Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns hired Jim Schwartz in 2023 with the task of fixing the defense.
It has been “mission accomplished” for the most part, especially during the playoff season of 2023, as most weeks the defense has been the bright spot and worked overtime to bail out a floundering offense.
Sunday against the New York Jets was not one of those days.
Once New York head coach Aaron Glenn made the decision to start Justin Fields at quarterback, the defensive game plan turned into simply stopping the run. It is not even debatable that Fields is one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, as he came into the weekend with three games this season where he passed for fewer than 50 yards.
Through three quarters, things were going as planned, as Fields had thrown for all of 12 yards entering the final quarter. The game was only tied at 17 because of a pair of kick return touchdowns by the Jets, and all the Browns had to do was stuff the run and allow the offense an opportunity to do … anything … to come home with a win.
After both teams punted twice in the third quarter, the Jets started an offensive drive on their 42-yard line. The Browns knew the Jets could not pass the ball, the Jets knew they could not pass the ball, so naturally they ran six consecutive running plays to move to Cleveland’s 35-yard line at the end of the third quarter.
Not deterred by a seven-yard loss on an end-around, Fields threw a two-yard pass that Bryce Hall turned into a 42-yard touchdown reception that the Browns seemed uninterested in stopping.
After the teams traded field goals, leaving the Browns down by seven with 2:57 remaining, Cleveland needed its defense to make a stop and give the offense one more chance.
So what does the defense do?
On a third-and-16 play, Fields is sacked, but linebacker Devin Bush is called for defensive holding, which gives the Jets an automatic first down. Why was Bush holding a receiver when everyone in the building knew Fields was never going to throw the ball? It is one of life’s mysteries.
The Jets tried to give Cleveland one more chance, as they lined up for a fourth-down play at their 49-yard line with 58 seconds remaining. Fearing what Fields might do if they actually snapped the ball, the Jets planned to run out the clock and punt the ball away, daring Cleveland quarterback Dillon Gabriel to engineer a game-winning drive.
They had nothing to fear, however, as Cleveland’s Cameron Thomas was called for a neutral zone infraction to give the Jets a first down. From there, a pair of kneel-downs by Fields closed out the afternoon.
Cleveland’s offense is broken, the special teams continue to be a weekly mistake waiting to happen, but the defense is supposed to be the one thing the Browns can count on.
But after Sunday’s mess, it is time to retire...
