The Browns lost another game after catastrophic mistakes were made on defense and special teams
At the conclusion of this year’s Cleveland Browns training camp, there was so much anticipation and encouragement that the franchise had turned the corner with an 11-win season last year. Whatever holes were on the roster, GM Andrew Berry appeared to have solved.
And now? The Browns are left questioning everything after losing another game to an inferior roster. The offense wasn’t the problem in today’s 35-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints. It was the defense overall along with mistakes on special teams that did them in.
With the 2-7-0 Browns coming into this week’s game against the 3-7-0 New Orleans Saints, it was destined to become a mid-off. The Saints had allowed the eighth most points scored against their defense, and the Browns came in ranked 31st in offensive scoring.
In the end, Cleveland had no answers for the Saints’ rushing attack led by Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara. The two combined for over 200 yards on the ground and Hill scored three touchdowns.
We gave out grades earlier now it is time for Winners and Losers, our Brownies and Frownies, for Week 11.
So who played well for the Browns? Who didn’t?
BROWNIES
WR- Jerry Jeudy
Jeudy had his best game as a Brown this year by catching six passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. Most of which came in the first half when he shook loose in the Saints’ secondary and caught the touchdown that went for 89 yards.
JERRY JEUDY WITH AN 89-YARD TD
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/BbMlMXOJgu— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 17, 2024
CB- Denzel Ward
Ward kept the Browns in the game early by accounting for two turnovers. He intercepted Taysom Hill on a deep ball over the middle and later ripped the ball out from Hill on a run play that he also recovered for the fumble.
QB- Jameis Winston
Winston kept the Browns in the game for most of the day, and while he wasn’t perfect, it was fun to watch. He continued to push the ball downfield on deep shots and was able to connect on many. He finished the day with 395 yards passing and two touchdown passes.
FROWNIES
K- Dustin Hopkins
Hopkins has been struggling for several weeks now and appeared broken in this game. He hooked three field-goal attempts wide to the left even though he was only credited for two misses after having one called back due to a penalty.
Dustin Hopkins just missed a 27-yard field goal attempt.. pic.twitter.com/qdnMg8qhCF
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) November 17, 2024
DE- Myles Garrett
Garrett failed to register any stats in the box score of this game. The Saints did what they needed to in order to mitigate his presence. Gashing the middle of the defense left Garrett out of the action when he was out there.
DT- Dalvin Tomlinson
While the entire defense deserves Frownies, Tomlinson is the guy up front in the middle who is tasked with getting penetration to stop the run. The entire defensive line played poorly and got manhandled in the ground game.
Coaching Staff
The entire coaching staff deserves criticism for today’s result. They came off a bye and the team looked uninterested an unprepared. Did i mention the defense got ran all over yet? The special teams units made critical mistakes and the offense failed to convert when it mattered most. This team appears to lack motivation and leadership and it is difficult to see them winning any more games this season.
Milk Bones – Sometimes a treat can turn around your evening after a bad meal. These guys deserve one despite the loss.
RB- Nick Chubb
Chubb took another step forward in his recovery. He looks better every week and today was his best game since his return. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry and displayed a few impressive jump-cuts while driving forward for extra yardage.
OT- Germain Ifedi
Upon first watch, Ifedi played well in relief of Dawand Jones who was carted off with an ankle injury. This leads us to a quick poll question below.
Let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments below.