4 Thoughts on Cleveland Browns Heartbreaking Loss to Raiders
Not short on talking points, the Cleveland Browns provided plenty of thoughts as they fell short of a much-needed victory against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The season is now hanging in the balance of a Christmas miracle. Can the Cleveland Browns rebound on a short week where the majority of the roster is on the COVID list to win at Lambeau against the best team in the NFC?
It certainly cannot get any worse than it did this past week.
Regardless, what thoughts did this ugly and despair-provoking game bring up as the Browns now fight for their lives?
Close the book on Joe Woods discourse
Close the book, burn it, bury the ashes. Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods is not going anywhere as he has his unit playing at a high level... even with half of his starters out.
Since the complete debacle on both sides of the football against the New England Patriots, Woods' defense has given up just 16 points per game over the last four weeks of the season. Creating turnovers at a high level, Woods' unit is giving the offense every chance to take hold of the game.
Ranking near the bottom of the barrel in pass defense efficiency, the Browns now fall 20th. Still not great, but the unit has literally had to pull themselves up by their boot straps over recent weeks to scrape together a starting secondary. Against the run, this unit is 11th in the league in terms of efficiency (from Football Outsiders).
And during yesterday's loss, Woods did so without the likes of Malik McDowell, Ronnie Harrison, Grant Delpit, Greg Newsome II, Jadeveon Clowney, and Troy Hill. For trotting out M.J. Stewart, Richard LeCounte, Jovante Moffatt, Joe Jackson, and Porter Gustin on his defense, Woods called a world of a game.
The defense has played more than well enough for the Browns to be 4-0 over the last month. Find a new scapegoat.
Nick Mullens has a future as a high-end back-up/spot starter
Going into the game, the one thing that could be at least counted on was Mullens' familiarity with the offensive system after spending time with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. And in that regard he did not disappoint in that regard.
The offense is quite oriented on the quarterback getting his eyes in the right spot, and Mullens did that. Nothing overly staggering or explosive from Mullens, but he kept the ball moving through the air in the second half.
Mullens did more than enough for the Browns to win. In fact, he made a play to bring his team back outside of structure. This is something we have not seen prevalently this season. He finished the game completing 60 percent of his passes for 147 yards, one score, and no turnovers. The numbers would have looked a bit better too without the large amount of drops on the day.
Is Mullens a future starting quarterback or even in conversation to replace Baker Mayfield? Absolutely not. However, Mullens looks like a quality spot starter and backup quarterback for this franchise.
You can absolutely win games if Mullens is forced to take starting snaps.
It sure is nice to have cornerback depth
No Greg Newsome, Troy Hill, or AJ Green, and the Browns were still able to trot out two starting caliber cornerbacks in Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams. Flashback to a year ago, when the Browns were forced to start Robert Jackson in a playoff game because of their lack of depth.
Getting depth at the position this offseason has paid off for the Browns. At some point, however, the toll of the COVID list is going to make an impact. Ward is heading to the Pro Bowl, and Williams was more than clutch down the stretch for the defense against the Raiders.
At some point, voices are going to say the Browns can afford to potentially shop Williams for a draft pick or upgrade at another position given the high play of Ward and the status of Newsome. However, this team values that depth far too much to risk it for another asset.
It is nice to have that depth in the secondary, and there is no point in trying to change anything about it.
Can't feel any worse for Takk McKinley
What a horrible, horrible injury for Takk McKinley, who looks to have ruptured his achilles in the loss last night. A former first round pick who has had a tough go of it throughout his career finally looked like himself in Cleveland.
The Browns may have been looking to bring him back next season in the same role, or even larger if Clowney cannot be retained. It now looks absolutely necessary to dip into the pass rusher pool in the 2022 NFL Draft this upcoming April.
Looking explosive in a rotational role with the Browns this season, McKinley looked poised to reel in a healthy extension this offseason. From the Browns or otherwise. Now, similar to Olivier Vernon a year ago, McKinley will more than likely be out all of next year as he recovers from a devastating injury.
Nothing but the best to Takk as he heads into a long recovery period.
READ MORE: Down 18 to COVID-19, Browns Make Valiant Effort, Fall a Play Short Against Raiders
