Story by
Cleveland Browns' 5-play path to road loss against Washington Commanders
- Story by
- Cleveland Browns' 5-play path to road loss against Washington Commanders
There are dozens of plays run in an NFL game. Add up all of the plays each team runs on offense, plus special teams, and the number can get well over 140 on a given Sunday.
Yet, there's always a handful that loom much larger than the rest of them. They're the ones, even if they don't result in points, that have a major impact on the final outcome, especially in a loss.
Advertisement
That was the case in the Browns' 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday . What follows is a look at five plays that stood out as critical pivot points in momentum during the game.
Some of the five are obvious, but some are more nuanced. They're listed chronologically, but the first one may have been the biggest one regardless.
13:41, 1st quarter: Cleveland Browns ' Deshaun Watson can't connect on deep pass to Amari Cooper
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) runs the ball against a catch against Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste (25) during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium.
The play:The Browns had been really good on the opening drive over their first four games: Three touchdowns and a field goal scored. That streak ended against Washington when Cleveland was stopped on fourth-and-1 from the Commanders 47. Two plays before that fourth-down play, the Browns took a shot deep, with Deshaun Watson throwing to wide receiver Amari Cooper on a post pattern. Fundamentally, there was nothing really wrong with the play: Watson's throw was a little long and Cooper was slowed by good coverage by Washington cornerback Benjamin St-Juste , who had help in doubling Cooper from safety Quan Martin . The play's here because it's emblematic of the way that the Browns' quarterback and No. 1 wide receiver just have been off all season long. It's not always been drops like Cooper had in Las Vegas , or passes throw way out of Cooper's way by Watson. It's often like this one, just a step or two difference between a touchdown and what this was, which was an incompletion. Cooper was targeted 10 times against Washington, but only had four catches for 60 yards.
Advertisement
Amari Cooper on supporting Deshaun Watson:"I mean, like I said before, there's a lot of moving parts when it comes to football, offense and specific. There's a lot of things we could do collectively to improve. So of course I do."
13:02, 2nd quarter: Washington Commanders ' Austin Ekeler 's big gain
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (30) carries the ball against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Landover, Maryland.
The play:One of several explosive plays the Browns defense allowed against Washington. This was a simple off-tackle run to the right from the Washington 20 where the Commanders got perfect kick-out blocks on both Browns defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo and safety Grant Delpit , which created the lane for Austin Ekeler run run through. Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. had a shot at getting Ekeler at the Commanders 40, but Ekeler simply juked him and kept on running. Emerson actually recovered to knock the ball out of Ekeler's hands, but Washington's Olamide Zaccheaus managed to get it back at the Cleveland 23. The run went down as a gain of 50, with three yards on the fumble recovery. Washington would end up kicking a field goal to answer the one the Browns had just kicked to give it a 10-3 lead.
Advertisement
Cornerback Greg Newsome II on message to Martin Emerson Jr.:"At the end of the day, they get paid too. We try to reach perfection, but at the same time, it's hard to do that. It's something that's rarely happening, someone being perfect. So just trying to get his mental good, but he's a good guy that's able to persevere through things like that. So just trying to let him know we trust you. We know you'll make that the next time."
4:09, 2nd quarter: Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels big 4th-down run
The play:This was probably the back-breaker Sunday, because it led to the touchdown that put the Commanders up 17-3 and they never looked back after that. The Browns, though, had a chance to stop the drive when it was fourth-and-3 from their 40. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels came out in an empty formation and was looking to pass. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah came free on a blitz to Daniels' right and got close to him at about the 50. The problem for Owusu-Koramoah was that Daniels eluded him and kept running to the right, where there was no one for yards and yards. Part of that was because of an unsung portion of the play, which was the job Ekeler — who was being guarded by linebacker Devin Bush on an out-and-up route — did in not giving away the fact that Daniels was running and kept Bush running with him all the way to the goal line. Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo also had a helpless diving attempt to slow Daniels down around the Browns 25. Daniels was eventually run out of bounds by safety Rodney McLeod at the Cleveland 6, although a penalty on cornerback Denzel Ward for defensive holding early in the play before Daniels ran moved the ball to the Browns 3.
Advertisement
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on missed sacks:"I got to wrap up. I got to tackle, I can't be missing open sacks and the plays that are easy plays that actually you have to execute on. Those are the good teams. The good teams find ways that when the offense doesn't necessarily execute, you have to make sure that you execute on those things. So when you're playing the opponent and they don't execute well, and especially in plays that's wide open, you know what I mean? I got to figure out a way to get that sack on the ground there in that first half. That kind of sticks with you a little bit. Just got to do better."
12:30, 3rd quarter: Cleveland Browns ' Deshaun Watson sacked on first-and-goal
The play:Much like the missed connection on the deep post pattern to Cooper epitomized the struggles between Watson and Cooper, this play shows the lack of decisiveness that Watson has shown all season. Forget that the Browns lost five yards because of a penalty, which moved the ball back to the Commanders' 7. It was still first and goal for Cleveland, and there was a clear quick read that Watson needed to make on the play. Cooper and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy ran a perfect pick play at the goal line — avoiding the contact that would've drawn a pass interference flag — which gave the Browns exactly what they were looking for, which was the Washington defenders both jumping Cooper to double him while Jeudy ran wide open into the end zone. Watson, though, just held onto the ball instead of throwing it. That allowed defensive end Dorance Armstrong to get around right tackle Dawand Jones and force Watson to move up into the pocket, where other Commanders defenders also were waiting. Armstrong would finally sack Watson at the Washington 8, one of seven sacks on the day for the Browns quarterback. Cleveland, which needed a touchdown to get back into the game, ultimately settled for a 30-yard field goal to cut the Washington lead to 24-6.
Advertisement
Deshaun Watson on assessing his play:"Yeah, doing what I need to do as far as just trying to get the ball out as fast as possible. Get the ball to the guys, make the correct reads. Not everything's going to be perfect but at the same time, try to create and make plays whenever nothing is there."
5:59, 3rd quarter: Cleveland Browns' Deshaun Watson strip-sacked by Washington Commanders' Bobby Wagner
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 06: Frankie Luvu #4 and Bobby Wagner #54 of the Washington Commanders react against the Cleveland Browns atFedExField on October 06, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The play:It's hard to call a play in a 31-6 game a nail in the coffin, but if you could, this was the play. This wasn't the Commanders calling a blitz or anything. It was Watson standing indecisive in the pocket for too long — again — before finally deciding to run, right into linebacker Bobby Wagner. Wagner punched the ball loose and it went right into the hands of linebacker Frankie Luvu . You could argue about receivers being covered on the play, and that's correct. However, when he saw that, Watson should've taken off immediately, Instead, he danced in the pocket for a second or two too much, which allowed Wagner to get in to be waiting for him. Washington turned the turnover into a field goal for its final points.
Advertisement
Deshaun Watson on teams increasing pressure against him:"I mean, yeah, that's the strategy. Get the ball out of my hands. They're relying on their secondary and their defense to rally and make tackles. So we got to find ways to be able to support that. Sometimes we're going to be hot, so I got to get the ball and throw it to my running back or tight end, things like that, and we got to make plays. Until we hit explosive or pick up the games and the pressure, teams probably going to continue to do that."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns' 5 most important plays in loss to Washington Commanders
