The Browns had the ball at their own 25 with 1:31 to go and no timeouts. The game ended when a Baker Mayfield Hail Mary fell untouched in the Chargers’ end zone with :05 to go. The Browns fell to 3-2; the Chargers are 4-1.
2. Catch your breath: The teams exchanged touchdowns in the span of 37 seconds in the fourth quarter. First, Herbert connected for a 72-yard touchdown to Mike Williams. There wasn’t a Browns defender within 25 yards of him. That gave the Chargers their first lead, 28-27, since ahead 10-3. After the kickoff, Mayfield one-upped Herbert in two plays. On second down, Mayfield connected with David Njoku for about 25 yards in the middle of the field, and Njoku did the rest, breaking down the right sideline for a 71-yard catch and run. Mayfield added two points on an underhanded scoop pass to Austin Hooper right out of the Kansas City Chiefs’ playbook. But Herbert responded with another TD drive, converting a fourth-and-4 from the Chargers’ 41 on a questionable pass interference call on A.J. Green, and then a crucial third-and-8 completion to Keenan Allen to set up a 4-yard TD run by Austin Ekeler. With 7:24 to go, it was 35-35.3. Defense trying: Herbert made it a one score game in the third quarter with a 9-yard run on a keeper and a two-point conversion pass to tight end Donald Parham. Momentum was shifting to the home team when the Chargers forced the first Browns punt of the game. Then the defense turned it up after a first down. From the Chargers’ 42, there came this sequence: On first down, Myles Garrett beat left tackle Rashawn Slater for a sack, on second down Takk McKinley decked Herbert as he was throwing the ball away, and on third down Herbert threw wildly for Mike Williams and right into the arms of cornerback A.J. Green, who dropped the interception.4. Chubba wubba: Chubb soared over 100 yards for the game on his third carry of the second half. From the Browns’ 48-yard line, Chubb took the handoff, cut to the outside and stiff-armed a defender away, then broke a second tackle attempt before turning on the jets and outracing everyone to the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown. At that point in the game, Chubb had 128 yards on 18 carries – a 7.1-yard average.5. Still attached: Mayfield’s much-discussed torn labrum injury in his left shoulder seemed non-existent in the first half. Mayfield was 11 of 14 for 155 yards, 1 TD to Rashard Higgins, and a passer rating of 136. The only incompletions were a drop by Odell Beckham Jr., a throwaway, and a hard fastball for Hunt on the last play of the half.
6. OH, B.J.: Beckham’s drop came at the first-down marker on a fourth-and-2 gamble from the Chargers’ 17. It was his only target of the half. Beckham made his first catch of the game with 5:34 to play in the third quarter on a back-shoulder throw from Mayfield for 13 yards.
7. Riverboat Stefanski: Stefanski continued to be aggressive on fourth down. After Beckham’s drop, Stefanski went for it again on fourth-and-1 from the Chargers’ 3 at the 1:00 mark. What defense on Earth can stop Hunt in a jumbo formation with three tight ends and a fullback? Not the Chargers. Hunt powered in for the touchdown. The conversion made the Browns 5 of 10 on fourth-down gambles this year and 13 of 34 in 21 games under Stefanski.
8. Turnovers, please: Coordinator Joe Woods has been waiting for his defense to produce some takeaways. They got one after Hunt’s touchdown. After the kickoff, a screen pass to Austin Ekeler resulted in fumble on a strip by Greedy Williams while Grant Delpit hit Ekeler. Malik McDowell recovered at the Chargers’ 22. Three plays later, Chase McLaughlin’s 31-yard field goal gave the Browns a 20-13 lead at halftime.9. Communication breakdowns: Both of Herbert’s touchdown throws in the first half came on Browns defensive breakdowns. On the first, Herbert tossed a short pass to tight end Donald Parham with nobody in coverage for a 22-yard score. On the second, Herbert caught the Browns confused with a quick huddle and launched a long pass to Mike Williams, who was long gone behind A.J. Green and Delpit for a 72-yard touchdown.
10. Brilliant scheming: With Blake Hance getting the nod at left tackle in place of injured Jedrick Wills, Stefanski began the game with an effective strategy to keep pass rusher Joey Bosa at bay. The Browns moved 75 yards on their first drive employing mostly three tight end-formations and blasting Nick Chubb on the ground. The first time Mayfield threw, he connected for 22 yards to David Njoku. The second time he attempted to throw, blitzing safety Derwin James strip-sacked Mayfield from the blind side, but Njoku recovered the ball under a pile. On fourth-and-5 from the 12, Stefanski tried to hard-count the Chargers into offsides before taking a delay penalty and kicking a 35-yard field goal.
11. Pre-game notes: Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was a mild surprise on the Browns’ inactive list. Clowney missed two days of practice with an elbow injury but advanced to limited participation on Friday. His starting spot was taken by Takk McKinley. The winner of the weeks-long audition to replaced injured Wills (ankle) was Hance over rookie James Hudson. Each had played snaps in relief of Wills over the past three games. An emergency via the N.Y. Jets during the Browns’ coronavirus outbreak in December, Hance was making his first NFL start.
