The Cleveland Browns suffered a humiliating loss to the Detroit Lions.
The Browns were riding high after an upset victory over the Green Bay Packers before running into the buzz saw that’s the Detroit Lions. The Browns were able to keep things respectable against the Lions for one quarter before they descended into undisciplined apathy. The Browns are still in the early stages of a long season. It’s far too early for them to be so uncaring. The Browns pulled most of their starters down 24 points with over four minutes left. The lack of effort is wholly unacceptable, and the team must address it this week. The Browns lost 34-10.
The Browns are near the end of the tough part of their schedule. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, but it won’t matter if the Browns give up before they get there. The team had a complete breakdown across all three phases of the game. The organization is preaching complementary football, and the game against the Lions was the complete inverse. Once one unit broke down, every unit did. Here are the duds from the disappointing defeat against the Detroit Lions
Stud: Quinshon Judkins
Quinshon Judkins is the best player on the Browns’ offense. The rookie running back is demonstrating a great deal of determination and effort in his runs. Judkins is precisely what the Browns needed at running back. He’s bringing them the consistency they desperately need on offense. He’s a very forceful runner, and he displayed it against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Judkins had 82 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.
Judkins ran hard against the Lions, regardless of the score. The Browns rewarded him with extra playing time at the end of the game. The rookie running back is opening eyes across the league. He’s put together a strong start to the season. Judkins is developing into a significant part of the offense. If he continues with his success, the Browns will have a dangerous weapon on their hands.
Dud: Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco has miraculously played quarterback in the NFL until he was 40 years old. The former Super Bowl MVP has had a fantastic career. It’s probably time for him to wrap it up. Flacco has played horrendously with the Browns. The quarterback is ranked worst in the NFL in expected points added. The quarterback can still sling the football around a couple of plays a quarter, but he can’t be consistent enough to lead the Browns on a long drive. Flacco went 16 of 34 on passes, hitting 184 yards with zero touchdowns, two interceptions, and one fumble. His longest non-scripted drive was eight plays and resulted in a field goal. The Browns benched Flacco at the end of the game for Dillon Gabriel.
Flacco has won me over in the past two-and-a-half years. Something I didn’t think possible. And it pains me to say the Browns must turn over the reins to one of their rookie quarterbacks. Flacco can be an essential mentor to Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. However, he should only be in talks to play if Deshaun Watson is in the discussion. The Browns need to play clean, efficient football.
Dud: Greg Newsome II
Greg Newsome II has played very well since moving to the outside cornerback position. The cornerback’s finesse play style is rarely a problem at the edge of the field. Usually, he can just run with receivers and shut them down. The Lions knew this and game planned against him. They knew Newsome couldn’t be physical in the run game as a force defender. It’s why he’s never made a successful nickel corner, despite the coverage skills. The Lions forced Newsome into run fits, made him cover deep routes, and did everything he hates. Newsome failed to prove the Lions wrong. They marked him as a weak point and exploited him. Newsome got lucky on some drops, but the Lions were beating him like a drum. On the ground, the Lions got everything they wanted against Newsome. He had no interest in making tackles by the second half. Newsome was run ragged by the Lions. He finished the game gassed. The Browns need better effort from their cornerback. Teams are going to see how the Lions targeted him and follow suit. Newsome is in a contract year. If he wants to maximize his pay day, he needs to show more fight the rest of the season.
Dud: Jerry Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy has struggled to get acclimated to Flacco. The pair always seems to be out of sync. Flacco did a great job of targeting Jeudy for the first time all season. However, Jeudy played one of his worst games as a Browns player. He had a lousy performance. He didn’t want to get physical with the Lions’ cornerbacks or fight for the ball. Flacco targeted Jeudy nine times. Jeudy caught three passes for 48 yards, including a 33-yard reception. Flacco found Jeudy deep plenty of times, just for the receiver to drop it. Jeudy has always struggled with drops across his career. However, the passing offense is already dead and inconsistent. The last thing they need is their star receiver to become unreliable. Jeudy is a good player, but he has some apparent weaknesses. The Lions were able to bully him for his lack of physicality. The Lions got an easy interception from bullying Jeudy. Jeudy must show more fight as the Browns progress into their season.
Dud: Special Teams
The Cleveland Browns’ special team unit continued to look horrific. The returners, coverage unit, and the kicker, Andre Szmyt, looked awful. Corey Bojorquez had a rough day as he’s battling through a leg injury suffered at the hands of a special team’s blunder from last week. This week, the Browns are still struggling with when to return a punt in their red zone. Too often, they’ll fair catch for a ball that would bounce in the end zone. The returners are helping pin the Browns to their own endzone. The pitiful offense can’t afford to sacrifice ten yards.
The Browns need help scoring, but it’s not coming from Szmyt. The kicker ingratiated himself with fans by scoring a game-winning field goal against the Packers. This week, he came crashing down. He botched a field goal over 50 yards. Szmyt needs to show better control of his kicks before he’s out of the league.
The team’s coverage unit looks uninspiring. The effort level remains inconsistent at best. The players swarm to the ball like victims of the bystander effect, rather than a pack of hungry apex predators. The Browns switched to a ground-ball style kickoff, and while the kicks were harder to retrieve, the coverage unit struggled to stay in their lanes.
Seeing the failings of the special team unit. I have grave concerns that the players on the back half of the roster lack the physicality to succeed in the NFL. The front office should look into replacing them. As the front office grew into its role, it forgot its rule to churn the bottom of the roster. That’s how the cream rises to the top. The Browns do have some good special teams players, but the majority of the unit is holding them back.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Studs and Duds: Browns standouts from disappointing Detroit Lions loss
