PLAYOFF GAME #2

[I'mWithDan]

It seems pretty clear that some’s first instinct was going to be to complain if the Browns did anything less than win the SB this year. That’s a bummer.

If we’re looking back on this as The Browns’ best chance, then something between now and that time will have gone very, very wrong, and we’ll be more focused on that atrocity than the Browns going 11-5 and losing a tight one to the defending champs.

Football is too unforgiving of a game.

Expecting an easier or better path than a half of football playing a team without the best player on the planet is asking a lot.

Maybe the Browns have a chance at another AFC championship game sometime soon but the AFC is loaded with young QB’s......and I suspect we’ll look back on this and really agonize over it.

 

[Tlyons]

Even so. It's close.

So then....throw your last challenge flag if you're gonna use the TO anyway. Which he did. he called TO right after that play. Sooooo.....it made no sense not to throw the flag.

Agreed that you might as well throw it.

It also doesn't matter because it takes an act of God to overturn anything let alone a spot on the field of a first down.

 

[Liam]

I’m comfortable giving them the ball because I have greater confidence in stopping them having to get 80 yards then stopping them from getting 30. What’s there not to get? One task is significantly easier than the other.

One task isn't significantly easier than the other though because they only needed a few first downs. Unless you're saying its easier to stop a first down 80 yards from your endzone than it is from 30...

 

[Kouki]

I might be most upset at the fact that when we were in 4 down territory we couldn't muster more than a 4th and 9...

Stats might completely disagree with me but at times I feel like our offense was too predictable on running vs. passing

 

[Goldin Brown]

This team did not lose to Chad Henne lol, I think it's odd that people are saying this. Browns were breathing down their neck and ready to steal the game but Henne did enough to hold us off. Team fought incredibly hard and played with a ton of passion, if these guys continue to improve and continue to play with that kind of fight, they'll have more chances to get to a superbowl. And this experience will no doubt help them if they get close again.

 

[Tlyons]

When it comes down to it, we just had more reasons to lose than they did.

Even with Mahomes out for almost a half.

 

[shoes22]

This is all well and good and would be completely correct, except for the fact they didn't have to get 80 yards, they only had to get 20 yards to end the game.

They only had to convert 2 first downs. Where they were on the field isn't nearly as important as them possessing the football.

That’s true, but really this leads us to the same conclusion. The decision to punt or not punt was ultimately irrelevant. Our defense proved incapable of stopping them. KC would’ve scored, or get enough first downs to end the game by default.

I’m not going to kill them for not going for the 15% chance of converting a 9+ yard play. You have to make decisions based on the info you have at the time. And you have to believe that your defense can stop them from running out the clock with 4:30 left.

 

[Randolphkeys]

A punt in that situation with four minutes left isn't cut and dry. It's a question of who the coach trusts more.

Baker just had a golden opportunity, and he couldn't do anything three plays in a row. The third down play specifically was troubling because if he steps up in the pocket, he has great options to run or pass to Hunt.

Then the defense - Henne had just thrown a YOLO pass into the end zone after seeing seeing pressure. If the defense executes on either third down, Browns win the field position battle with time on the clock.

It was a question of trust, and it didn't work out.

 

[mAo_mAo]

Outside of Mahomes, Baker looked the most impressive among the other QBs.

 

[Cassity14]

Football is too unforgiving of a game.

Expecting an easier or better path than a half of football playing a team without the best player on the planet is asking a lot.

Maybe the Browns have a chance at another AFC championship game sometime soon but the AFC is loaded with young QB’s......and I suspect we’ll look back on this and really agonize over it.

I don’t think recent historical results agree. The sustained winners started off much like these Browns.

Again, if we’re looking back on this team with the worst defense in the league as “the one”, then that means enough went wrong that any combination of Mayfield, Stef, and Berry royally fucked up their jobs and weren’t worth being considered Super Bowl worthy anyway.

I don’t follow justifying the “no moral victories” logic with the idea that the Browns are just going to lose to Mahommes and whoever else until the end of time. I’m not saying you specifically are doing that here but it’s being said.

 

[CBBI]

That’s true, but really this leads us to the same conclusion. The decision to punt or not punt was ultimately irrelevant. Our defense proved incapable of stopping them. KC would’ve scored, or get enough first downs to end the game by default.

I’m not going to kill them for not going for the 15% chance of converting a 9+ yard play. You have to make decisions based on the info you have at the time. And you have to believe that your defense can stop them from running out the clock with 4:30 left.

It was very relevant because the Browns never got the ball back!

And listen to yourself. In the first line of your post you you say the defense was not capable of stopping KC, but in the second line you say you have to believe your defense can stop them.

HOW DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?

 

[daddywags]

How about this one? No question you should be thinkin’ of gettin’ thicker glasses Mrs. Riley.

All I see here is a guy getting tackled. Where's the first down marker?

 

[redscoon]

The defense was only bad when Myles Garrett was a top 2 or 3 defender in the league. When he came back from COVID and was basically just another guy on defense, we really had no room for error on offense.

Very curious game plan offensively. Thought Hunt would be heavily involved and he was more or less an afterthought. Didn’t see very much playaction unless I’m drawing blanks. Struggled to get Landry the ball. Have to anticipate you are going to need 30+ to win with this defense against anybody, especially KC. Disappointing, because I’d be searching for AFC title game tickets if you told me KC only scored 22 before kickoff.

 

[CBBI]

I might be most upset at the fact that when we were in 4 down territory we couldn't muster more than a 4th and 9...

Stats might completely disagree with me but at times I feel like our offense was too predictable on running vs. passing

The whole pace of the final drive was too slow and made the decision to punt that much worse.

The Browns took over with 8 minutes left, called a timeout when they couldn't get lined up right, and somehow managed to take 4 full minutes off the clock while only gaining 12 yards.

If you're going to go that slow, then that has to be your last possession. You can't take that much time and then still punt.

 

[Coyote]

That’s true, but really this leads us to the same conclusion. The decision to punt or not punt was ultimately irrelevant. Our defense proved incapable of stopping them. KC would’ve scored, or get enough first downs to end the game by default.

I’m not going to kill them for not going for the 15% chance of converting a 9+ yard play. You have to make decisions based on the info you have at the time. And you have to believe that your defense can stop them from running out the clock with 4:30 left.

Agreed. Punting gives KC 8 plays to make 2 first downs and eat up clock in the process. Turning the ball over on downs, on our 32, and to my mind there's a much better chance they score a TD in, hell, 1 play. Making it a two possession game. If you're playing for a TO, you want more chances to get it.

Both options sucked, which is why I agree that the worse decisions were in the playcalling before the punt.