BROWNS’ BIGGEST CONCERN? KICKING

By STEVE KING

As I wrote Sunday night after they lost 47-42 to the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns’ defensive issues were hardly a surprise.

The Browns went into the season knowing that the group was going to struggle, and then with the advent of all the injuries, especially in the secondary, the problems were exacerbated. So it is what it is. The Browns spent almost all of last offseason plugging holes on offense, and now they will have to do the same on defense next offseason.

But the poor play by kicker Cody Parkey in the game  — he missed an extra point and a field goal, which, in a close contest like that, is a death kneel — came as pretty much of a surprise. The Browns thought they had fixed their kicking woes when they cut Austin Seibert early in the year and re-signed Parkey.

Going forward, kicking is — without a doubt at all — the biggest problem the Browns face.

Parkey did not look confident at all out there, particularly on the extra point with a minute left that tied the score at 42-42. The ball went down the middle and got over the crossbar, but it was hardly a thing of beauty. It was more of a line-drive knuckleball than anything else.

The Browns have three big regular-season games and, hopefully, some more in the playoffs. NFL games are so many times decided by only a handful of points, if that. As such, the Browns are going to need a kicker who can be accurate, clutch and productive, If Parkey can be that guy, then great, more power to him. He’ll stay with the Browns.

And if not, then they might think about having to make a change. You don’t want to have to do that at this late segment of the season because there’s not very much time to develop the chemistry needed between a new kicker and the snapper and holder. But if they have to, then the Browns will do it. You can count on it. The stakes are too high to ignore anything, especially when it comes to directly scoring points, or not, that will keep this 9-4 team from maximizing this great opportunity.