There were plenty of reasons for the Cleveland Browns’ 17-12 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, and more than enough blame to go around. But the most glaring issue was the eight sacks the Browns allowed, which kept their offense from gaining any momentum at rainy MetLife Stadium.
The Browns’ rebuilt offensive line and quarterback Deshaun Watson did a relatively good job of avoiding sacks during the first four games, be it from solid protection or Watson’s ability to scramble. But it all broke down against the Jets, who had just eight sacks all season entering the contest.
After the Browns’ brutal performance, head coach Todd Monken made a big promise, saying the team will never give up that many sacks in a game again.
“As long as I’m here, I hope we never (give up) eight sacks again,” Monken said. “It’s everything (when that happens). It’s coaching, it’s playing, it’s getting the ball out of our hands, it’s protection. It’s all of the above. It’s rarely just one person. We all have got to take a big frickin’ bite of this and work to get better.”
Offense was going to be hard to come by thanks to the weather, but the Browns did themselves no favors with drive-killing plays. Cleveland was unable to contain rookie edge rusher David Bailey, who had three sacks of Watson after posting two over the first four games of his NFL career.
It started in the first quarter when, after fumbling the snap, Watson couldn’t avoid Bailey in the pocket. Watson was then sacked three more times in the second quarter, including in the final minute when, trailing 7-6, the Browns were trying to take a halftime lead.
Cleveland then gave up four sacks in the fourth quarter, although it did manage to take the lead. Trailing 10-6 with 13:40 to go, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. didn’t chip Jets defensive back Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who had a free lane to Watson on a blitz, and it was ruled the QB did not throw the ball away in time. After an incomplete pass, Bailey was able to get around Dawand Jones, who was in at right tackle for injured Tytus Howard, and take down Watson.
The Browns scored on their next drive, as Watson connected with wide receiver Denzel Boston on a 29-yard TD pass, giving them a 12-10 lead. But after the Jets scored for a 17-12 advantage, two more sacks sealed Cleveland’s fate.
With 2:50 to go, the pocket collapsed around Watson, who was bottled up. Then, facing a do-or-die fourth down with 57 seconds left, Watson scrambled but eventually lost the ball, avoiding Bailey and Will McDonald IV, who recovered the fumble.
There were many other plays in the game that could have swung the outcome, but these were among the most important reasons for the Browns’ loss.
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