Browns so bad that they made Andy Dalton look good
With the 2017 season quickly spiraling out of control for Hue Jackson’s Cleveland Browns, things took a turn for the worse as the visiting Cincinnati Bengals inflicted a 31-7 beatdown.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment for Jackson was his defense, who turned Andy Dalton into John Elway for 60 minutes. Dalton completed 25 of 30 balls, doing anything he wanted Sunday. The 29-year-old tossed four touchdown passes along with 286 yards and a stellar 146 quarterback rating.
Lacking a pass rush is one thing, but the Browns played a brand of uninspired, undisciplined defense Jackson promised would be put to a halt. In fact, one of the hallmarks of his coaching style is teaching hard-nosed, smart football.
Remember too, this was a winless Bengals team that entered the day ranked 29th in total offense and dead last in scoring (11 points per game).
Unfortunately for the reeling Browns, defense was hardly their only issue in Week 4.
Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer turned in a catastrophic performance, compiling 118 yards with an interception on a woeful 50 percent passing. To be fair, Kizer is 21 years old and could very well be a junior at Notre Dame right now. Nevertheless, his inability to throw the ball away and take unnecessary sacks has become a significant issue. Cleveland’s only touchdown came off a Kevin Hogan led drive in late in the fourth quarter resulting in a 1-yard Duke Johnson Jr. run.
Four weeks into his second season with the Browns, Jackson’s turnaround plan is firmly in reverse. While the Browns were certainly not expected to be a playoff team this season, progress was expected. Cleveland’s best chance to earn a win may be next week when the New York Jets come to town.
As things stand right now though, the 0-4 Browns have yet to have a lead at any point through the league’s quarter-mark, the only team in the NFL to boast such a claim.
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Follow Jordan Schultz on Twitter @Schultz_Report
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