Fifth Down: Cleveland Browns @ Green Bay Packers

That kinda day

Five Bad

1. Finley TD

The Browns started the game incredibly sluggishly and were down quickly. In under 3mins they were down by 7, and it was ugly viewing. Aaron Rodgers slung a quick pass to TE Jermichael Finley and he danced his way through four limp attempts to bring him down into the endzone. It was a bad start caused by poor fundamentals and you can guarantee that everybody involved heard about it from DC Ray Horton.

2. Weeden

As the weeks have gone by, the play of shellshocked QB Brandon Weeden has gotten worse and worse. He has become a caricature of all his faults. On Sunday it took him until his 5^th attempt to get a completion, and then he was immediately picked off on his next one. He continued to hold the ball for an age, taking three sacks against a depleted Packers pass rush, patted the ball before every attempt, couldn’t look off his first read at all and even repeated his insane underarm pass attempt from the week before. With Josh Campbell getting the start in KC, it’s likely this was Weeden’s swansong in a Browns uniform, barring injury.

3. Gordon

I would always preach caution when it comes to accusing someone of not working hard, but it certainly seemed that Gordon was disinterested at best during Sunday’s game. He only managed 2 receptions for 21 yards in the contest, having several passes broken up in his face, including one key breakup on 4^th down when it seemed his did give full effort in contending for the pass. It has been a difficult season for the young WR, dealing with suspension and caught in a swirl of trade rumours. He has done a good job concentrating on his football and producing on the field, so one Sunday off is forgivable. Hopefully he can collect himself and move on, and get back to doing what he does best.

4. Imbalance

The Browns continued to be pass-heavy against the Packers, despite the struggles at QB. They went down 14-0 in a hurry, so having to pass to catch up is forgivable (especially considering the difficult situation at RB), but there were times when the Browns did not put themselves in a position to succeed. On  Weeden’s first interception, the Browns threw twice on 3^rd and short instead of playing the percentages in running it up the gut. All in all, Weeden had 43 pass attempts compared to just 19 hand offs (and two further wildcat plays from Marqueis Gray that went nowhere).

5. 3^rd Downs

They continue to be the Browns kryptonite on both sides of the ball. The Browns went 7-18 on 3^rd downs on offense, compared to the Packers going 7-13. The Browns are currently struggling to extend drives and keep the D off the field. On defense, they can’t regularly stop the opposition on third down to get off the field. Either of these is enough to lose you games, together it’s difficult to get in position to win one.

Five Good

1. Cameron

Jordan Cameron continued to develop his reputation as one of the best young TEs in the league. Slightly quieter since Brian Hoyer went down with an ACL, he still managed to impress against the Packers. He had a joint team-high 9 targets (though many came in garbage time) and pulled off a good TD grab when Weeden rocketed the ball at him in the redzone. Most impressive was his ability to be strong at the point of attack. One of the main knocks on him in the offseason was his habit of coming up empty-handed under pressure, but he put paid to that against the Packers as he repeatedly made grabs whilst draped in defenders.

2. Oline

It has been a mixed bag along the Oline this season. They started disastrously, improved when Hoyer came in, then became shakey again with Weeden under centre. Sunday however was probably one of their best performances of the season. They managed to maintain a clean pocket for an extended period and opened up a few lanes for McGahee and Obie. Although they were facing a weakened Packers pass rush, it at least gives them a good building block heading into the ominous matchup with Kansas City and their pair of ferocious pass rushers, Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.

3. Pass rush

The pass rush has struggled a little bit against teams getting the ball out quickly, but did a good job bringing pressure on Aaron Rodgers. Although they only came up with one sack, they gave the Packers’ Oline a very difficult challenge, forcing them to resort to underhand measures to contain the Browns’ front 7. The Packers were called for holding three times, and the refs missed at least that number again, including one trip/hold on Jabaal Sheard that probably should have been called a Safety. The front 7 is almost fully healthy as Billy Winn and Quentin Groves return from knocks, so the Browns will hope they continue to bring the heat.

4. Run B-Rabbit

After his explosive plays as a punt returner and occasional rusher, there has been a loud clamour for the use of Travis Benjamin on kick returns due to the Browns’ problems at the position. They have tried several players, most recently Greg Little, to no avail. With the Browns down late in the game, the coaching staff gave Benjamin a shot at making a play. He proceeded to show off his elite speed as he took the ball 86 yards down the field and was only stopped from taking it to the house by Packers CB Micah Hyde. The coaching staff have said they don’t like using the slight WR on the more physically demanding position of kick returner, but Benjamin has shown he can take it all the way if needs must.

5. Fozzy Bear

Overshadowed somewhat by Travis Benjamin taking his first kick return of the year back 86 yards almost for a TD was the impressive play of rookie Fozzy Whittaker in the role. The Browns have very much struggled to find a kick returner but it seems like they may have found their man in Fozzy. He took all 3 kick returns past the 20 and had 103 total yards, his long being a 56-yard return. He also looked functional in the offense and made a good catch on a slant for a first down. It will be an important addition if he is able to give the Browns some stability at kick returner and maintain his ability to put them in good field position.