CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns were defeated by the Commanders on Sunday, 34-13, but that’s just what the scoreboard said.
Here are the real winners and losers from the game:
Winner: The Bat Signal
After the Week 1 loss to the Cowboys, Nick Chubb was named a winner in Winners and Losers because the lack of a run game performance showed the importance of Chubb. Sunday’s loss to the Commanders further showed how needed he is.
The offense continues to hit underwater rocks that deter its direction.
Either the O-line breaks down, or the receiver isn’t open, or the pass is slightly overthrown. Also, don’t let the Browns 104 yards fool you.
Fourteen first-half rushing isn’t a good look, and their 53 third-quarter rushing yards mostly came off D’Onta Foreman two carries for 33 yards, which wouldn’t matter after Deshaun Watson’s fumble on the very next play.
There is no offensive identity, which implies the problems are deeper than Watson. But when Chubb was in the mix, he was the player who could keep a series alive.
Chubb’s long been known for his love of the DC Comics superhero Batman. The longer this offense struggles, the quicker the Browns need the Bat Signal in the sky — a distress signal for help.
Loser: Jim Schwartz’s record vs. rookie QBs
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz entered Week 5 with a record of 18-6-1 versus rookie quarterbacks. The last quarterback to defeat Schwartz’s defense was Dallas’ Dak Prescott, completing 287 passing yards for two touchdowns in a Week 8 overtime win over Schwartz’s Eagles in 2016.
Schwartz was aware of the rookie campaign the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels is having.
“(Daniels) has been very efficient with the ball, he really understands the RPO zone-read world,” Schwartz said. “He’s converted somewhere in the neighborhood of like 40% of the third downs on scrambles, so it just adds a little bit more and he hasn’t made mistakes with the football. He’s playing really well for a rookie.”
Daniels would do just that and join a line of mobile quarterbacks to dominate Cleveland’s defense dating back to last season.
The rookie was accurate while accounting for 166 of his 238 total passing yards in the first half alone, and gained 82 on the ground off impeccable decision-making.
An example of this came toward the end of the first half, with Washington approaching a fourth and 3. Daniels escaped the pocket and incoming pressure by Browns linebacker Owusu-Koramoah, making him miss on an attempted tackle, and scrambled downfield for 34 yards. That positioned the Commanders in the red zone for an eventual second touchdown.
Mobility has been kryptonite for the Browns defense.
Make that an updated record of 18-7-1 for Schwartz.
Winner: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
There were a couple instances in 2023 where Owusu-Koramoah was the best player for this defense: the Week 12 loss to Denver, the wild card loss to Houston.
Sunday provided another example, as he was the most productive player on the unit with five tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.
Washington set up near the goal-line during its second offensive series, after Daniels found Terry McLaurin for 66 yards.
A couple plays later, Daniels threw a pass Zach Ertz’s way and Owusu-Koramoah read the play, lunging in front of it to complete the interception.
Fast forward to Washington’s first play of the second half, when Cleveland was searching for some kind of good.
The jet sweep to Terry McLaurin had taken him right around the line of scrimmage, but Owusu-Koramoah was waiting for McLaurin. Owusu-Koramoah perfectly timed a strip-fumble and Martin Emerson Jr. recovered it.
Winner and loser: Browns special teams
The Good:
Dustin Hopkins accounted for half (seven) the team’s points (13), with a 51-yard make and a 31-yard make, and the extra-point attempt once the Browns offense finally scored a touchdown.
Corey Bojorquez once again showed why he’s among the best punters in the NFL, with a terrific punt toward the end of the first period which was downed by teammate Tony Brown on Washington’s 2-yard line.
The Bad:
Early on in the game, Washington’s Olamide Zaccheaus called a fair catch off a punt from Bojorquez. But instead of Washington starting the offense on their own 19-yard line, they started on a 34-yard line; thanks to a fair catch interference by Mike Ford, who ran into Zaccheaus as he caught the ball.
Ford likely didn’t see the fair catch signal by Zaccheaus, but 15 yards is 15 yards.
Loser: Browns fans’ hope
The Browns fan base was encouraged that, if healthy, this could build off its wondrous 2023 run that ended in a playoff appearance.
This hasn’t happened.
The Browns are now one of six teams with a record of 1-4, and that one win was over a then-winless Jacksonville squad that also owns one win.
Five games in, but this is a bad football team. Something’s got to give if the season’s going to be saved.
After last year, the fans don’t deserve this kind of downgrade.
