Browns Recap 11.21.16: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE

The Browns fall to 0-11 after their 24-9 loss to the Steelers. This game was personification of the 2016 Cleveland Browns and four plays proved that.  The first was the Browns punting on 4&33 and then two penalties at the end of the first half (which would have ended the half at 6-0) allowing the Steelers to take a 14-0 lead into the locker room. Then in the second half the quarterback Cody Kessler suffered a concussion and Josh McCown had to take over. Each quarterback suffered four sacks and were hit hard multiple times.


The First Half:

Defensively the Browns played a "bend, but don't break defense". The Steelers completely dominated the time of possession having the ball for just over 20 minutes. The Steelers had 217 total yards on 41 plays. 132 of the 217 yards were through the air with Le'Veon Bell as the Steelers leading receiver with seven catches for 50 yards. Bell also carried the ball 16 times for 85 yards and a touchdown (which was the result of the two penalties at the end of the half). The Steelers were also 4/7 on third down and 1/1 on fourth. Roethlisberger was 18/25 for 132 yards.

The Browns were horrible offensively only managing 50 total yards. Kessler was 3/7 for 60 yards and one interception, but what really killed this team was Kessler being sacked three times for a total of 29 yards. The running game didn't do anything. 19 rushing yards on seven carries. Isaiah Crowell had five carries for nine yards and Duke Johnson had two carries for 10. The leading receiver was Terrelle Pryor with one catch for 30 yards. Andrew Hawkins had a catch for 28 yards and rookie Corey Coleman had a catch for four yards, and he also had two dropped catches.


The Second Half:

The defense played well holding the Steelers to 96 total yards in the second half. Bell had 66 of the 96 yards. 61 on the ground and five through the air. Bell ended the game with 146 yards on the ground on 28 carries and a touchdown. And eight catches for 55 yards. Roethlisberger ended his day with 167 yards on 23/36 passing. Antonio Brown tied Bell as the game leader in catches with eight and had the team lead in receiving yards with 76.

The Browns leading tacklers were Christian Kirksey with nine, Jamie Collins with eight, and Demario Davis with seven.

Offensively the Browns were the Browns. They couldn't run the ball at all and their quarterback got hurt. Kessler suffered a concussion and McCown came in. McCown played like he always does. 118 yards on 14/27 passing and throwing the Browns only touchdown of the day. A 14 yard pass to tight end Gary Barnidge. Two plays back-to-back really hurt the Browns. After getting the ball while down 17-9 McCown threw a ball over the middle to Terrelle Pryor. Pryor didn't catch it because it was overthrown but suffered a big hit and was taken off of the field. The next play while scrabbling, McCown fumbled the ball into the end zone and it was recovered by the Steelers for a touchdown. So like stated before..."McCown played like he always does". Terrelle Pryor ended his day with five catches for 97 yards, Duke Johnson had three catches in the second half for 46 yards, and ended his day with 4 catches for 39 yards.

The offensive line was terrible all game. They couldn't get a push in the running game resulting in 33 yards on 13 carries and the Steelers having eight sacks for 70 yards.

Overall Thoughts:

These games are hard to watch, but this team isn't quitting and that says a lot. It says a lot about the coaching of Hue Jackson and his staff. He is trying to get as much as he can with what he has. We all knew this year was going to be tough but no one thought it was going to be this tough. Its hard to win when you play six different players at quarterback, numerous offensive line combinations, and injuries on both sides of the ball.

This game also showed me that Kessler isn't going to be our starting quarterback for the future...and that is okay. Kessler seems to hesitant to get the ball out. Yes its a combination of the lack of play-makers and offensive line but its becoming obvious that the Browns will draft their future quarterback in April. Also expect Robert Griffin III to start either this week against the Giants (if he's cleared) or week 14 vs the Bengals and to play for the reminder of the season.

Most Valuable Brown (MVB): Terrelle Pryor continues to play well with a murky quarterback situation. He is proving he can be a top-level receiver and should get paid handsomely this off-season whether its in Cleveland or not.

Browns Preview: Cleveland Browns @ Tennessee Titans

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE

The (0-5) Cleveland Browns travel to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans who are (2-3). The Browns got blown out last week against the New England Patriots 33-13.  While the Titans won in Miami verse the Dolphins 30-17. The Browns will be starting rookie quarterback Cody Kessler this week, even though he is recovering from a rib/chest injury that took him out of the game last week.


Browns Offense Vs Titans Defense

The Browns are going to continue to run the ball this week. Isaiah Crowell was the leading rusher going for 22 yards on 13 carries. Yes, he and the run game overall was terrible but the Browns had to play catch up with Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback. Also Joel Bitonio was hurt during second half and unfortunately he will be out for a few weeks. But back to this week, Crowell and Duke Johnson should be able to have success like the first four weeks. The Titans are ranked 14th in the NFL in rush defense giving up just under 100 yards per game. They are also 20th in yards per rushes with 4.2 yards per carry.

Cody Kessler will be starting at quarterback this week with either Josh McCown or rookie Kevin Hogan as the backup. The Browns might struggle in the pass game for a number of reasons. First off the Titans are ranked 9th in the NFL in passing defense (222 yards per game). They are also tied for 5th in interceptions with six on the year. The Titans are also tied for 9th in the sack category with 12, which doesn't fair well for the Browns since their offensive line is going to be lacking their left guard.

Another reason the passing game might struggle is Kessler's injury. Even though the play calling will likely be the same with "slants, quick outs, and check downs". It remains to be seen if Kessler can make those throws with the injury, and be able to take a hit while reading a defense.

How the Browns can have success is fairly simple and its the same game plan every week. Control the clock. In the games they were in, mainly against the Ravens, Dolphins, and Redskins, the Browns did a great job running the ball and keeping the opposing team's offense off the field. The other key for the Browns to have success is to NOT turn the ball over. Turnovers killed them against the Ravens and Redskins. But if they win the turn over battle the Browns might sneak out of Nashville with a win. Its going to be a tough task but from what we've seen from Hue Jackson so far, the Browns will be prepared this week.


Browns Defense vs Titans Offense

This is were the game could get a little lopsided. The Titans are really good at running the ball and the Browns aren't that good at stopping it. The Titans rushing attack is headlined by DeMarco Murray, who is second in the NFL in rushing yards with 461 yards and also has three touchdowns. But its not just Murray in the run game, Derrick Henry spells Murray at times for short yardage plays, and Quarterback Marcus Mariota has 132 rushing yards on 20 attempts and a touchdown. The Browns will need to sell out to stop the run and keep a linebacker in during passing downs to spy on Mariota.

The passing offense isn't that great. They average 209 yards through the air, which is 28th in the NFL. The Titans use DeMarco Murray as a pass catcher a ton. He leads the team in catches with 24. They also have a top tier tight end in Delanie Walker who has 16 catches for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns.    The Browns have had a tough time covering opponents tight ends this year and one of the keys of the Browns to get this win is to stop Walker. Stopping Walker will force the check down passes to Murray and force the Titans' wide receivers (Andre Johnson, Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe) to beat them. Let's hope Joe Haden's injury doesn't prevent him from playing because the Browns really need him this week.


Five Guys To Watch

Isaiah Crowell: Crowell had his first bad game of the year, if he can put it behind him and ball out this game...it will really show the growth of him and this team in general.

Andrew Hawkins: The Titans will try and take away Terrelle Pryor and Gary Barnidge so Andrew Hawkins has a great opportunity to ball out. Hawkins and Kessler seem to have some chemistry going whether its in the red zone like last week, or with drag and out routes like in previous weeks.

Danny Shelton: Shelton is the nose of the defense and he will need to set the tone in the run defense. If Shelton has a bad game then the Browns don't have a chance to stop the run which will result in the Browns losing.

DeMario Davis: Davis is one of the leaders on this team and has played really well. Davis is going to be important not just in the run game, but in the pass game. Not just covering Murray or Walker but spying on Mariota which might be the most important job.

Hue Jackson: Yes the head coach is someone we should watch. The Browns do a solid job in the first half of games, but struggle during the second half. I'm going to watch out for second half adjustments by the Browns and hopefully they can get points because of them. Also, the Art Briles controversy or whatever, I''m curious to see how he handles "on field" stuff with all the "off field' surrounding him. Also Jackson is running out of winnable games and another loss could be one step closer to "losing" this team. I don't think that would happen, but starting 0-6 isn't a good look...even if its in a rebuilding year. This team needs an actual victory not a moral one.

Injury Report
Weather Report
Betting Line: Tennessee -7

Prediction: 28-24 Titans

My heart wants to pick the Browns, but my head says no. It will be a watchable game, but a late turnover by the Browns will shift momentum to the Titans. Kessler will play like he has in his first three games. And I think Crowell will have a bounce back game, but the Browns won't be able to come back from adversity in this game which will result in a loss. 0-6 sucks but we will be one week close to the end of the year and the draft in April. Also the Cavs start in two weeks, Ohio State is arguably the best team in the nation, and the Indians are in the ALCS...so don't feel bad Browns fans, stay positive!!!