The Cleveland Browns were embarrassed at home in their Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys. They lost 33-17, kicking off a season with big expectations in a very poor way. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, and former offensive line coach Bill Callahan are the most to blame for the defeat.
The Browns are in one of the toughest divisions in football and must win out-of-division games to keep their playoff hopes alive. Although everyone but the Steelers lost in Week 1, still expect the AFC North to be a tough division to win this year. Next week, they play the Jacksonville Jaguars in an attempt to get back to .500.
Why are Watson, Dorsey, and Callahan to blame for this loss? And how must things change to turn the season around?
Deshaun Watson must be better
The Browns mortgaged their future to trade for Deshaun Watson in 2022. They then signed him to a massive extension that has prohibited their ability to build around him. The decision to give a quarterback a big-money deal is a tough one knowing it will anchor your salary cap. The Browns paid that price and have not gotten a quarterback who can win games with less around him.
While it is just one game this season, it is a trend for Watson. Despite his 5-1 record last year, Watson’s stats were nothing remarkable, throwing for seven touchdowns and four interceptions. The Browns must get better play out of their star quarterback to make the playoffs this season. Sunday was not that, with 169 passing yards and two interceptions.
The Browns could have won this game with better quarterback play. The Cowboys used a punt return touchdown and four field goals to blow the game open. With seven punts, KaVontae Turpin was bound to break one off eventually. Deshaun Watson must be better for the Browns and it must start next week against the Jaguars or Jameis Winston could be taking snaps soon.
Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey struggled in debut
Last season, Ken Dorsey was fired from the offensive coordinator position with the Buffalo Bills. After letting go of Alex Van Pelt after last season, the Browns hired Dorsey to fill the same position. In his first game in Cleveland, it was not Dorsey’s strongest performance. The offense only produced 230 yards on 70 plays and only cracked 10 points because of a garbage time score.
Dorsey made a name for himself working with Josh Allen in 2019. Allen’s breakout season was credited to Dorsey as the quarterbacks coach and Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator. In his 28 games as the play-caller in Buffalo, they were unable to get over the hump against top teams. The Browns still decided to hire him and he did not impress in Week 1.
Nick Chubb is out for at least the first four weeks of the season as he recovers from an ACL injury. That creates a massive hole in their running back room and makes it defensible that the Browns only ran the ball 19 times. Despite Pierre Strong Jr and Jerome Ford running the ball, they should have tried to help Watson by opening up the run game.
Browns did not properly replace Bill Callahan
It is impossible for someone who currently works for the Tennessee Titans to be blamed for the Browns’ loss. Offensive line legend Brian Callahan left Cleveland for Tennessee when his son Brian Callahan was hired as the head coach. In his absence, the offensive line allowed six sacks and could not keep Watson upright.
The Browns and the new offensive line coach Andy Dickerson got a tough first assignment with Micah Parsons and the Cowboys. DeMarcus Lawrence and Eric Kendricks got two sacks each and Parsons had five QB hits and a sack. If this continues to be a problem, it will be impossible for Watson to get better and Dorsey to establish a run game.
The Browns’ Week 1 loss does not mean the season is over despite their brutal loss. The quarterback continues to be an issue, and with a new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, it was a rough watch on Sunday. The Browns hope to get to 1-1 in Week 2 against the Jaguars.
