Browns Pro Bowl defenders keeps it real when addressing team’s performance
Cleveland Browns fell on their face at the most costly point of the season to keep it blunt. Houston Texans handed the Browns a 45-14 shellacking in the Wild Card to send Cleveland home. Cleveland’s defense did not look like the No. 1 unit in the NFL and they gifted the Texans 14 points off […]
Cleveland Browns fell on their face at the most costly point of the season to keep it blunt.
Houston Texans handed the Browns a 45-14 shellacking in the Wild Card to send Cleveland home. Cleveland’s defense did not look like the No. 1 unit in the NFL and they gifted the Texans 14 points off of turnovers returned for scores.
"One of the biggest games, we needed to show up and we didn't,” Browns Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward said after the game. “So we gotta go back and self-evaluate and see what we can do better and come back next year."
C.J. Stroud continued his great rookie campaign with a strong showing against the Browns with 16-of-21 passes completed. Stroud had 274 yards passing and three touchdowns. The key for the rookie was that he didn’t turn the ball over.
Cleveland has lost just one game at home all season and their other five losses have come on the road. They’ve been a different team on the road, especially defensively.
“We played poor and that's something we've tried to get away from,” Myles Garrett said after the loss. “They just played their game better than we did ours."
Garrett was held in check to three tackles and no sacks. In his career, Garrett has never fared all that well against Texans LT Laremy Tunsil.
Ward has good things to say about Stroud, who went to Ohio State like himself.
"[The] guy's a great quarterback,” Ward spoke. “Went out there and made plays. We left some guys open deep and he was able to find those guys and execute."
Big plays hurt Cleveland’s defense badly. Backup TE Brevin Jordan had a 76-yard touchdown off a short pass thanks to missed tackling and bad angles. Nico Collins torched the Browns’ defense for 96 yards and a score.
For a unit that was great all year, they disappointed in the most chemical point of the season. It is one of the reasons they’ll be viewing the playoffs from home the rest of the way.
Browns receive salt in the wound following playoff loss to Texans
It looks even worse now.
