Following the Cleveland Browns first loss of the preseason, one thing was blatantly noticeable. Their defense was great, but their offense was not. Fans shouldn’t despair though. Cleveland lost by only one point to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cleveland Browns offense is far from perfect, but with some added focus, they can be up to scratch soon.
Cleveland Browns Offense Is Still Far From Perfect
No, this isn’t a case of analysts and football fans looking in from the sidelines, making worthless comments. It came straight out of the horse’s mouth. Head coach Freddie Kitchens said “We did not execute. We’re not even close to where we want to go.”
The Positives
No matter how much work is left to be done, the Browns have moved forward from their miserable past. It’s clear they won’t go back to the way they were. Their defense was particularly good against the Bucs, especially in terms of speed. Seven sacks in one game is nothing to sneeze at. Even Austin Seibert showed why he was worthy of being a fifth-round draft pick, nailing all four of his field-goal attempts.
They Need Their Stars to Play
Cleveland’s best running back, Nick Chubb, didn’t play. Neither did star receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. This is only preseason, and they won’t make an appearance before the regular season. Obviously it’s not a big deal if Cleveland’s strongest players don’t play in the preseason. But it does highlight the necessity for them to be on that field come the regular season.
How Much of the Game Should Starters Have to Play?
The Browns played their entire starting offensive lineup into the third quarter. Quarterback Baker Mayfield played the first half. This should’ve been enough for a Bucs squad that’s ranked 27th in overall defense, and 31st in points allowed. Perhaps it will be enough in the regular season, time will tell.
The Run Game Needs Serious Work
The starting offensive lineup consisted of Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson, who combined for 21 yards in 10 carries. They barely had any room to run. The number four quarterback David Blough struggled to get to 12 yards, the longest run of the night. Despite their struggles, Kitchens is playing it cool. When Terry Pluto of cleveland.com asked Kitchens about Hunt, he responded “He’ll be fine.” Added to Hunt’s recent groin injury, he’s facing an eight-game suspension to begin the season.
The Running Backs Have Performed Well in Previous Games
Johnson had 53 yards in 10 carries in Cleveland’s victory against the Indianapolis Colts, but only had 10 yards in five carries against Tampa Bay. Kitchens is understandably frustrated because the offense and blocking were considerably better in the first two preseason games. Also, the Browns will have to rely on Hilliard coming back from his hamstring injury and back up Chubb. Time will tell how effective they can be together.
Even Baker Mayfield Has Bad Days
Baker Mayfield was under a lot of pressure to get rid of the ball fast and he did. He was sacked once and didn’t get hit hard. However, at 10-of-26 for 72 yards, this was inaccurate passing from the usually dynamite quarterback. His timing with receivers left a lot to be desired and several of his throws sailed too high. He knew where he went wrong. “I’m not happy with some of my throws.”
The Wide Receivers Need to Click More With Mayfield
Derrick Willes dropped two of Mayfield’s passes. And Rashard Higgins, who usually connects well with Mayfield, dropped one. If Landry and Beckham are on the field, they’ll be better able to catch his passes, even if not on target. It wouldn’t be fair to place all of the blame on the receivers, however. Mayfield rushed some throws. The line didn’t give him adequate protection and his frustration was transparent.
The Browns offense has an unspeakable amount of work ahead of them, but this season is full of promise and they can actually be a playoff contender.
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