The Cleveland Browns’ offensive struggles were on full display in their 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, with scrutiny intensifying on quarterback Joe Flacco’s performance.
The 40-year-old quarterback committed three turnovers, bringing his season total to eight. Through four games, Cleveland’s offense is the second-lowest scoring in the NFL, averaging just 14 points per game. Despite Flacco’s difficulties, Coach Kevin Stefanski has consistently stated that the team’s offensive problems are not the fault of one player.
When asked Monday if Flacco would remain the starter for the Week 5 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Stefanski again avoided a direct confirmation, reiterating that the issues are widespread.
“We have to play better as an offense,” he said. “We have to coach better on offense. It’s not about one person. There are so many things that we need to do better and obviously quarterback included, but this is not about one person.”
Even a potential switch to rookie backup Dillon Gabriel would not solve the team’s recurring problems with dropped passes and poor pass protection.
Against the Lions, the Browns had three dropped passes, two of which came at a pivotal moment. Trailing 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and receiver Jerry Jeudy dropped consecutive passes that would have been significant gains. Immediately following Jeudy’s third-down drop, Lions receiver Kalif Raymond returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown, extending Detroit’s lead to three scores.
“I got to make that damn play,” Jeudy said. “That’s a big-time play. I got to catch them s—-. I catch them s—- every day in practice.”
The Browns’ eight drops this season are the second-most in the league, and they have often occurred in critical situations. In the Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, back-to-back drops by Fannin and Jeudy led to a turnover on downs in Bengals territory while Cleveland was trailing by a single point.
“Part of being good in the pass game is having precision,” Stefanski said. “That includes everything and everything you do, and we obviously have to clean that up.”
The offensive line has also become a major liability in pass protection. Injuries have forced the Browns to use four different starting line combinations in as many games. Left tackle Dawand Jones is out for the season, and right tackle Jack Conklin has missed the last three games.
Their replacements, KT Leveston and Cornelius Lucas, have struggled. Among 66 qualifying tackles, Leveston and Lucas rank 57th and 61st, respectively, in pass block win rate. Lucas was particularly overmatched by Lions pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Hutchinson faced Lucas in 17 one-on-one matchups and recorded two sacks, including a strip-sack, and five pressures.
In response to these protection issues, the Browns agreed to trade for Houston Texans offensive tackle Cam Robinson on Monday.
“We own this all together,” Stefanski said. “To have success on any side of the ball, you have to play as one and you have to play together. We had too many things that caused us not to have success.”
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