That was fun.

It took Reid about 15 years to overcome his penchant for being a horrible game clock manager. I'll give Stefanski a year...he's a fast learner.

3rd AND 14.
Bad challenge.
Wasted timeout.
Helmet to Helmet hit.
Dropped screens.
No show for the first half by the offense.
No show for the entire season for the D.
Otherwise this WOULD be a Superbowl team.

THE BROWNS ARE STILL THE BROWNS.

Could have won the game.

Great season and mad props to the team.

Felt like Stefanski was outcoached, bad management and I liked Van Pelt's play calling a LOT better. We didn't run when we could have and it seemed like we were always on the wrong foot to beat them on O.

But a helmet to helmet no-call is the difference in the game.

Hell of a season Brownies! KC was just a bit too much for this defense. Looking forward to next year.

If If's And's or But's were Candies and Nuts, my Uncle would be my Aunt!

This is a super true statement.

I always say, every year we're going to the Super Bowl. Even when we were about to go 0-16.


This year we came within a game of doing so. Great season, if you ask me.

+ 1 .... love love love this team we are young and set for improvement and relevancy for many years to come. Go Browns!

Hell of a game. Myles being hurt was huge. Great season, well above most expectations. The no call on the helmet to helmet was a major factor, and that is sad. Chubb dropping those passes early killed to drives.

If they did anything on that last drive, they would have won.

This team is going to be a big threat next year.

I think Blake Hance deserves a contract.

Best season I have seen in decades

First the negative -

The Browns were gifted a win when Mahomes went out. And lost to a 35 year old backup QB. The previous offensive drive was completely mismanaged. They were acting like the 4th quarter just started. Really disappointed they couldn't take advantage of the situation and a real lack of urgency. Stefanski picked the worst game to have his worst game. There is no guarantee the Browns will be back next year.

The positive -

Great season. Nice not to have to worry about GM, coach, and QB. Next season's schedule is very difficult. We'll find out if we are creating something with staying power. Proud of this team. They gave us an amazing, exciting season and broke a lot bad streaks.

It was a tough loss but we are winners and I feel good about that. If you live in Cleveland show up at the airport and cheer our guys, they have earned the respect of the entire league and our gratitude for the best season we have had in 25 years.

We made it to the divisional round of the playoffs and were in it until the end. Not bad for a first year coach. The Browns are back. We have our coach and our qb.

I have heard that Belechik doesn't allow reaching with the ball at the goal line. I see why now if true.

D was horrible all year

Moment looked too big for a lot of players and coaches. The hope is now that they have been to playoffs they can prepare mentally next year and rise the effort level needed. We have work to do. We still have the capital to do it. This next offseason might be the biggest one since rebirth. Could set up down a path for the next 10 years or we can be stuck . Hopefully next year covid is something that is spoken About in past tense

Barry neglected the defense and it came back to bite him

One thing that was bad for me: Chubb seemed out of it ... he probably accrued a really poor grade today

I think that fumble rule makes absolutely no sense. Fumbled into the end zone ought to go back to the one. (obviously, without an in bounds defensive recovery)

It was a fun season. Stefanski will learn from this. Pretty much set on offense. Add some playmakers on D and we will be one of the SB favorites next season.

Win the division and get some playoff games in our stadium in front of our crazy fans in the Dawg Bound.

My biggest gripe of the season.

Berry must address the defense this off season.

Could not be more proud of this team.

They fought all year and overcame a lot of adversity and changed the culture.

Browns football has very bright future.

Final 3rd down almost conversion,

Browns have a little bit of consistent trouble with Qb sneaks/ breakaways for very large gains,

It was not just, Baltimore guy, but Backup KC guy,
it's consistent,

They should, drawing board something on, how not to, maybe keep those gains to
half the remaining yards.

OH well, If's and Buts.

That is definitely a big concern going into next season.

I'm going to root for Buffalo

We are going into the draft to plug in some pieces not trying to draft a QB and a whole team. We have our QB, We have our Coach, We have our O line. We have our running backs. We have receivers We need D help. It has been a great year Thank you BROWNS!

D was bad all year. We didn't ignore the D - the biggest piece we added got injured and was out all year. There's a limit to how much you can achieve in one off season. Pretty sure losing to KC in the send week of the playoffs is better than any sane fan expected before the season started.

We were in it until the end because Mahomes got hurt. Berry must fix the issues on D this off season.

So Proud of My Browns, they could have quit today but they didn't and had a chance to beat the champs, they have accomplished so much this year, Here are some demons they have exercised in 2020:

1. First Non-Losing Season Since 2007
2. First Winning Season Since 2007
3. First Playoff Appearance Since 2002
4. First Playoff Win Since 1994
5. First Road Playoff Win Since 1969
6. Beating Pittsburgh 2 in a row and Knocking them out of the Playoffs
7. Winning 12 Games First Time Since 1994
8. First win Pittsburgh in 17 Years
8. Next Year is finally Here looking forward to a great 2021 in CLEVELAND 🙂

I’d expect multiple new players at every level of the defense

Plus we'll get back guys like OBJ, Billings, Delpit, and maybe Greedy, Weaver, and we might even re-sign a guy Vernon if he wants to come back and fill a role. (if he gets healthy)

Browns are on their way. They had a HUGE opportunity today and failed. Build the defense. Let Van Pelt call the plays. Stefanski learn to manage the game. Browns looking good for years to come. They are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with defensive improvement.

Doesn't change the fact we were in until the end, injuries are part of the Game ...

Why leave it to the refs? I know Higgins was trying to score but he should have secured the freaking ball instead of risking a fumble!

Thank you Browns for a terrific season. If I lived closer I'd be there to greet you at the airport.

I am obviously disappointed and worry that these opportunities don't always reappear.

I am a little disappointed in the severe criticism toward KS. Yes he made mistakes but he should learn from this year. For crying out loud he is a rookie couch whose team won 12 games. My biggest surprise from play calling was abandoning the run.

I see posts calling to cut most of the defense, get rid of the defensive coaches, get rid of Myles Garrett and these are so overly simplistic and not at all realistic. Especially considering we were without anywhere from 2-4 projected starting DBs most of the year.

Blaming Barry for "neglecting the D" I guess I would just ask who you wanted him to draft or sign. This isn't fantasy football and just because there is a FA available doesn't mean you just get to choose him. .I also would consider his draft a positive.

Can we give him a year two before blowing things up again? Isn't this what everyone complains about, constant change?

For a stretch of three years we won 4 games. The last two years we looked like a rag tag bunch of Bad News Bears including last year resembling a bunch of immature goof offs. For the first time in 26 years we are playing in the playoffs divisional game. We lack talent on defense, sure. Our Defensive Coordinator called head scratching schemes all season, Stefanski mismanaged some moments, we made some mistakes, our linebackers are slow, and OBJ is on injured reserve.

Yet we played a second playoff game today, the first in 26 years and we beat the Steelers last week.

So for the first time, in decades, I am going into this offseason with the mindset that we are a few players away from being a super bowl caliber team and not a few players away from being mildly respectable and hoping that we no longer will be considered by others as "just the Browns" or "Browns gotta be Browns."

I'm holding my head high, man. It's a good time to be a Browns fan again.

Didn't expect to win this game. But glad we got to play the Chiefs. Gives us an idea of where we are and where we need to get to. Giving up that 3rd and 14 play at the end was disappointing. Hopefully the draft is all D, need a lot of improvement there for next season.

We were in it until the end.

I want a new defensive scheme. We cant let a backup qb beat us.

Nothing to be ashamed of. Your future is very bright.

Yea it kind of does. The Browns are probably going to have to beat KC and Holmes in order to get to the SB next season. Barry must improve the defense!

Proud of this team this year.

Sucks we have some glass cannons, but overall it was a solid game, and valuable experience going into next season.

Hope baker uses this L to fuel him going into training camp.

Other than the horrible pick, he had a solid game. Chubb dropping passes was really terrible, but Higgins fumbling at the end zone really did us in.

I understand that by the letter of the law, that would’ve been a foul, but we can’t expect the refs to bail us out on that play, especially at real speed. At the end of the day, Higgins is fumbling that ball no matter how he got hit because he never had it secure to begin with. That’s on Higgins.

Defense was disappointing. The scheme and all. I understand it’s the chiefs, but damn watching that game we had so many chances to get off the field and just whiffed.

Atleast we played better than the ravens though, so oh well.

Its Berry and Mahomes, you doof.

Don't get too disappointed. It's just the same few bawl babies doing this every game.

This was the lowest points the Chiefs have scored in some time . If the head to head call was called.. This would'nt be a discussion.

sorry for the typos. No need for name calling. I'm typing too fast.

One last thought. Tony Romo is an ASS of the highest order.

Its Berry.

Defense held Mahomes and company to 19 points through almost 3 quarters.

Agreed Higgins need to make sure the ball is secure, but damn if that is not the stupidest rule in football. Fumble by offense through end zone results in touchback. Just an awful, awful rule which makes no sense whatsoever, and never has.

We were in it to the end. That no call on the helmet to helmet was big and probably cost us 7 points but Mahomes injury hurt them too. All in all we played better than I thought and hung in there with the best team in the AFC and maybe all of football. Let's identify our needs and address them aggressively this off season. GO BROWNS!!!!!!

Yea I know it's Berry. I was typing too fast and hit the A key instead of the E key.

Made too many mistakes to beat a great team like the Chiefs. If Higgins just goes down at the 1, we probably win this game. We run more time off the clock, score a TD, and the Chiefs don't have enough time to get a FG maybe. 10 point swing. At least 7. That's the game.

Need to address the Defense this offseason, which I have no doubt that we will.

We are building something special here.

Now that was a good season. Stefanski can do no wrong for a while...

The leading with the helmet call was horrible. But it's the NFL and all that so I can come to expect things like that.

It's terribly hard to win on the road in the NFL. Even harder when you're playing the KC Chiefs. The Browns were taking the long road through the playoffs and still came off looking pretty decent. Losing sucks. But that's the nature of sports.

So, who we gonna draft? Usually I am thinking about that in September.

Got the post season experience. Need to fix some holes on Defense this off-season. Future looks bright.

I hope Mahomes is OK.

Concerning the rule about an off player fumbling out of bounds resulting in the def get the ball at the 20

I was at a game where this went against the steelrs and for the Browns some many years ago in Cleveland Browns stadium

south west corner of the ez, I think.

and one of the first calls in Saint game is lowering helmet to initiate contact penalty.

unreal

I'm not quite ready to be philosophical about this game. I'll get there, but first I have to stop thinking about multiple dropped passes by Hooper, Landry, and Chubb. And that fumble by Higgins ... come on man, secure the catch and carry it across the goal line if you can, or have 1st and goal from the 1. Good grief! Then we let Chad Freaking Henne run 13.99 yards on 3rd and 14. You gotta be bleeping me. Then we give Tyreek Hill a cushion on 4th and inches.

Ah well ... good season, good game, but man ... not good enough.

BERRY needs to fix the defense. Hopefully BERRY will find a defensive stud in the draft and FA.

Ok, a few thoughts going into the off-season.

No discussion about the QB is necessary. Baker is the QB and theatre is no need for any discussion. There appears to be developing OL depth.

The offense looks good, and has been the strength of the team. Maybe a deep threat reliever would help.

The defense should be the area of focus for the team, help is needed at all levels. It was a problem all season.

Don’t worry about it, man.

Well before the game I said I was happy to get this far. And before that I was just happy to be in the playoffs. Especially coming off of a couple years of Hue and then Freddie.

But the way they lost stings really bad. Regardless of the Higgins fumble, the Browns had a real opportunity with Mahomes leaving the game and they just played bad football at the end in that 4th quarter. That run Henne had is just painful to think about.

The offense and the defense both fizzled out there at the end. That timeout after the 4th down conversion was really poor. I don’t have a problem with the challenge flag because it looked a little sketchy and they missed a chance to throw the challenge flag in the first half. I don’t disagree with the choice to only kick a PAT when they were down 19-9 because there was
Still 25 minutes of football left. And the final punt of the game seemed reasonable because they were up against Henne. But then they let Henne move the ball.

This team really needs some help in the secondary and with linebackers. Hope they can get it in the off season. Will be good to get OBJ back too.

defense needs an overhaul Garrett only keeper due to money, we played the NFC East and AFC south

Improve the defense and we should win the division and be one of the favorites to win the SB.

Thanks.

If you are suggesting getting rid of Ward and Richardson you have no credibility

Post Season Readable,

Four- playable tight ends, Hooper, Njoku, Bryant, and Carlson,

last time, 1994, also a playoff year.

This year:
7 or 8 starting caliber O-line with 3 extra tackles.
Hubbard, and Wills, and Conklin, and Lamm, Starting level tackles
and Trettor, and Bitonio, and Teller, the starting OG's with Teller having ability at tackle,

and Nick Harris and others stepping up for fill in time, but those above, could be 16 game starters and adequate.

It's not an every year thing, this year it was a thing, and a thing they won a playoff game.

TWO #1 Rbs' +, I mean, More than #1 quality Rb's and don't forget the Fullback and his contributions on the year.

And like it or not,
This team wouldn't be here without the Quarterback play.

That is just senseless. We need a couple pieces on defense, not an overhaul. You can;t build everything in one draft and one abomination of an off season like we had. We went defense with our second and both thirds last draft. We signed Smith, Billings, Johnson and Joseph amongst others. No one forgot about the defense. Just trying to expect Berry to solve all of the problems in one off season is a ridiculous notion.

What a great season. Lots of questions answered, and we know where the weaknesses remain. The defense totally lacks talent, so the people demanding coaching changes seem a bit out there.

Stefanski did a great job this year. I loved him. He has a lot to learn.

Baker did a great job this year. I loved him. He has a lot to learn.

The window is wide open for this team. I have great optimism going forward.

question. will there be 7 playoff teams from now on?

Yes

For those that think the no-call spearing decided it... we let Chad Henne rune for 14 on 3rd down. I might be more athletic than Henne.


Proud of this team, and the D is closer than it looks to being scary. We need a couple things to break our way starting next season in our secondary, and Garrett to get his lungs back over the off-season.


I believe I said I'd be happy to break .500 when the season started. 😁

yea an overhaul isn't necessary. Berry needs to add some playmakers on D. The Browns are close.

The main issue I have with the D is that they are not aggressive. They rarely blitz. They dont pin their ears back and bring the heat.

I want a D that is something to be feared.

I do not like the current scheme/coaching.

Plus, we give SO much cushion ... we are literally bailing off the LOS and giving up everything under 10 yards

Also, how many games this season did we run up the score in the first half, and then let the opponent come back in the second half.

Stop doing that.

Browns fought, great season. Not mad, they'll be back. The culture has changed

We just don't have the talent to do that, especially in the secondary. With how bad our safeties our that is such a gamble.

Really if you told me before the game started that if we held the Chiefs to 22 points? I would have been like yeah we will win.

We didn't do much on our last drive of the game. Even if we stopped him and the Chiefs punted would not have had much time for a game winning drive. Who knows, maybe we would've scored a last minute TD to win it. We will never know.

If Higgins holds on to the ball and we score a TD on that drive the score would've been 24-19 Browns late in the 4th quarter. Henne would've had to lead the Chiefs to a late game winning TD. I know I'm doing a lot of speculating but Higgins fumble was huge.

Butterfly effect, citizen.

Fact is, we had a chance to take the lead with a late TD drive, but it didn’t happen. We should have stopped them on 3rd and 15, but it didn’t happen.

We gave the champs all the could handle. Young teams on the rise have to learn how to win, and often it starts with losing.

Especially if you said Mahomes would get hurt and the Chiefs would only score 3 points in the second half.

Well said lamp

Yes the Browns are on the rise. Fix the problems on D and the Browns will be serious SB contenders.

Yep the real killer was that Higgins fumble through the end zone before the half. Yes it was a helmet to helmet call missed. But we can t depend on those calls to go our way. Can't fumble that. Different game if we even get 3 there, but would've been 6.

Really sucks we couldn't take advantage of the fact they had Henne in there. The game was there for the taking. I thought we were winning for sure.

we got the break that we needed (we needed some luck, especially after the first quarter and a half) ... but we couldn’t quite click enough to do it today

If we’d had Delpitt and Greedy Williams all year, the defense might’ve been a lot better. It was a great season. I hate to blame one person, but man, Rashard .....

ONLY if we call our strengths. We need to have a wide open view about our players and schemes. Defense is a liability; OC might call a better game if last week was an indicator.

Good ride; we have upside. Should have won today, but couldn't decide what we were doing. Again, D couldn't get off the field and gave up too many long conversions. Still, it felt great to be cheering in the playoff, the NFL's after-life. And we were in it.

I don't want to be a wet blanket - there's lots of reasons to be optimistic about the future - but its a mistake to assume that there is a linear progression in the Browns drive to win it all. Its just not how things work. We had an opportunity this year and it slipped away from us.

Blatant helmet to helmet.

The NFL HATES the Browns.

We not only have to beat the team that opposes us, but the refs that oppose us!

Hard to fault Higgins for that fumble. It was CAUSED by the illegal spear. A legal hit would have been further back with the ball across the plane of the goal line.

I'm proud of our Browns guys.

WE WILL BE BACK!!!!

A fumble out of bounds, but is there a use-of-helmet foul
A pass to receiver Rashard Higgins ends with Higgins fumbling the ball at the 1 into the end zone. By rule, this is a touchback, which is a long-standing rule to reward the defense for successfully defending their goal.

The ball was jarred loose from a hit from Daniel Sorenson. Was this a legal hit?

At first, the "helmet to helmet" rule does not apply, because Higgins is not in a defenseless posture.The other rule is "use of the helmet" (or UOH) which requires the defender to lower the helmet to initiate contact. The word "to" is operative. The force of the blow must be delivered by contact lead from the top (crown) of the helmet, and the rule is to avoid the transfer of the blow by compressing the defender's spinal column. So, there must be a distinct lining up with the head and the eyes averted to the ground.
Sorenson does initiate the attack with his shoulder, and any shoulder-to-shoulder contact is going to involve helmet contact as well. Sorenson does lower and turn his helmet when contact is imminent, which gives the appearance of avoiding contact. There is simultaneous contact with the shoulder and helmet, so the question is how forcible is the head contact? Had the head not turned about a quarter second before contact, and there was a front-on attack that was helmet-to-helmet, there would not be a foul, but a more violent collision.

The UOH is independent of where the defender's helmet lands, so the fact that the contact is to Higgins' helmet is irrelevant.

There is a clear consensus from those who worked on the field that this is a UOH foul. There is also a clear consensus that an official watching the sideline and goal line in play cannot also be able to catch the UOH from the defender.

But the question is, are we allowing the replay to distort the time element? Was the initial or simultaneous contact from the shoulder, thereby reducing the forcible element of the head hit? Is there more contact from the emblem side of the helmet than the top?

So, we go back to the live play and make those determinations. In my estimation, when viewing the live play, it is not abundantly clear that we had a UOH call; it was only when the pylon camera angle his our screens that we moved off the touchback ruling and then into the UOH. There is no doubt that there was helmet contact in the play, but there are a lot of considerations that do not make it an automatic foul.

http://www.footballzebras.com/2021/01/2020-afc-divisional-playoff-liveblog-browns-at-chiefs/

I picked them to be 8-8....
We were in there against the team I picked to win the SB...
Not happy about today's outcome but over the moon for the season!

Too many good things about the direction we are going to comment on them..

WAY better game than I thought it was going to be... I figured on a let down after the Squealers!

Get healthy! Get some D help... and on to the next Game!

There was lots of areas of the game that could have made a (winning) difference - throwing the red flag on the no-catch, not throwing it on the catch ... running the ball 1st half ... better execution ... not getting confused/lost on D ... playing more aggressive on D like we wanted to stop them instead of slow them down ...

The deal with the spearing no-call - for me - it felt like we SHOULD have been down by 40 points at that point in the game. Mahomes/KC had toyed with us and simply seemed to do anything they wanted .... and yet, with a TD there it was a 6 point game and we were getting the ball back at the start of the second half. To me it was all about momentum.

And yes, I was also salty and letting Henne run for 14 yards to end the game!

But just like KC has to win without Mahomes - every team gets a bad call every game, you have to overcome it. My initial post and comment that we were a no-call away, wasn't me feeling bitter - just wanted to highlight how truly close we were. I keep saying it - any Browns fan would have taken the season we had if it was offered before the season.

I don't see it like that at all. I see him leading with his head. Before all the rules and jargon got changed, I would call that spearing. Period.

I could not agree with this more. And continuously try to preach this to whoever will listen.

The schedule is hard next year. Other teams will improve. There is no guarantee we even make the playoffs next year. There is no guarantee Berry will improve the team. Have no idea what the injury situation will be like.

When your fortunes give you Mahomes leaving the game, you take advantage of that. You don't get many opportunities like that.

It was still a very enjoyable season, but what a wasted opportunity.

Wasn't a fan of Joe Woods and his schemes since the first game and this game further cements my feelings. Players out of position with bad matchups and consistently leaving opposing receivers wide open. I understand the injuries throughout the year but the schemes were just awful. Our linebackers have shown why they have been rated as some of the worst in the NFL. We have a lot of work to do Defensively and if we bring in a new DC, I wouldn't lose any sleep. CHADFREAKINGHENNE for a 14.5 yard scramble on 3rd and 15 when the game is on the line. MY GOD.

Our offensive looks pretty solid and has a great foundation to build upon. Can't wait til the Draft!

I agree, I just wanted to see what the Zebras thought, so I posted it.

---------

The missed call on the Rashard Higgins fumble was a killer

The Browns were so close to scoring a critical touchdown in the second quarter, but Rashard Higgins lost control of the ball just before he could shove it across the goal line.

It’s a bad fumble. There is no denying that. Coach Stefanski even addressed it as such in his postgame press conference. While he praised Higgins’ competitive drive, Stefanski acknowledged the team has instructed players to not do exactly what Higgins did — for precisely the reason that happened.

But the fact it was created by a blatantly illegal hit by Chiefs safety “Dirty Dan” Sorensen, who led with the crown of his helmet into Higgins’ helmet to initiate contact. That’s an ejectable foul. The fumble does not happen without his obviously illegal hit, period. But the officials did not throw a flag and the ball turned over to the Chiefs.

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/lists/qu...ashard-higgins/

Change the stupid fumble out of the end zone rule to let the fumbling team retain possession on the 20.

We played a lot of finesse D this year because our talent was average to below most games. I get the Woods plan to keep things in front of the D in order to limit big plays, but it became our biggest weakness IMHO.

I don't care if Woods goes or stays because I would hope having a talented roster would make him much harder to predict. That said, the level of D play this year was not acceptable in most games, especially our loses.

One thing I think ...... this team does need to add speed on both sides of the ball.

I swear on that second angle it looks like that shot to the head turned out the lights for a split second.

After watching the replay, I can’t blame Higgins. That was a dirty hit and it was obvious. The refs cost us a trip to the AFC championship.

If anybody had told me at 2:30 today that the Chiefs would score 22 points, I would have asked them what time do we play Buffalo next week.

Several dropped passes in the first half
One long pass for a first down into FG range negated by holding that ended with a punt
The fumble at the goal line
Many missed tackles
Many blown coverage assignments
Wills going out on the first freaking play
Chad freaking Henne with the second longest run of his career

I'm ticked about the helmet to helmet no-call as well but we had opportunities to win this game.

And the 4th down throw called by Andy Reid with Chad Henne at QB??? Dude has stones the size of bowling balls.

I'm officially rooting for the Bills to win it all now. I'm all for a changing of the guard... get the Saints, Steelers, Seahawks, Patriots, Packers, and any team Tom Brady plays for out... in with the Browns, Chiefs, Bills, Rams, Cardinals, etc

The whole bar was rooting for the Browns today.

Keep in mind I do not live in Ohio.

It was pretty cool.

What happened to our running game in the first half? They are not know for a run D. This was a big problem just as much as our D.

3 possessions in the first half. Initial drive for FG, 1 derailed
by bogus holding call on Teller after a first down after Juice catch in KC territory, and 1 derailed by Fumble at goal line. Offense was not an issue in the 1st half or the game.

Pissed.... we had our chances and just couldn't get over the hump... glad we didn't give up... but man... we had our chances...

I was upset with the palycalling on our last drive. Way too conservative. We had them on the run and we let them off easy.

We had so many chances and that's all u can ask for. A missed field goal, a missing Mahomes, a pick, an old qb. What more could u ask for? The game was right where we wanted it but they didn't take advantage. I love coach but he didn't call a good game. He got outcoached by a superior team. I'm confident that we'll be better next year despite the harder schedule. Our defense must be upgraded tho. I love my team and I thank them for the joy they brought me in such a crappy year for all of us. DAWG for life!

Agreed. That last drive on offense was weak. It started bad and it didn't look like it would end well, which it didn't. And am I the only one mad that we didn't go for it on 4th down? I know where we were on the field but I didn't care. It's go hard or go home. I didn't like giving them that ball back. I don't trust our defense enough to give it back. I wanted us to have it last. Win lose or draw. We did let them off easy for sure.

Considering the circumstances and what was at stake, it was the most bizarre drive of the entire season. And the worst.

Stefanski really wet the bed on that one.

Exactly. The season was great, the game wasn't when you consider what unfolded...When Mahommes went down, its like the football Gods said "here you go Cleveland, its now time, your sacrifices have been worthy" but our defense couldn't hold their water...Noone should be safe and Joe woods should be a position coach somewhere and bring in a good DC.. a good DC doesn't let Chad Henne sit there. Henne coming in for PMa is akin to Baker going down and we bring in Josh Booty. Our offense was rolling and then as soon as we had a chance, Stefanski forgot 90% of the playbook. Its just another reason I don't like HC calling their own plays. I love Stefanski's offense, but AVP called a great game last week. I let him do it next year and KS can just pull the strings.. I can't even imagine all the things he was trying to keep straight this game. We are finally set at HC and Qb after a gazillion years. Fix the defense, it really matters. Watching the TB/Saints game and I was like no way in hell our defense could compete with those two defenses. Especially in the secondary and LB spots. Hard tackling and no whiffs like we see. This one hurt a little more because after mahommes left there was zero excuse not to win. We didn't force a single punt, and thats happened alot this year. The experience will be invaluable for next year and a full offseason will help. We are in good shape outside of defense and I think Berry will address it well

Don't know if the Chiefs changed something up on the last drive but suddenly they were getting a bunch of pressure, which they really hadn't all game.


Not really mad.. with Mahomes, I think you go for it. With Henne... you should be able to get a stop. If we don't let him run for 13 yards, we get the ball with 1:20 ish on the clock and a chance.. Chad freaking Henne runs for 13 yards to allow them to go for it on 4th down.. I just keep repeating that in my head.

j/c

I am guilty of being an optimist, a glass half full guy. I find it amazing that so many can be so critical of the best season the Browns have had in 2-3 decades. We lost to the reigning champs in their house, and it was too close to call until the last minute of the game. They did so much better than I expected.

I love this team, and I'm proud of what they accomplished this season.

And I will remember Blake Hance, even if he never plays another game as a Brown, although I suspect he earned a roster spot.

Very proud of the season.

I thought Baker had a really good game yesterday. KC blitzed and he read it most times. Some of his completions to keep that 18 play drive were clutch and some of his throws - DPJ along the sideline, Hooper - man, that window was like 6 inches, Higgins - were elite. The pick was a bad decision but also a great play by Mathieu who saw Landry sit.

When we embarked on that drive to bring it within 5, we were just running at them - punching them in the mouth. I am still concerned we do not run enough but I also understand that plays set up plays within games. I trust KS with his chess.

D made that pick on that awful decision by Henne to just heave it and I thought "This is it". Sadly not.

Easy enough to bag on the D - we looked out of our league with the motion plays most of the 1st half then sort of adjusted but you cant have 18 of 20 playes going for 1st down. Mahomes going out - and I hope he's OK - kept us in it truth be told. Still, we lost Wills and Lamm - man Hance was awesome again. If he, Lamm, Harris and Hubbard are our depth we are in a great spot.

Garrett came back, got a sack, which was huge but we failed to capitalise.

Loads of sub plots within sub plots. Chubb dropping passes, as did Landry - it's been something that has reared its head in some games. I do wonder why. Focus? Or just that its one of those things - they had a few drops too.

This offseason is huge for us so we see that we address the gaps, upgrade the weaker areas and solidify status as a postseason team.

Back to my opening point. I switched off the game deflated but with a little satisfaction. This WAS different. The team, coaches and staff deserve huge credit. We will see if the mantra is true:

Are we done? No! Do we have more? Yes, sir.

I really hope so.

The lack of speed on defense (and offense really) is an issue. We have zero playmakers outside of Garrett on defense ... and even he wasn’t himself the last few weeks

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Indeed.

I am eager to see what we do in free agency towards building the D.

It's not quite the same with the draft. Once the draft comes to you, you are left with the players available, which might not always allow the drafting of a need position.

One exception is if you elect to trade up, which might be a possibility this year. With two picks in each of the 3rd and 4th rounds, we might be willing to trade up to be sure to get a "need" position in the draft.

it would be nice to snag a Joe Haden and Minka F like Pittsburgh did.

There is only so much you can do in one season as a GM.

This year free agency and the draft was used to upgrade the offense.

This off season the defense will be addressed.

We had three chances to win the game and just did not get it done.

1.) Higgins play. In a playoff game to win; you have to make that play.

2.) Eight minutes to play. We get the pick and we trail by 5 points. Didn't make the plays to sustain a winning drive.

3.) With time left after the punt. The defense failed to get the ball back.

===================================================

We over achieved as a team all year because quite honestly we simple did not have the defense. All year we gave huge chunk plays. And could not come up with big stops.

We need speed on defense and KC exposed that.
=================================================

I was really disappointed in the offense yesterday. But that is the way it goes some times.
=======================================

We have the key elements in place to build a championship.

GM/HC Berry and Stefanski are in lock step and you need that. They are young with a bright future.

Baker Mayfield is our quarterback. He has proven himself worthy to lead this team.

We have talent in key places. OL, DE, CB, WR, RB, TE.

We need to upgrade defensive tackle, linebacker, secondary.

We have to get better and faster on defense.
==============================================

We got some good experience this year. Metal sharpens metal. We overcame a lot. We got past our demon. We experienced the playoffs and won a game. It will all help us going forward.

It was a great ride and brought back the fun of football.

For that I am grateful.

Thank You Browns.

Regarding Woods and whether he should be back with the team....

We just held the Chiefs to 22 (yes, I know we had one half without Mahommes, but we started holding them to field goals before he left the game) and then there was last week with the 80 takeaways. His defense hasn't looked good at all, but it's looked about as good as what he was given. His secondary was ravaged all year, and the team's biggest strength (Garrett and the Dline) took a HUGE hit when Garrett was out and then limited with COVID. I think Woods deserves another year with at least a respectable roster to see what he can do. I think he's earned another year with his D's overall performance in the playoffs (wasn't pretty, but it did what it needed to do).


Regarding the spearing non-call.... I just kinda chalk it up to us seeing some really really bad calls, and that one just wasn't anywhere near the worst. I don't really fault the refs since there was a ton going on in that play, and even the TV guys had to run it back a time or two before they picked up on the helmet usage. That non-call aside, I think the refs called a decent game.

Us not being able to do much in the first half and allowing KC to ice the game at the end without coming up with a big play were really what cost us the game.

Regarding offensive playcalling.... I acknowledge that I'm playing checkers here (as I drop my fingers on the keyboard) while Stefanski is playing chess, but I just wish we would feature the run a bit more, especially early in the game. Our games just feel like KS wants to throw constantly. Chubb and/or Hunt usually end up getting their yardage and at least a few scores... but it just seems like WE neutralize our biggest strength (our RBs) and not the D. I feel like Hunt was primed and ready to run wild yesterday and we didn't really give him much of an opportunity to do so (Chubb had 13 carries, Hunt only had 6 and they barely cracked 100 yards combined despite both have yards/carry over 5). I know that it's dumb to run right at a wall of 8 defenders, but I think we have more opportunities to get the ball in the hands of our best weapons.

That depends on what the league wants to do with situations like this. Personally, I don't like the rule, but it's a pretty easy rule to avoid. DON'T stretch the ball towards the pilon on dives unless it's 4th down. It's a team rule in New England and Tennessee, and it should have been in Cleveland too.

I don't mind the team retaining possession at the 20, because I think it would encourage more exciting plays, but you are talking about a player that just fumbled the ball and he should know the rule. I could go either way.

As for the head-to-head targeting, I'm not mad about it because NOBODY saw that in real-time. I wouldn't have expected the ref to catch that. Maybe on a play like that in the middle of the field, but there was so much going on this play, that would have been #37 on his list to check off. It sucks, but thems the breaks.

I do think it should be challengeable though. We all saw the hit on replay and it would be logical to get it right. Heck, I think almost anything should be challengeable. I know, I know, stating everything should be open to challenge would make a lot of people roll their eyes. You worry about 45 challenges per game. I wouldn't let that happen. Here's my proposal to combat abuse of the replay system:

1. One replay per quarter (or half). You don't get a replacement if you win the challenge.
2. If your challenge fails, you give up a timeout AND get a 15-yard penalty. Don't waste our time.
3. The ref gets 30-45-60 seconds under the hood. If they can't figure it out in that time, call on the field stands, move on.
4. Let the replay officials start a replay on scoring, turnovers and the final X minutes of the game when needed, but they would only be checking for basic things, not looking for holds.

I think that would handle most situations. If you think there was a missed holding, face mask or helmet-to-helmet hit, challenge it, but you better be sure.

In his post game presser Stefanski praised Higgins effort to score but also said that they coached players NOT to try reaching across the goal line with the ball.

Oh, I didn't hear that. Thanks for the info. So yeah, then Higgins should have known. I know a player has the instinct to score the TD, but with that rule, they need to be more aware.

I think that might be the case to change the rule. In a split second, you're trying to catch, dive, extend, know where the defensive player is and know the situation with the down, clock and score....it's a bit much to also time to to say to yourself, "just retain possession and we'll get them with 1st and goal".

I think it's a good debate. Keep the existing rule and drill home how to handle that situation or change it to be "retain possession but at the 20". I could go either way.

I agree that stretch and fumble was big along with the non call on the helmet to helmet but allowing Henne to scramble like that on 3rd and 14 is inexcusable. If we could have stopped him and got the ball back, well who knows.

Right, I'm more upset at that scramble than the helmet-to-helmet. Force him to throw it away or win the game, don't let him scramble for it.

The 4th and 1 play, well, we just got outcoached. I don't really blame anyone because that's a gutsy call on Andy's part. It's like the fake spike and throw for a TD. 99 out of 100 times, you're ready for the spike, or in this situation to not jump offsides, but nobody ever runs the play. We got burned, oh well.

The 3rd and 14 was the play we should have been ready for, and we weren't. That down and distance should have been an easy stop, but the moment was bigger than our talent. It's a learning experience. Move on.

I think the fumble rule needs to be changed - its way too punitive. The catch made a 1st down. When he fumbled out of the end zone, the rule should be 1st & 10 from the 20 for the team that fumbled.

As far as the helmet-to-helmet non-call, I don't like the rule to begin with. When a defensive player launches horizontally to make a play or a tackle, he necessarily leads with his helmet. Its at the top of his body; he can't not lead with his helmet. Helmet to helmet collisions are a part of the game - we saw it earlier when Hunt got way down low and rammed a tacker head-on to get an extra yard or two. It happens. So I draw a distinction between "spearing" (or targeting) and a tackler making helmet contact because it couldn't be avoided. If they're worried about safety, make a better helmet and make it mandatory that players use it.

I think they got away from the run early on because they decided to short pass to Chubb. Well he had some dropsies and that didnt work out.

I agree Peen. I have seen a number of people, including myself, speculating that we need about 3 solid additions to the defense... I would love it if one of them was a FA who could step in and produce immediately. Some rookies can but there is more of a risk there.

My take on the D is we need about 4 or 5 additions. 2 LB's, a safety and another CB. I would say we need another DL but Billings should be here next year. How about another pass rushing DL too? Is there a chance we could bring back Vernon if he is cleared to play to a team friendly contract? Just some thoughts.

yeah, it’s as a bad day for Nick to have his worst game ... he missed a few cutback lanes as well that he’s usually golden with ... but, that’s football

I feel for Hunt a little bit. Only handing him the ball 6 times was a bummer. He was juiced for this game.

And some of our current young players are getting better.

yeah we just seemed to never get our footing on offense. A lot may have to do with their scheme and what they were taking away. it seemed like we were playing left handed all game ... couldn’t bootleg, couldn’t get much going in PA, etc

Would I have liked to have seen our season end in a SB victory? Of course I would have. And we were given the opportunity to move one step closer when Mahomes went down. So to say there isn't a bit of disappointment in the fact we couldn't take advantage of the situation would not be genuine.

But I try to keep things in perspective. Sometimes with the emotions involved in sports, and especially with my life long love of the Browns that can be hard to do. Not only for myself, but obviously from reading this thread, many others like me.

But the fact of the matter is this team has come a very long way in a very short period of time. I think that expecting a team to go from a 6-10 record last season to winning the SB this season would be an unrealistic expectation.

I could break this down to the no call in the helmet to helmet hit. I could break it down to how certain players performed or didn't perform as the case may be. I could complain about Chubb dropping those passes. Yes I could. But I'm not going to. I think you get the point.

Instead I'm going to enjoy knowing that this was season one with Stefanski at the helm. I'm going to look at how far we've come in a single season. I'm going to celebrate the maturity, development and progress Baker has made. I'm going to understand that you can't rebuild a team to fit your scheme in a single off season. I know that much progress has been made and more issues will be addressed during this off season.

I've sat back and watched too many frustrating and losing seasons to let this moment pass me by without enjoyment and a smile on my face seeing the accomplishments this team has made. As a life long Browns fan I think I've earned that much. I have a reason to look forward and not look back.

And that's damned sure what I'm going to do.

I've been on one version of Dawg Talk/Dawgtalkers since 1999. For those who have been along for the ride everyone pretty much knows I'm not rah rah guy just to go with the flow. I'm not a guy who tries to put lipstick on a pig. When it comes to our Browns, if we're stinking up the field I'll say so. And sadly I've had to say so for far too long.

But not today. Not for most of this season. And not during this off season. I have every reason to be happy, to be optimistic and to look forward to the future of our team. So you'll see no negativity from me today.

As my wife would say.... "Not today Satan! Not today!"



GO BROWNS!

I was screaming at my son please Higgy just go down at the 2-and run it in on the next couple of plays because we were leaving too much time on the clock. And then he fumbled-

The third and 14 should have never even been close to that big of a play. That whole side of the field was open on a couple of big plays. I don't know if Goodson got caught up inside or just couldn't get over. We need speed of defense.

I bet Reid doesn't go for that 4th down if it is 7 or 8 to go.

If you would have told me especially with the back end of our defense in August that we would be down by a score to Kansas City in our last offensive drive with a chance to score and go on to the AFC Championship game and be the only one left standing in the AFC North, I would have told you to get your head examined.

Have not read the other posts in this thread yet, so I imagine a lot of what I say has been said.

- I said last week that even if KC beats us by 100 I will take this season as a win. And I do. Beating PIT in PIT in a playoff game was the pinnacle of a great year.

- That said, this game was within our grasp. We played the top seed in the AFC and took it to the end.

- We've had The Drive and The Fumble. Will this game be known as The Scramble or The Touchback?

- The touchback rule is what it is. It's up to Higgins to secure the ball. Or the refs to call the Use of the Helmet rule, which I think that was. There are coaches who do not allow the reach over the goal line. It is dangerous.

- Even though we only gave up 22 points to KC, I am very disappointed in the defense. Not sure that makes sense, but that's where I am at. I know we have a lack of talent on the D, especially at LB and S, but I think we had a scheme problem too. KC had a couple of plays they used over and over and we never adjusted for those. Those plays were there all day for KC.

- There is absolutely no excuse for that Henne scramble. None. Whatsoever.

- Not an optimal time for the run game to struggle. The OL overall did not have an adequate game. Baker had more pressure than usual.

- Too many negative runs. The pitchouts to Chubb lost a few yards each time we tried it. Too often we were behind the chains.

- KC was bringing pressure from guys lined up wide, who came in untouched. We didn't adjust to stop that.

- Landry had a key drop, almost into a pick. Chubb had a couple drops as well. Hooper, Njoku and DPJ with some nice grabs. Higgins had a tough catch as well.

- While Baker's numbers may not have been stellar, I think he played well. Had that pick, but I think he made good decisions for the most part.

- Proud of this team. We fixed the OL last off-season. Looking forward to what this off-season brings. Use free agency to work on the defense, and best available in the draft.

I know we lost Wills, but did we also lose Lamm?

Cap do you know why your upset with the D even though they only gave up 22 points? Because the D can't make the big play when they have to and get us off the field. They give up way to many big and important plays.

I guess we could call it "The Yes! Yes! No! NO!! Play". Ehh, might be too long ...

Seriously though, I'm tired of naming bad things that happen to our teams. It gives them a emotional power they don't deserve IMO.

Yes, that is it. Thanks for pinpointing it.

exactly ... our defense is one of the worst 4th down defenses in the history of the NFL. We were fortunate against Pittsburgh to stop them once and it changed the game

Our defense certainly isn't great for sure and our 4th down D is bad. But it is not accurate to say the defense only stopped the Pittsburgh offense once. WE had three interceptions, two of which were converted to 14 points IIRC.

Woods didn't have a full deck.

Basically he was hamstrung by lack of talent and injuries.

I will not judge him to harshly for those reasons.

I doubt he was able to do what he wanted to do.

Defense has a lot to do with players fitting scheme.

I just don't think he had the players. Unless I really was able to spend lots of time studying film; I could not fairly judge his work.

The defense gave up big plays all year long. They also were not good in fourth downs and three and outs.

I understand to a degree what he wants to do. I believe his goal coming from SF is pressure from four. That has to come from the right four. Myles and Richardson are both good players. Myles of course is outstanding.

Ogunjobi needs to be replaced. Vernon was good but contract, age and production bring a question at that position.

Andrew Berry will no doubt be looking intensely at what he can do for the defense.

Yes we lost Lamm too. Had to use the Hance guy at LT for most of the 2nd half.

Looking back, the Browns had so many chances to win that game, and Kansas City did just enough, and also seemed to get all the breaks. The fumble/touchback. Tyreek Hill somehow holding onto that catch that the browns ended up challenging, and rightfully not getting. And They did it all with Mahomes out enough time to where there was probably serious doubt of them losing the game.

It's hard to fault Higgins for that fumble. I know Stefanski said after the game that are coaching guys to not reach out like that, but I think it's just human that he tries to make that play. I have a bigger problem with the rule, and I think we may end up seeing it changed in the future. I don't think teams should be penalized like that. Maybe it can be an automatic fumble out of bounds, and the offensive team gets the ball at the 5. Any fumble forward into the endzone that remains live is up for grabs. I wonder if you polled all nfl players and coaches if they like this rule or would want it changed. I feel like majority would want change?

Defensively the Browns hung in there, but they just don't have a defense that can overpower like in situations we saw near the end of the game with Henne just finding every weakness in the defense. You need better linebackers. You need an upgrade at safety and hopefully Grant Delpit comes in healthy and ready to go.

I thought Baker played ok, i know he wants that pick back. I think he will really benefit going into next year with the same coaching staff, and maybe an addition or two.

It was pretty clear to just about everyone that Myles Garrett was not the same since he had covid. I really hope he is able to to return to form. I have a friend going through long term effects of covid, and it absolutely sucks.

Kansas City is just a damnn good team, and well coached, and the end of the game with Chad Henne was handled masterfully.

Probably won't hit us until next week when there is no Browns game. I am still excited for this final four though. This has potential to be an amazing sunday of games.

I don't really set expectations for the Browns. They have been so bad for so long, that I could not stand saying it was a 4 win team. I tend to create expectations as things go. Probably about a quarter of the way to half-way I really wanted to see them get to the playoffs. They exceeded that this year, and did it under some ridiculous circumstances. Having a brand new coaching staff during a pandemic and having to do everything via zoom. The injury to Delpit to start the year. Losing guys to COVID. Having to play a playoff game with no coach and a depleted secondary. As mentioned before your best defensive player being restricted because of the effects of the virus. Browns fans should definitely be walking proud. The future looks really bright. I am still excited for the draft. We may not be picking high, but picking high these days you are looking for QB's, tackles, high end skill positions. The Browns need linebackers, and depth in the secondary. They should really be able to net that need in both rounds 1 and 2, even when they are picking in the 20's.

And man, I know there are rumblings that we could be back to packed stadiums by September (one step at at a time), I can not imagine what opening day (or night) might look like at FES with this team coming off this run.

One thing we can say that has changed culturally that needs stated for the off-season: Great players now want to be here. The posts about who rejected us, doesn't want to come here, won't be drafted here, etc. should be a thing of the past. We have potential and should welcome some more talent, say at LB and S. What we need still, we need badly. But our very best shine brightly on the field against everyone.

The NFL is not sports, its entertainment. Luckily I think we're getting enough star power they might let us start winning in a year or two instead of having to win every game twice.

Overall our guys played well. Our stars, Baker, Chubb and Landry all had crucial mistakes that cost us points and maybe the game.

I used to be so attached to the results of the game, now I know there's nothing we can do, the billionaires will do whatever they wish with the weird challenge rules and stuff, but hopefully soon they'll toss us a victory, and until then just gonna not care or spend any $ the NFL.

Yep, the front office will have to be very selective about how they handle FA. The Brownw could become bigger players in that market, and that's not always a good thing.

I will say out of the talk about changing the rule. Had it gone the other way, it would be a great rule.

I agree punch, the ball carrier doesn't have time to think about all of those things in the split second we are talking about.

It is what it is.

This here. I watched the game with a friend who'd had it. He remarked that people don't understand the after effects, the joint pain, and how quickly fatigued. And, of course, nobody knows the long term effects. I'm a little worried about Garrett long term.

Yes, a guy named Blake played most of the second half I believe.

I agree that the guy going for the end zone isn't thinking through the scenario of "what if I fumble into the end zone".. he's just trying to score and you can't fault him for that.

I disagree about the rule. I've always thought it was a stupid rule but it doesn't get talked about much because it happens what.. 3 or 4 times throughout an entire NFL season?

If you hit a guy on an out route at the 5 and he takes 2 steps and fumbles out of bounds at the 3, you get the ball at the 3.. if you hit him at the 2 and he takes 2 steps and fumbles out of bounds beyond the pylon, the other team gets the ball? Seems rather arbitrary and excessively punitive to me. We already have rules to cover fumbles in the final 2 minutes, which could be "intentional" so you can't advance the ball.. and intentionally fumbling into the end zone is the only thing this rule could be designed to prevent. There are multiple ways to handle this that would be better than a touchback.

When that whole fumble-touchback thing unfolded, I immediately thought about Hunt's diving score in final regular season Pitt game, I think (maybe it was the Jets game). Almost same play (hit as he was diving/reaching into the endzone), but Hunt had that extra half step before he went airborne and pretty much had the ball breaking the plane before he got hit while Higgins didn't. Literally split second difference between two VERY different play results.

I commented earlier in this thread that I will always remember Blake Hance. In the Wildcard game, Bitonio was out and was replaced by Micheal Dunn. As a backup, they signed Blake Hance off the Giants practice squad. (Baker remarked that he met Blake for the first time in the locker room before the game.) When Dunn left the game with injury, Hance replaced Dunn without affecting the overall performance of the OL.

In the Chiefs game, Wills was injured early, replaced by Lamm, who subsequently was injured early in the 2nd half. Again, Hance stepped in without any drop off in OL performance. In fact, Baldy's Breakdown singled out Hance at least twice in his clip about the Browns OL after the last game.

I say again, I will remember Blake Hance for his performance in both games.

Agreed ... I think he did a more than admirable job. And I liked what I saw from Dunn too. OL depth is a definite strength

Too bad his name's not "Sue."

Yes, plus we get Forbes back.

It wasn't so much that Higgins fumbled the ball because he was hit hard in the Helmet it was the penalty not being called. Without that hit to the head he may not have fumbled. Odds are with the penalty called we would have scored a TD. That non-call changed everything at that point. Also, and I said it before, we should never have allowed Henne to scramble like that at the end. I was yelling at the TV get him where are our guys. Inexcusable!!!!

So, if the helmet-to-helmet call was made, what was the result of that play?

Seems to me, the fumble through the end zone would still result in the turnover and KC would just be penalized half-the-distance... They would still have the ball at the 10. Am I missing something?

The hit occurred during the play before the fumble. I'm pretty sure we would maintain possession.

Half the distance to the goal from the spot of the foul. Browns ball first and goal.

I believe if the spearing penalty had been called it would have been the Browns ball, 1st down with the ball half the distance from the prior spot. Penalty call negates the fumble, and its resulting turnover to KC.

Edit: In other words - what I *think* is if the Browns accept the penalty (which they would have), the catch and the fumble never happened.

Bingo.

I'm not sure if you know this but I didn't just make up the expression "a guy named Blake".. it trended on Twitter (#aguynamedblake) for a while after the Steelers game because of Baker Mayfields postgame comments where he said:

“We had Michael Dunn step in at left guard for Joel Bitonio, and then Michael [Dunn] got hurt, and then a guy named Blake that I introduced myself to literally in the locker room before the game stepped up in the fourth quarter.”

So if he sticks around, and I hope he does, you will hear him referred to that in the future.

I did know that, and recognized it in your post. I was just adding more details...filling in the blanks.