The Cleveland Browns have now dropped to 3-7 on the season after a 31-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Wrapping up a wacky week where both teams were forced to travel to Detroit due to a snowstorm in Buffalo, the Bills were still able to take care of business, advancing to 7-3 on the season.
What makes this worse? The Browns wasted a solid and borderline heroic performance from Jacoby Brissett. While his numbers are not impressive, Brissett made plays in and out of the pocket and was frequently let down by his receivers, but he did manage to hit Amari Cooper for a 25-yard touchdown. He finished the game with a line of 28-of-41 passing for 324 yards and three touchdowns on the day.
Other than wasting a good showing from Brissett, what stood out most in this loss to the Bills?
Browns cannot keep Mike Priefer beyond today
How does special teams coordinator Mike Priefer still have a job?
Much went wrong defensively in the second half, but from start to finish the Browns’ special teams units looked completely overwhelmed and inattentive to detail. Long returns allowed, another blocked field goal, bad punts, and special teams penalties, Priefer checked all of the negative boxes in this one.
And this is not a one-off.
Every single week there is a special teams gaffe that is completely unacceptable. And these woes go back to 2021 as well as the Browns are consistently outmatched in the third phase of the game.
The Browns will likely be looking for two more coordinators this offseason, but Priefer’s firing is long overdue.
Losing Ethan Pocic on the first play of the game was killer
The Browns had center Ethan Pocic playing like a top-three center in the NFL heading into this game. And then he exited on the first play of the game with a knee injury. Backup interior offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt came in for Pocic and it did not go well.
While the entire right side of the offensive line looked completely overmatched on the day, Froholdt was completely lost at center. All game long the Bills took whatever they wanted from the interior of the Cleveland offensive line, as running back Nick Chubb averaged just 1.4 yards per carry on the day.
Hopefully, Pocic’s injury is not too serious as this offensive line would be faced with a massive blow if he is. Do not be shocked when Froholdt’s PFF grade comes in at a very low number tomorrow.
Yes, Myles Garrett was noticably impactful
Myles Garrett camped out in the backfield of the Bills in this game. He came up with just one sack on the day, giving him 8.5 sacks in nine games this season, but the all-22 will show Garrett routinely taking tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown to the cleaners.
Ultimately, when the interior of the defensive line routinely allows clean pockets to step up into, it’s hard for even the best pass rushers in the NFL to get home. The Browns have no other source of pressure outside of Garrett, and that is too much for one player to shoulder.
He will be scrutinized in the media and on social media, but Garrett once again posted an elite performance against the Bills.
The Browns are in desperate need of a TE2
Harrison Bryant cost the Browns 14 points on the day. He let a touchdown pass go right off of his hands in the first half, then squandered an elite play from Jacoby Brissett out of structure in the back of the endzone when he could not get a second foot down.
Make no mistake, Bryant has had a down season in a year where they needed him to step into the second tight end role. And it comes in a year where he enters the offseason in a contract year. Bryant is best in a flex TE3 role as the TE2 role in an offense that plays a ton of 12 personnel has been too much for him.
The Browns need another tight end who can take on a massive amount of snaps alongside their breakout tight end David Njoku.
