Kevin Stefanski is right: Part of the Browns’ loss to Falcons is on him

CLEVELAND, Ohio – This is bad.

This is real bad, Browns fans.

The end was bad, Jacoby Brissett taking a bad sack in a second-and-15 situation. That was followed by an interception when it was third-and-23. I know, I keep using that same word – bad. But it was bad.

And the interception a rattled Brissett threw ... well, that was terrible.

The play-calling by coach Kevin Stefanski ... yes ... bad.

Atlanta’s defense was almost helpless trying to stop the Browns’ running game – until Stefanski stopped it by going to the air too often in the second half.

Brissett is playing well this season. But he is Jacoby Brissett, who is best when he doesn’t have to make big plays to win the game.

My sense is that the Browns’ refusal to accept Brissett for who he is and embrace what the offense does well cost them this game.

Run the ball. Please.

They ran it, but not enough, even though they rushed for 175 yards on the ground. They averaged 5.1 yards per carry. There were more yards available if Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt had been given more than their combined 29 carries.

“I need to own a large part of that,” said Stefanski. “We were 1-for-3 in the red zone. It’s not good enough.”

He’s right, especially against a weak Atlanta defense.

The Browns were inside the Atlanta 5-yard line three times. The result? One TD, one field goal. The TD came on a desperation run by Brissett.

“There were a lot of things you wish you could take back,” the coach said. “It’s woulda ... coulda ... shoulda.”

Stefanski often says things like “this is on me” after a loss.

After this game, he’s right.

BAD FEELINGS ALL DAY

During this game, I had a feeling. Actually, I had a bad feeling all week about with the Browns missing five starters on defense.

Part of me wondered, “How did the Browns lose this game?”

Then I checked my football rear-view mirror. I saw Cleveland’s first possession of the game. They drove all the way to the Atlanta 3-yard line. It was fourth down. Stefanski went for the TD instead of the field goal.

No TD. No field goal. Nothing. Zero points.

And I see another drive, where the Browns had a first down on the Atlanta 1-yard line. Then Wyatt Teller was flagged for holding. Back it up 10 yards. Fail to score. Settle for a field goal.

Then there’s David Njoku fumbling the ball and that set up an Atlanta TD.

HOW TO DO IT

Atlanta just ran the ball ...

And ran the ball ...

And ran the ball ... with guys where you thank the Lord for the Internet because the Falcons used star running back Cordarrelle Patterson very little as he’s battling a knee injury.

They ran the ball with Caleb Huntley, an undrafted rookie from Ball State who had only one career carry coming into the game.

They ran the ball with Tyler Allgeier, a rookie fifth-round pick from Brigham Young.

They even ran the ball once with Avery Williams, a career defensive back. He ran the play for 21 yards.

As a team, they ran the ball for 202 yards. On one TD drive, Atlanta ran the ball 10 times in a row for 75 yards. Everyone knew Atlanta was running the ball, and the Browns were helpless to stop it.

Marcus Mariota was 7-of-19 passing for 139 yards. They won anyway.

Wish the Browns had tried the same strategy.

Naturally, there was a blown coverage near the end of the game. Wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus was wide open for a 42-yard catch. Cleveland cornerback Denzel Ward then committed a 15-yard face mask penalty on Zaccheaus. That set up the winning field goal.

The Browns are 2-2. I don’t want to hear about injuries. Even allowing 23 points and the defensive breakdowns should not have prevented a victory.

This falls on the offense. The play calling. The lack of smart football when it meant the most.

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