Browns Pro Bowler admitted after the loss to the Vikings he made a costly mistake that ended up being crucial
Had the play gone a different way, the result may have been a win for the Browns.
Week 5 of the NFL season was another one of those games for the Cleveland Browns. Another one where the Browns likely left feeling like they should have beaten the Minnesota Vikings, but they didn’t and they walked away a 1-4 football team. Cleveland led the Vikings late in the game but ended up on the wrong side of a 21-17 defeat. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores doesn’t lose to rookie quarterbacks, in fact, he only has once. Browns QB Dillon Gabriel was close to walking away with a win from his first start, but it was again the small things for Cleveland.
Denzel Ward admits the costly mistake he made against Minnesota
The game-winning touchdown for the Vikings was a 12-yard pass from Carson Wentz to Jordan Addison that floated over Ward’s head. It looked like Ward was trying to bait Wentz into the throw and the veteran quarterback delivered a perfect strike. After the game, Ward cleared the air on that play.
“Yeah, we were in Cover 2 and I’ve got to reroute the guy inside and not put it so wide for the safety,” Ward said after the game. “So I take full accountability for that. And yeah, just got to finish and execute better once it gets down to the last seconds.”
A tough moment for the Browns’ Pro Bowl cornerback who they rely heavily on as a man corner, though he’s not as good in zone coverage. Cleveland allowed Wentz to go 25-of-34 passing for 236 yards and the touchdown. Minnesota had 349 total yards and that is the most that the Browns had given up all season through five games. The Browns’ defense played well enough to win until the fourth quarter, when the team collapsed in all areas, including coaching decisions.
Week 1 was another game against the Cincinnati Bengals that the Browns likely feel they should have won. This one feels like that a lot and it was right there for the taking. That’s the difference between good teams and bad teams and the Browns are currently on the wrong side of that. Costly decisions, penalties, and even play out on the field gave the Browns their fourth loss of the season. It doesn’t get easier next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers either.
Cleveland Browns News
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins’ frustration showed after the loss to the Vikings, and he had to bring up his Ohio State ties
The rookie running back wasn’t happy at all after the Browns dropped to 1-4.
