With the defense wearing down, Browns should be encouraged by debut of Joe Flacco
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
INGLEWOOD, CA
For most of the game, the Browns enjoyed quarterback play as good as they’ve seen all year.
Joe Flacco came off the streets of New Jersey and after one week of practice made decisions and throws that, frankly, hadn’t been seen by any of the three passers that preceded him -- Deshaun Watson included.
He threw for a Browns’ season-high 254 yards and matched Watson’s best with two touchdown passes. All with a sub-par running game and receiver Amari Cooper missing the last 2 ½ quarters with a concussion.
But Flacco made two errors on the fateful play in the fourth quarter that doomed the Browns to a very, very deceptive 36-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The loss was minimized by the fact it came against an NFC opponent and won’t factor in the byzantine tie-breakers that will determine the congested AFC wild-card race. Also, it helped that Pittsburgh (7-5) and Denver (6-6) also lost. At 7-5, the Browns remain the AFC’s sixth seed and in third place in the AFC North behind idle Baltimore (9-3) and Pittsburgh.
Indeed, Flacco’s debut performance bodes well for the offense – if the Browns’ “collaborative process” keeps him as the starter. Coach Kevin Stefanski declined to tackle that elephant in the post-game conference room.
“I think Joe showed he can still play some good football,” said left guard Joel Bitonio.
Rams safety John Johnson made the defensive play of the game, avenging his former teammates with the Browns.
The Browns were in great position to leave here with a victory when they took over possession at their 21-yard line with 6:32 to play.
They were seizing control of the game to the delight of thousands of Browns faithful in SoFi Stadium with punishing scoring drives of 13 and 15 plays. The running game, held to 22 yards in the first half, was coming alive behind heavy formations and Flacco was playing error-free. Harrison Bryant’s 8-yard touchdown reception with 8:49 to play should have tied the score at 20-20, but Dustin Hopkins missed the PAT.
Still, when the defense forced a punt in three plays and James Proche returned it 15 yards to the 21, it appeared the Browns could just rely on what they were already doing -- milk the clock with physical running and set up a game-winning field goal try, at the very least.
But on first down, Flacco play-faked and had all day in the pocket. He could not resist taking a shot for Elijah Moore breaking downfield. Moore, who had his best game after Cooper got knocked out, had his man beat, but Flacco was late with his decision and the throw came up short. Flacco didn’t see safety John Johnson, the ex-Brown, eyeing everything. Johnson made an easy catch for the interception and returned it 42 yards to the Browns’ 24.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford converted the only turnover of the game into a 3-yard TD to Cooper Kupp. The Rams scored another TD after a Browns turnover on downs, and added a sack of Flacco in the end zone for a safety to make it look like a blowout, which it wasn’t. Sixteen points by the Rams came in the last 3:48.
“It ultimately was just a bad decision,” Flacco said of the interception. “I was late throwing that pass. I had time. Lost track of the safety.”
Flacco said he should have just run the ball for 3 or 5 yards, or thrown it away, as he had done often in the game. His 23 of 44 passing numbers were skewered by several throwaways that served to keep him from being sacked (until the end) and turning over the ball. Also, two chunk pass plays were erased on a penalty and replay reversal. Flacco was conscience of the fact the running game was getting in a groove; it averaged almost 6 yards an attempt in the second half.
“I think late in the game, we started to get some seams and looked like we were going to wear them down a little bit,” Flacco said. “It’s just a shame we didn’t put ourselves in position to do that [on] the [next-to-last] drive. If we could just get that started with either a 3-yard rush by me or a throwaway and do more of that, even though it wasn’t going early, you would have seen it kind of pop in the last few minutes of the game to help us out.”
Flacco added, “I’m disappointed in myself. These are the games I honestly love to be in, that come down to the fourth quarter. They’re not pretty and they’re tight. I think I excel in games that are played tight and need to have good decisions made. So to not come through in that kind of situation, it definitely stings a little bit.”
Hammering the ball also would have helped the defense, which continued to leak oil and backfire with a fourth straight sub-par performance on the road. The Rams averaged 6.4 yards a play for 399 total yards.
Without Denzel Ward (shoulder injury) for the second straight game, Stafford (22 of 37 for 279 yards and three TDs) kept targeting replacements Mike Ford and Khalef Hailassie. Rookie receiver Puka Nacua beat Hailassie for a 70-yard touchdown catch-and-run among his four catches for 105 yards, and added a 31-yard run on a jet sweep, and Demarcus Robinson beat Ford for receptions of 30 yards and 7 for a touchdown when the Rams took a 20-13 lead.
And defensive end Myles Garrett was largely ineffective playing with a bum left shoulder.
Garrett said “it didn’t affect me that much,” but he didn’t register a single tackle for the first time in his career. Running back Kyren Williams (88 yards and 1 TD on 21 attempts) ran through Garrett’s tackle attempt on one play. Stafford’s quick passing kept the Browns’ edge rush at bay and the tackles made no penetration to move Stafford out of the pocket.
With the defense leaking and injuries taking their toll on that side of the ball, Flacco’s impressive debut is a source of encouragement. Because it looks like the Browns are going to need to be able to score more points to get to the finish line.
The Browns come home to play the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars after losing two games in a row for the first time all season.
“We can’t let two turn into three,” Bitonio said. “We have to be focused, have our best week of practice and have a big home game.”
