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The Cleveland Browns failed to build on their Week 8 win as they fell to the Miami Dolphins, 39-17, on the road in Week 10 of the 2022 NFL season. Now at 3-6, the Browns remain in third place in the AFC North. Here are the four Browns most to blame for their Week 10 loss vs. the Dolphins.
Cleveland has yet to win consecutive games this season. Despite a rousing win over the Bengals two weeks ago and fresh from a bye week, the Browns fizzled out in Miami. They were unable to gain any ground advantage, while the Dolphins ironically ran them to the ground. Cleveland's failure to stop the run was highlighted here, where Miami carried 33 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns. That's a season record for Miami.
Entering a trip to Buffalo next week, the Browns drop to 3-6. The club only has two more games without Deshaun Watson this season, but a defeat to the Bills would effectively extinguish any of their postseason ambitions.
Let us look at the four Browns most to blame for their Week 10 loss vs. the Dolphins.
Final from Miami. pic.twitter.com/2PQrMcbJGg
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 13, 2022
4. Browns Run Defense
When one thinks of Miami, it's impossible not to think of receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. In this game, however, the Browns were gashed by the run rather than the pass.
Miami was ranked 29th in the league in rushing entering Week 10, but the Browns made them look spectacular instead.
The Dolphins rushed for nearly 200 yards against the Browns. It was without a doubt Miami's best rushing performance of the season. Their previous season-high was just 137 yards. Cleveland never had an answer for Raheem Mostert or Jeff Wilson, so the Dolphins didn't really need Hill and Waddle to turn in big games. Keep in mind that the Browns allowed the Miami backfield to average 5.9 yards per carry.
“We didn't stop the run,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game. “That's part of this game where they have two receivers you're obviously trying to stop, but a big part of that is we have to stop the run. We didn't do that enough.”
3. Browns Offensive Line
The Miami defensive front bullied the Browns offensive line all day. Bradley Chubb, Christian Wilkins, and Melvin Ingram just had their way and camped out in the Browns' backfield.
The most egregious o-line error occurred immediately following the two-minute warning in the first half. Cleveland QB Jacoby Brissett was sacked on third down, as both Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin were beaten off the edge. Brissett was sacked a total of three times in this contest.
In this matchup, Brissett just never appeared at ease owing to the pressure throughout the game. The pass protection in recent weeks has actually been so bad that Brissett has been sacked an average of 3.5 times in Cleveland's last four games. Prior to those games, he averaged just one sack a game.
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2. RB Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt
Cleveland totaled only 112 rushing yards in this game. It was the Browns' lowest rushing total in a game since Week 6 (70 yards). Part of the low output was because the Browns needed to turn to the pass once the Dolphins began to pull ahead. However, the Browns never truly found a rhythm in their run game. Neither Nick Chubb nor Kareem Hunt could get anything going apart from a 33-yarder from Chubb in garbage time.
“We tried to get the run game going a few times,” Stefanski said. “Tried to push the ball down the field a few times, but we didn't have those opportunities. We just didn't do enough early to score some points. It's frustrating, obviously. You want to start fast, but we didn't do enough as a football team early to score points.”
Chubb rushed 11 times for a total of 63 yards and one score. Meanwhile, Hunt gained a paltry nine yards on six carries.
1. Kevin Stefanski
Has head coach Kevin Stefanski gotten too much credit, or is he merely an above-average coordinator attempting to play the role of Head Coach?
In spite of having a bye week to prepare, the Browns came out and looked very predictable. It seemed like Miami was two steps ahead of everything the Browns did. The Dolphins were just able to keep the Browns at bay for the majority of the game.
Everything comes back to coach Stefanski, right? The reality is after a promising 2020 season, we've seen him coach poorly and make decisions that have harmed this team's chances moving forward.
His system just isn't consistently working, and it also doesn't seem adjustable on the fly. Of course, Browns fans also lament the fact that he continues to misuse Nick Chubb on an almost weekly basis. Stefanski has been overly reliant on a system that, although statistically impressive, just has not led to the outcomes that truly matter.
We also do not see many attempts to modify or improve the offense to make it more adaptable to the Browns' current situation. The Browns just look slow out there, content to milk the clock instead of going for big plays. At best, Cleveland is a one-trick pony under Stefanski. At worst, this team has been a total wash despite some big-name skill players.
Things likely won't change this season, but if this state of play continues, we may see Stefanski out the door in 2023.
