Browns head coach Hue Jackson said a lot of things following his team’s 31-28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Here’s the best, and the most telling. It’s the one you need to remember, because it says it all.
“I’m (ticked),” Jackson said. “We want to win games. But to do that, you’ve got to do the things that win games.”
That might sound trite and simplistic, but it’s oh, so true. It’s why the Browns lost a winnable game to a beatable team and are 0-3.
To win games, you can’t drop passes. The Browns dropped eight on Sunday.
To win games, you can’t throw interceptions. Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer threw three.
To win games, you have to win the turnover battle. Kizer’s picks made the Browns lose it 3-1.
To win games, you’ve got to start fast, gain control of the game and take your opponent out of its comfort zone by making it play catch-up. The Browns gave up 21 unanswered points in whirlwind fashion in the second quarter and trailed 28-7. It was 28-14 at halftime.
To win games, you’ve got to make plays late when you need to make them. The Browns made some plays late to cut the lead to three points, but try didn’t make enough. If they did, then they would have won. It’s no more complicated than that.
To win games, you’ve got to run the ball – not only effectively, but also consistently, which means if it doesn’t work at first, you have to be patient and stick with it. The Browns’ go-to ball carrier, Isaiah Crowell, carried just 12 times for 44 yards.
To win games, you have to pass the ball, and to pass the ball, you have to be accurate. You have to throw it where they can catch it. Yes, the Browns, as mentioned, had eight drops, but Kizer was not Corey Kluber-accurate, either, going only 22 of 47 passing. He misfired badly on way too may throws.
To win games, you have to limit penalties. The Browns were whistled 10 times for 113 yards. There were four offensive pass interference calls. In a league where there are more pick-and-rolls plays than in the NBA at times, have you ever heard of four offensive pass interference calls in a game? No, I haven’t, either.
To win games, your defense has to limit big plays. T.Y. Hilton, who went into the game with seven receptions for 106 yards this year, had seven receptions for 153 yards (an average of 21.9 yards per catch) and a touchdown. Was that Raymond Berry, Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne out there and we just didn’t realize it? The only Hiltons with any name recognition in this world have first names of Paris and Conrad.
Other than showing up – not in the second quarter, mind you, but otherwise — the Browns did nothing to win the game.
Yes, the Browns made it close in the end – yea, whoopty doo, they get a participation trophy for their efforts — but more importantly, they made a bad team like the Colts look like a great one. The Colts are bad. They went into the game 0-2 for a reason. The Browns were favored, remember?
So, then, the Browns must be worse. They sure looked like it on Sunday.
Yikes!
