Freddie Kitchens has already come under fire for some of his questionable decisions in his first year as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and on Sunday night, another head-scratcher was added to the list.
With the Browns trailing the Los Angeles Rams by four points with just over nine minutes remaining, Kitchens decided to call a draw play on a fourth-and-nine from the Rams' 40-yard line.
Predictably, the run was stuffed, and Los Angeles went on to win the game by a score of 20-13.
Afterward, Kitchens took responsibility for the play.
“Bad call,” Kitchens said, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It just did not work,” Kitchens said. “It was a bad call. … We were trying to win the game. We were on their side of the field. Bad call.”
Had it been something like fourth-and-2 or maybe even fourth-and-three, Kitchens' call wouldn't look as egregious, but calling for a run up the middle on fourth down with nine yards to go is certainly strange.
Article Continues BelowWhat made matters worse was that later on in the fourth quarter, inside the Rams' five-yard line with 43 seconds left and all three timeouts in his holster, Kitchens did not call a single run play.
“I should have ran it one time. I should have,” Kitchens said after the game. “That is why I am kicking myself in the a– for it right now.”
It's obviously hard to say whether or not those suspect calls cost the Browns the game, but they certainly didn't help them. That's for sure.
Cleveland is now 1-2 and will head on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday.