Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on offense for the Cleveland Browns' Week 12 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Quarterback
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
QB |
DeShone Kizer |
67 |
100% |
18-of-31 for 268 yards. 9 rushes, 39 yards, 1 TD. |
QB |
Cody Kessler |
3 |
4% |
0-of-1 for 0 yards. |
- Last week, the Browns committed no penalties and lost by double digits. This week, they played a turnover-free game, and lost by 14 points. Even when there are positive elements you can cherry pick, it’s astounding just how much the team ends up losing by..
- For the game, though, it was a very nice rebound for DeShone Kizer. The 268 yards passing and 8.65 yards per attempt were both season highs. People can point to the team’s failures in the red zone, but I look at two killer penalties on other players (offensive pass interference on David Njoku and taunting on Bryce Treggs). Kizer also put a touchdown pass right on the button on a 30-yard post route to Corey Coleman in double coverage, and he dropped it. The last pass of the game, on fourth down to Ricardo Louis, was also dropped.
- Kizer received a promising 91.0 grade from PFF, completing 7-of-11 passes for 181 yards on passes that traveled 10 or more yards.
- Man, the offense just looks so anemic when Cody Kessler gets snaps now. You can really see the impact of not having Joe Thomas when he is in the game.
Running Back
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
RB |
Duke Johnson |
38 |
54% |
6 carries, 35 yards (5.8 YPC). 4 catches, 32 yards (5 targets). |
RB |
Isaiah Crowell |
32 |
46% |
16 carries, 95 yards (5.9 YPC). 1 catch, 10 yards (2 targets). |
FB |
Danny Vitale |
11 |
16% |
0 catches (1 target). |
-
Isaiah Crowell was oh-so-close to having his first 100-yard rushing effort of the season, but fell short at 95 yards rushing. 4.0 yards per carry is often used as a barometer to gauge how well a running back is playing over a season, and I’d bet a lot of fans would be surprised to hear that after a slow start to the year, Crowell has worked his way up to 3.8 yards per carry.
- Digging deeper into the type of runs Crowell had success on, PFF said, “Crowell averaged 7.4 yards per carry on zone concept runs and just 3.5 per carry on man/power concepts, a complete reversal from his production entering the game. Prior to Sunday, Crowell averaged 4.8 yards per carry on man/power and just 2.9 yards per carry on zone concepts.”
- The touches for Duke Johnson really didn't improve, but he was still effective, rushing for nearly 6 yards per carry and catching 4 passes for 32 yards.
Wide Receiver
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
WR |
Corey Coleman |
63 |
90% |
3 catches, 64 yards (8 targets). |
WR |
Rashard Higgins |
50 |
71% |
2 catches, 30 yards (3 targets). |
WR |
Ricardo Louis |
45 |
64% |
0 catches (2 targets). |
WR |
Kenny Britt |
18 |
26% |
2 catches, 52 yards (2 targets). |
WR |
Bryce Treggs |
5 |
7% |
0 catches (1 target). |
- Congrats, Kenny Britt — he’s the only receiver who didn’t have a blunder on Sunday. His 2 catches went for 52 yards, each of which went for big first downs. He’s shown some attitude (in a good way) over the second half of the season and isn’t dropping the rock any more.
-
Corey Coleman can’t be treated with kid gloves — he had a crippling drop in the end zone on what was probably one of Kizer’s best passes of the season, a post route in double coverage. Coleman did have a nice 44-yard grab earlier and is the team’s best receiver (until Josh Gordon returns next week), though.
- I said I’m done with Ricardo Louis, and he didn’t improve that mentality with a fourth down drop at the end of the game, officially posting an empty stat line. PFF says that Louis “has now dropped 21.21 percent of his catchable targets.” Bryce Treggs also didn’t help his cause to stay on the roster when his taunting penalty killed a drive.
Tight End
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
TE |
David Njoku |
41 |
59% |
4 catches, 57 yards (4 targets). |
TE |
Seth DeValve |
24 |
34% |
2 catches, 33 yards (2 targets). |
TE |
Randall Telfer |
21 |
30% |
No stats registered. |
-
David Njoku and Seth DeValve combined for 6 catches for 80 yards on 6 targets, but overall, it felt like a rather quiet day for both players. I’ll take the production, but we’re still lacking those plays that make either player look like a superior athlete to the competition.
- Is there any reason why the Browns aren’t using a blocking tight end more often on the left side on a day when Spencer Drango clearly seemed to be struggling?
Offensive Line
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
OL |
Spencer Drango |
70 |
100% |
|
OL |
Joel Bitonio |
70 |
100% |
|
OL |
J.C. Tretter |
70 |
100% |
|
OL |
Kevin Zeitler |
70 |
100% |
|
OL |
Shon Coleman |
70 |
100% |
|
OL |
Zach Banner |
2 |
3% |
|
- The Browns allowed 4 sacks on the day, and both tackles struggled. Spencer Drango had his worst game based on my personal eye test, and Shon Coleman was caught on a pair of holding penalties. Per PFF, “Drango (29.1 overall grade) allowed three sacks and seven total pressures.”
- PFF really loved the game that C J.C. Tretter had (91.1 grade), which might explain why the Browns had so many productive runs up the middle:
Tretter was on top of his game Sunday. In pass protection, he didn’t allow a single pressure, while he did some serious work on the Bengals linebackers in the run game.
—
The offense and defense can’t play a complete game together, but Josh Gordon comes back next week. I’m optimistic about his return, but also remember the issues he had three years ago when he returned late in the year for a brief stint.