'We wanted to score sevens in the red zone': Browns' Kevin Stefanski defends fourth-down call

ATLANTA — Seven is more than three. Of course, three is more than zero.

All of that is basic math. So, too, is knowing that 23 is more than 20, which is why the Browns left Atlanta on the wrong end of a three-point loss to the Falcons.

Coach Kevin Stefanski made a decision on the first drive of the game that certainly played a factor in the Browns leaving Mercedes-Benz Stadium 2-2 for the season instead of potentially 3-1. It came on fourth-and-3 from the Falcons 12 just over four minutes into the game after arguably the most diverse offensive drive the Browns have had this season.

Instead of sending out Cade York to kick what would've been a chip-shot field goal to give the Browns an early lead, Stefanski immediately looked down at his play sheet. The play he dialed up resulted in Jacoby Brissett throwing the ball away out of the back of the end zone while under pressure.

Instead of 3-0 Browns, it was still scoreless. It loomed even larger when, with 2:28 remaining in the game, the Falcons' Younghoe Koo kicked a 45-yard field goal to give the Falcons a three-point lead that proved to be the difference.

"I think we wanted to score sevens in the red zone," Stefanski said afterward. "We really felt like we could, you know, and tried to run it on that third down and then got knocked back, which was unfortunate, but just didn’t come away with points. And, again, that falls squarely on me."

The fourth-down play almost never had a chance. The Falcons covered the Browns receivers well, never providing even an opening for Brissett to find someone open.

By the time the quarterback was flushed out of the pocket, the traffic around anyone wearing an orange helmet in the end zone was as bad as anything one might see on Atlanta's highways during its notorious rush hour. So there was nothing left to do but sending the ball helplessly toward the wall behind the right corner of the end zone.

Brissett, though, wasn't going to view the decision through the lens of hindsight.

“We've been going for it a lot on fourth downs and we've been getting it," said Brissett, who completed 21 of 35 passes for 234 yards with an interception, as well as a 1-yard touchdown run. "So obviously we’re behind the aggressive play because that's us and we live with the results and we go to the next play. And we respect Kev for giving us that trust in this team. Because it's not just about the offense, it’s about the defense and special teams and in that sense, so hey, they trust us to go for it and we just got to convert it, and we will.”

Stefanski trusted Brissett a lot on the first drive. In fact, it was almost exclusively on the quarterback's arm to get the Browns inside the Atlanta 5.

Brissett completed his first four passes on the drive for 66 yards. Three different receivers — Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Njoku and Harrison Bryant — caught passes on the drive, with Njoku grabbing two.

It was Bryant's 8-yard catch that left the Browns in a third-and-2 from the Falcons 11. The next play, Nick Chubb — who had carried it two times prior on the drive for 11 net yards — was swarmed by Atlanta's Richie Grant and Rashaan Evans for a 1-yard loss, setting up the fourth-down play.

"Yeah, you know sometimes the analytics say that's the right thing to do," said receiver Amari Cooper, who appeared to be the initial read for Brissett on the play, but was well covered. "And obviously when a coach goes for it like that, it shows his confidence in us. Just, unfortunately, we weren't able to capitalize on that aggression."

Stefanski's fourth-down aggressiveness isn't something new — it's what he's believed in since becoming a head coach in 2020.

The Browns came into the game 4-of-6 on fourth-down conversions, and 5-of-5 in scoring in red-zone opportunities. The failed fourth-down try on the opening possession was the only one in three attempts they didn't convert against the Falcons.

"I’m always trying to do what’s best for the team, so there’s always opportunities to grow and get better as a coach, as a player, you name it," Stefanski said. "But I’m not gonna be results-based. I’m gonna always fall back on our process and trying to put our guys in position to succeed. That’s really what we’re trying to do."

It wasn't the last time the Browns weren't able to capitalize inside the Falcons 5. It's just the only time they weren't able to get points.

The Browns did kick the short field goal with 7 seconds remaining in the half, a 29-yard kick by York to tie the score 10-10. No big deal, right?

Except that the Browns had put themselves in a position to score seven when Brissett connected with Peoples-Jones on a 42-yard pass to the Falcons 1. Then things went a bit haywire, not enough to prevent three, but enough to prevent seven,

Which was enough to, ultimately, prevent a win.

“I mean, it's a bunch of plays that we can go through and point at and say this was that, this was that," Brissett said of the Browns' 1-of-3 red-zone efficiency numbers. "And we still had a chance at the end. And that's really what it comes down to and me making the wrong decision on something, but now we got to learn from it, just like we do from every one, and then find ways to get better, do things that we did good in this game."

What raised some eyebrows on the drive right before the half was the decision to eschew the running game after first down. On first down, Chubb ran straight ahead into the line for no gain, nearly losing the ball on a fumble except the officials ruled his forward progress had been stopped.

After that was a holding call on Wyatt Teller on a pass play to move it back to the Atlanta 11, followed by two incomplete passes. There was no second-guessing on the field goal after those two incompletions.

“We just didn't do enough," Stefanski said. "Knew it was going to be a 60-minute football game. I know we come up and say it every week, but we know it was going to be a 60-minute football game. And we just didn't make enough plays down the stretch and in those critical situations, and we just got to look at the film and get better from it.”

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kevin Stefanski defends fourth-down decision on Browns' opening drive