Brendan Gulick and Anthony Moeglin give their instant anaylsis and reactions to the Browns 20-24 road loss to the Seahawks.
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00:10 Quite an emotional roller coaster in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday afternoon,
00:15 ultimately ends bitterly disappointing for the Cleveland Browns.
00:19 Final score today, Seattle 24, Cleveland 20.
00:22 Brendan Gulick and Anthony Meglin with you.
00:25 Part of our coverage with Browns Digest on Fan Nation.
00:28 And Anthony, this was a game that had a pretty terrible start for Cleveland.
00:33 And then all of a sudden, about 20 minutes into the game,
00:36 the script flipped quickly and Cleveland looked like the better team for sure.
00:41 And it took a while until the scoreboard reflected that.
00:44 But ultimately, the Browns had an opportunity to try to close the game with
00:48 about three minutes left and couldn't quite get it done today.
00:51 Jackson Smith and Jigna scores a game winning touchdown with about 38 seconds to
00:55 go, and the Browns lose a really disappointing game on the road here this
00:59 afternoon.
01:00 >> Yeah, it's an unfortunate finish to a game that the Browns feel like
01:06 they not only competed, but deserve to win.
01:09 And you think back to the last three weeks, you look at all three of those weeks,
01:12 you're like, maybe don't deserve to beat the 49ers,
01:15 maybe don't deserve to beat the Colts.
01:18 And you came out of those games with victories.
01:20 Today, you definitely feel like you played well enough to deserve to win that
01:24 football game.
01:25 And just unfortunate, we'll get into kind of the details of it,
01:31 but just an unfortunate way to lose a football game.
01:34 And I thought the Browns played their tails off.
01:37 I thought they competed, a gritty performance, and
01:42 that's what you're starting to see from this team is that there's no quitting them.
01:45 And they're just a tough, tough football team to beat, regardless who's playing
01:49 quarterback, who's playing receiver, who's playing running back.
01:51 It's a team that's gonna be really, really challenging to beat.
01:55 >> Obviously, the ending was not what the Browns had hoped for, but
01:59 I asked Miles Garrett postgame about what the attitude was like on the sideline or
02:05 what switched for them, where once they found themselves giving up 17 points in
02:11 the first three possessions, you could even argue that things started to turn
02:16 a little bit in that third possession by keeping the Seahawks out of the end zone.
02:20 And Miles chose to look at it from maybe a little bit more of a pessimistic
02:24 standpoint, he said, look, it's not good enough that the first quarter and
02:28 a half happened in the first place.
02:31 It's not just that, hey, we got this thing right and
02:33 played so well for basically two full quarters.
02:36 He goes, we came on flat, we didn't come out with the right attitude or
02:40 intensity, and we gotta want it a little bit more.
02:43 And he gave some credit to Seattle for the way they started the game.
02:47 I think there is a little bit of this, if you try to take a step back just a second
02:53 and look at the big picture, a 45-yard run on the opening possession really hurt.
03:00 And a 43-yard completion on the third possession really hurt.
03:03 It wasn't like the Browns were giving up 20-yard play after 20-yard play and
03:08 had no prayer of stopping the Seahawks.
03:11 There were two big chunk plays early on, and
03:13 Seattle cashed in on a good starting field position on a fumble.
03:18 But PJ Walker said actually he knew that pressure was coming and
03:22 he didn't shift the protection, he said that one was on him.
03:24 But I think there's a lot of people that walk away from this game going, gosh,
03:29 that close from going to Seattle and taking one on the road, that didn't start great.
03:35 But for a long stretch of time,
03:36 felt like the Browns might actually be the better team in the game.
03:39 >> Yeah, and they definitely weren't, it felt that way.
03:41 And it was like, you come out in the game and you're like,
03:44 we're gonna get boat raced.
03:46 It got down, you get down 14-0 and it's like, doesn't look good on offense.
03:50 And you're thinking about your offense and you're like, this is a really,
03:53 even if you were full strength and you had Deshaun Watson playing,
03:56 it would be a tough team to not only beat but to come back down 14.
04:00 Like, how many teams get down 14 at Lumen Field with all the 12s in that
04:04 environment and come back and you're like, this could get ugly.
04:08 But to the Browns credit, they stuck in it and they come out with that drive where
04:13 they just go screen to the right, screen to the left.
04:16 And then a fake screen right up the seam and just was like, all right,
04:19 then you could feel, from my perspective,
04:22 you can feel just like a collective sigh of relief.
04:25 Like, we can hang in there.
04:28 Defense gets one more stop and the offense can kind of manufacture some stuff.
04:31 But it was a weird start, it was a disappointing start, honestly.
04:35 With the way last week went, in terms of how the defense got gashed,
04:41 you were hoping that they would come out and have answers.
04:44 And it seemed like, we'll have to look into it in more detail, but
04:48 it seemed like the Seahawks were using a lot of stuff that the Colts actually used
04:51 last week against us, where you're seeing a lot of motion, getting our man to man
04:55 coverage running side to side, getting our corner, chasing guys all across the field.
04:59 And creating seams and gaps because our defense is so
05:03 stressed with actual man to man coverage.
05:07 So some of those things are really in the weeds, and you were hoping that
05:11 there would be some really good adjustments and corrections to that.
05:14 So disappointing how they started, but it was really impressive how they came out
05:19 after the offense started figuring out, and they just started shutting them for
05:23 the, just kind of turned the water off on the Seattle offense.
05:26 And that, frankly, was really impressive.
05:27 I know what Miles said, and I tend to agree with him.
05:30 But still, with where they were at and the situation that they were in that game,
05:33 it was impressive for that defense to just stop the water and
05:36 really keep this game within reach and give your team a whole opportunity to not
05:41 only stay in it, but to win the game at the end.
05:43 >> I'll tell you the thing that probably stings the most in this game.
05:47 The Browns had 13 minutes and
05:51 20 seconds more time of possession than Seattle did.
05:56 They ran 20 more plays, 75 to 55.
06:02 They were generally pretty good on third downs, 6 of 15.
06:06 Six more first downs.
06:08 I mean, they pretty much won this game statistically in most categories.
06:14 But obviously, it's not a game you win in stats.
06:17 It's about the scoreboard.
06:18 And I think probably the biggest thing that helped Seattle was the fact
06:23 they had two scoring drives where they started with fabulous field position.
06:28 And it's hard to defend a short field.
06:31 I'm not saying the Browns can't do it or haven't done it before.
06:34 But statistically speaking, more often than not,
06:37 you're gonna give up points when the opponent starts on a short field.
06:41 PJ Walker, I thought he played okay.
06:47 I don't wanna have this dunk on PJ Fest, where ultimately,
06:52 his final number is 15 of 31, 248, a touchdown, two interceptions, and
06:57 a lost fumble.
06:58 Was it a great game?
07:00 No, but I love the competitive spirit from a guy who, let's be honest,
07:07 he's a pro, right?
07:09 I don't wanna take anything away from his professionalism.
07:11 He's a practice squad quarterback.
07:14 There's a reason why he wasn't on the active roster at the beginning of the year.
07:17 And I admire a guy who knows there's a $230 million guaranteed contract
07:23 at his position.
07:24 And as soon as that guy's ready, his opportunity is not gonna be here anymore.
07:27 And yet he's treating this like it means the world to him, and
07:30 he's playing with a ton of heart.
07:33 It just doesn't quite have all of the ability.
07:35 And I think there's a lot to admire about a guy that's gonna go out and
07:39 compete like that.
07:40 Because I don't feel as though Walker necessarily lost the Browns the game.
07:45 >> No, and there's so much, I have a bunch of thoughts flying through my head right
07:49 now about PJ Walker.
07:50 And one of the things is that, exactly what you said,
07:54 you just love and appreciate his competitiveness.
07:56 That's not something that's common.
08:00 That guy loves to compete, and you can even see it out there on the field.
08:03 Sometimes when he was running the ball there towards the end and
08:06 he's low on his shoulder trying to get an extra yard, that stuff's uncommon,
08:09 especially in today's NFL.
08:11 And beyond that too, man, you talked about it,
08:13 how the Browns dominated the game from a statistical standpoint, right?
08:19 And the one thing that cancels all of that out,
08:22 doesn't matter how good you are.
08:23 If you turn the football over, you lose the football game.
08:25 And we talked about it at the front.
08:26 Even if you take the fumble, you take the two picks,
08:32 don't even take the third pick or the second pick, the pick before.
08:35 If those are just incomplete passes or a stack, and you punt the ball away in
08:39 the first possession and you kick it, you win the football game.
08:41 And that's just the way it is.
08:43 The last one was flukey, man.
08:44 It's just one of those, you're throwing it to a slant,
08:48 Jamal Adams jumps, hits him in the helmet, what the heck is that about?
08:51 But that one was really unfortunate, but we talked about it at the front.
08:55 We wanted this to be a boring football game, right?
08:58 Where you run the ball, you control the tempo, you control the time of possession,
09:01 and you look good.
09:02 That just wasn't the case.
09:03 And Seattle's a tough team to beat at full strength.
09:06 They're an almost impossible team to beat when you're beat up.
09:10 And you've got to play clean games.
09:12 Browns just didn't.
09:13 And you love PJ Walker, everything about PJ.
09:15 He talks at the end, he's competing on the field.
09:17 You listen to him, you're like, I just want this guy to be great.
09:20 And he gets out there and it's so close, so close.
09:23 And it's just unfortunately not enough in some cases.
09:26 And today just was not enough.
09:29 >> That wasn't for a lack of effort for sure.
09:31 Actually, I gotta be honest,
09:32 I was not overly impressed with Seattle today.
09:37 I thought they were fine.
09:38 I didn't think Gino Smith played a very good game.
09:40 He missed a lot of throws.
09:42 DK Metcalf, 14 targets, five catches.
09:47 And of the nine balls that were thrown his way that he didn't catch,
09:50 I think only a couple of them were passes that were broken up.
09:53 Kenneth Walker, obviously he's had a pretty good success,
09:59 had a great career at Michigan State.
10:02 Great college career in general even before Michigan State.
10:05 Comes here and he's run well as a pro.
10:09 Today had eight carries for 66 yards and 45 of them came on one run.
10:13 Zach Charbonnet had a 21 yard carry,
10:16 which accounted for almost half of his 53 total rushing yards.
10:19 The depth at receiver was a problem, Ty Lockett had a good game.
10:25 And Jackson Smith and Jigba obviously made a really explosive burst of speed
10:30 that ultimately scored that game winning touchdown.
10:32 I think Seattle's good, but they're very beatable.
10:35 And I think that's part of the reason why the Browns leave Seattle today feeling
10:39 a little snake bitten because they had this game and
10:43 they just didn't quite do enough early in the game
10:46 to give themselves the wiggle room they needed late.
10:49 >> Hey, I'll tell you what, you look at the stats and
10:51 there's a definite argument to be made that PJ Walker
10:55 played exactly like Gino Smith.
10:58 Didn't, I don't think outplayed him.
11:00 But hey, I'll tell you what, if that pick six,
11:02 potential pick six goes a different way, you and
11:05 I are having a totally different conversation right now.
11:07 Because I mean that hit, who was it?
11:10 It was Mitchell.
11:10 Mitchell hit him right in the hands.
11:12 And it was cut free to the end zone and
11:16 that changes the whole complexity of the game.
11:18 I was not impressed with Seattle.
11:20 I thought a lot of it was, I thought a fair amount was to do with the defense.
11:24 I thought MJ Emerson gave up stuff, but that dude is competitive as heck.
11:29 And it was, hey, DK, you get your catch and
11:32 I'm gonna be standing right here ready to guard you again.
11:35 And that part's impressive.
11:37 I thought Seattle lacked a little bit of identity,
11:40 like they would have some success and some doing like play action stuff,
11:44 finding Tyler Lockett.
11:45 And then they would try to do, they would get kind of off script.
11:48 I was very confused with what their whole, what their mission was and
11:51 what their goal was on an offense perspective.
11:53 So I tend to agree with you there.
11:55 But just if you feel you get into a game and we talked about it often during
11:59 the week, this feels like this is gonna be a tough one.
12:02 If you kind of think you're the underdog and don't think it's gonna go well,
12:05 then you get halfway through it, you're like, this is our game to win.
12:09 And now where we're sitting right now, you feel like an opportunity was missed
12:13 to go to five and two and to establish yourself in the AFC Northwich.
12:17 Hey, guess what?
12:17 Now we're in a three way tie for second place,
12:20 because the Bengals now won, they're on a three game winner.
12:22 So now you got this clogged AFC North, you missed an opportunity, and
12:26 you just feel a little disappointed flying back to the east,
12:29 because you kind of let one get away this afternoon.
12:32 >> Glad you brought up Emerson's name, cuz I thought he played really well.
12:36 Certainly one of the guys I would consider to have some stock rising
12:39 out of this game.
12:41 Have to do a little bit of thought around those who may be stock falling,
12:46 don't wanna overreact to a game despite the disappointment of the loss.
12:51 But I will close on this note, DeJuan Jones,
12:54 a right shoulder injury obviously left.
12:58 He got some sort of brace or tape job put on,
13:01 you could see what I thought was a black brace underneath his right shoulder pad.
13:05 Came back in the game, he's gonna have an MRI on his shoulder tomorrow, and
13:09 Kevin Stefanski said he'll share more with us tomorrow.
13:11 Obviously, the hope is that DeJuan Jones is not gonna be dealing with anything
13:16 that's gonna keep him out for any length of time.
13:19 Because the Browns are obviously already a little thin at right tackle.
13:22 Although James Hudson came in and
13:24 handled it okay here for his opportunity when he needed to.
13:29 So ultimately, a disappointing game for the Browns.
13:32 One, they certainly felt like they should have win.
13:33 I think they're probably getting on the plane, kicking themselves a little bit,
13:40 but recognizing that it's a tough game.
13:42 And you gotta figure out a way to put a full 60 minutes together,
13:47 because it's easy to point fingers at a disappointing pinball off
13:51 the helmet interception toward the end of the game.
13:55 But I'm not sure that I would look at that as the defining reason why the Browns
13:59 ultimately lost.
14:01 >> Yeah, no question.
14:02 Games don't come down to one play.
14:04 It's easy to point at one play.
14:06 And but you could, there's plays littered throughout the game.
14:10 I can think of one right now, which it was the fade we threw to Omari.
14:14 If he ends up being incomplete, we kick a field goal instead.
14:17 But if he just came off Omari to Elijah Moore, he catches it and
14:21 walks in the end zone, doesn't even get touched.
14:23 It's like little things like that where it's like, so close, but yet you're so
14:27 far away and hey, you miss an opportunity, but you got another one coming in next
14:31 week and you can't let this one hang because you're gonna get on a plane here.
14:35 You're gonna start your travel and you're gonna look at Arizona,
14:38 given Baltimore everything that they wanted this afternoon.
14:40 So they got a big one next week against the Cardinals and
14:43 you better come ready to play cuz the Cardinals can upset you.
14:46 And that's when you just now you totally cannot afford to let slip away.
14:50 So watch this one and we move on soon.
14:53 >> Yeah, I think Kevin Gannon, head coach of the Cardinals said postgame that Josh
14:56 Dobbs is gonna start next week.
14:58 So we'll keep our eye on that as we get ready for
15:01 the Browns to come back home down on the lakefront.
15:03 Final score here in Seattle, Seahawks 24, Browns 20.
15:07 We've got all the coverage you need here postgame over on Brownsdigest.com.
15:11 And please, if you would, subscribe to our YouTube channel where we've got plenty
15:15 more coverage just like this.
15:16 We're gonna talk about Kevin's defense and display calling.
15:18 We'll grade PJ Walker's performance today and the defense as well.
15:22 It's over on our YouTube channel on Browns Digest.
15:24 For Anthony Meglin, I'm Brendan Gulick.
15:26 Thanks for joining us here in Seattle.
15:28 We'll see you real soon.
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