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Imagine putting up 42 points in a game, led by three rushing touchdowns and over 300 passing yards – and still losing. Unfortunately, the Cleveland Browns don’t need to dream about it, as that is how their Week 5 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers turned out.
By allowing the Chargers to storm back into the game and score on their final five drives, the Browns earned themselves their second loss of the season in a game that should have been theirs – and was – up until the final quarter.
All Cleveland did was become the first team in NFL history to lose a game after putting up 500 yards of offense, 40+ points, and not turning the ball over – a mark no team wants to be on the wrong side of.
But thankfully, this team has elements it can pull from this game – see what takeaways the Browns can take with them into their Week 6 matchup with the undefeated Arizona Cardinals.
Ride the rushing attack – especially as Mayfield regains form
The Browns have fostered two fantasy-relevant running backs this year, as both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have exploded at different times for this team. With both options splitting red zone and goal-line work, riding the hot hand plays well into how the Browns run their offense.
222 rushing yards and 3 scores on the ground (Hunt earned two), split across 33 carries, is par for the course for the Browns, as they prefer to keep Chubb and Hunt as a 1-2 punch in almost every drive. On a day that also saw Baker Mayfield throw for 305 and 2 scores, it was the rushing attack that carried this team almost to the finish line.
While this game was Mayfield’s 10th career 300-yard showing, it was his first game this year tossing multiple TDs, and only his second 300-yard game of the year. His inconsistencies have held the offense back a bit and made it more rushing-oriented, turning it one-dimensional and potentially easier to stop.
As long as both Chubb and Hunt keep doing what they are doing, then the slow start by Mayfield can be hidden – but he will be needed to take over games at some point soon.
Forgotten offensive weapon is reincorporated
With Jarvis Landry on the IR and Odell Beckham Jr. still getting his legs back, it was old friend and tight end David Njoku that was Mayfield’s best friend in the passing game Sunday. Seven receptions for 149 yards and a score was what Njoku’s day looked like, aided by a 71-yard scoring connection.
Njoku is second fiddle at tight end behind Austin Hooper and even further down the target chart as a whole, but he has been with this team for long enough to know what is expected. Games with Hooper receiving zero targets do not happen often, so expecting a monster showing from Njoku on a weekly basis is unwarranted.
However, incorporating him into the offense more can help provide Mayfield with even more weapons, hopefully getting him out of his slump in the process.
Browns may have gotten the defensive steal of the draft
Having been once billed as a potential top-10 prospect, defensive multi-tool Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah fell right into the lap of the Browns in the second round this past draft. And with how he has been playing so far, it looks as though he should have been drafted much higher.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski likes the kind of athleticism that Owusu-Koramoah brings to the dime package, having mentioned that both his “speed and length” were elements that they liked while in that formation.
On many occasions, he was seen flying across the field and making plays, using his vision and decision-making to make key stops. 21 tackles may not be a lot across five games, but Owusu-Koramoah has shown a lot for a rookie, elements that should excite Cleveland fans.
