The Cleveland Browns are officially in a slump. They just took a big one on the chin at home after getting blown out by the New England Patriots, 38-15, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season. There really are no words to justify how disappointing this defeat was for the Browns. The result also sends them to third place in the AFC North. Here we'll look at some takeaways from the Browns' loss in Week 6.
Cleveland's offense never established a rhythm in this game. They scored only one touchdown and made three field goals. Meanwhile, the Patriots benefited from a strong performance by rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe. He started again for an injured Mac Jones. Zappe threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-34 attempts.
Keep in mind that the Browns' three-game losing skid is only the second such occurrence under head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Here are our four takeaways from the Browns' Week 6 loss vs. the Patriots.
Final. pic.twitter.com/kuHuSB5rcm
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 16, 2022
4. Myles Garrett record-breaker
With a strip-sack on Zappe in the first quarter, defensive end Myles Garrett broke the Browns' all-time sack record. Garrett racked up sack No. 62.5 of his six-year career and propelled himself ahead of Clay Matthews Jr. (62) on the franchise list. Garrett departed the game in the fourth quarter with an injury after earning his second sack of the day, giving him 63.5 for his career, though the injury doesn't seem too bad.
Garrett's achievement was terrific, but it was a tiny consolation for the team's third loss in a straight.
“Individually we all have a couple that we want to get back, so it falls on all of our shoulders,” Garrett said postgame, via cleveland.com. “But I feel like mine especially because I’m supposed to be the star player on defense, and I have to make more plays.”
3. Jacoby Brissett struggles
Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett was unable to replicate the periods of consistency that helped the offense stay afloat in the first five games of the season. Brissett completed 21-of-45 passes for 266 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. His passer rating of 54.5 was his lowest in a game this season.
To illustrate his struggles, Brissett was intercepted by the Patriots on the second play from scrimmage as he attempted to complete a long throw to TE Pharaoh Brown. The ball was just underthrown, allowing safety Kyle Dugger to make a reasonably easy catch, and it set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon.
Brissett's off day underscored a generally anemic outing for the Browns' offense.
The run game was also stifled. Nick Chubb had a season-low 56 yards rushing. He entered the game leading the entire NFL in rushing yards this season. WR Amari Cooper was muzzled, finishing with only four catches for 44 yards, though he did score a touchdown.
Cleveland also had four turnovers to New England's one. That virtually never results in a winning performance. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has repeatedly emphasized the importance of keeping possessions alive, but the Browns have already failed in that regard in three of their previous four games.
2. Broken Browns defense
Take note that the Browns have yet to put together a complete defensive game. To make matters worse, their problems on Sunday came against a quarterback who was one of the least experienced players on the field.
Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round rookie from Western Kentucky, played in only his third NFL game. Still, he found open Patriots receivers much too frequently. He had 287 passing yards entering Sunday, then threw for 309 yards against the Browns.
Keep in mind that following a poor showing in Week 5, the Browns prioritized tackling this week. They began practice Wednesday with a “tackling circuit” and examined game film of failed tackles from prior games.
Nonetheless, there were times when their tackling was subpar. These mistakes were exacerbated by shaky pass coverage, which was a major concern in the first two games against the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets. Those issues reappeared, and Zappe took advantage of them.
To rectify matters, the Browns will have to keep harping on those concerns in practice until they're finally fixed. This will be much easier said than done, of course, as they face a gauntlet of difficult opponents in the upcoming weeks.
1. It only gets harder
Speaking of those difficult opponents, the Browns' next five games will feature some playoff favorites.
Next week, they face the Baltimore Ravens, who fell to the New York Giants and have their own issues at 3-3. Still, they also feature one of the league's most mobile quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson. Following Baltimore, the Browns play the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. That will be challenging since they'll try to stop Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and the other weapons of Cincinnati's attack. Afterward, the Browns will next play Josh Allen and Tom Brady, two quarterbacks who are better than any Cleveland has faced this season.
Of course, the players are focused on whoever is next on the schedule.
“I don't think any of us are focused that far into the future,” Myles Garrett said. “We're all just worrying about this week coming up, how we can work on this film and get better on this film.”
That's a good attitude — and the only one they should have with 11 games remaining.
Having said that, the work will not be much easier over the next five games as the Browns aim to crawl out of a 2-4 hole.
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