Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur was ready to give his players the traditional “See you on Wednesday” speech after the 7-6 win over visiting San Diego on Sunday, but they cut him off.
They wanted to work on Monday and prepare for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Browns are 2-6, but they play hard for Shurmur. They performed with greater passion than the Chargers and earned the victory on the rainy, cold, miserable afternoon.
Shurmur instilled a sense of fun in the experience, telling his players to treat the game like a bunch of kids romping around in the rain. They appeared better prepared and more in sync, which speaks volumes considering the Chargers were coming off their bye week.
Offense: C-plus
The point total suggests a lower grade, but consider wind gusts of 40 miles an hour and a hard-driving rain from opening kick to the final tick off the game clock. RB Trent Richardson was the best skill position player on the field, rushing for a career-high 122 yards on 24 carries and scoring the only touchdown on a 26-yard bolt behind exceptional blocking from LG Shawn Lauvao and TE Alex Smith. Not bad considering the Chargers entered as the second-ranked run defense in the NFL. Richardson also caught a 12-yard pass to keep going a drive that took four critical minutes off the clock late in the fourth quarter. Well-protected QB Brandon Weeden completed several clutch passes that moved the Browns into Chargers territory in a game dictated by field position. The Browns have yielded just five sacks in the last five games. Previous game’s grade: D
Defense: A
There is little doubt the defense was aided by Mother Nature, but credit must be given for rising to the occasion repeatedly when a field goal would have turned victory into defeat. The secondary was especially strong, holding premier WR Malcom Floyd and TE Antonio Gates to a combined six catches for 57 yards. Second-year CB Buster Skrine stymied the much taller and stronger Gates along with SS T.J. Ward, who performed well against both the pass and run. Skrine knocked away a pass from QB Philip Rivers to clinch the victory. Ward set the tone by shooting the gap for a no-gain stop on RB Ryan Mathews on fourth-and-1 on the first possession of the game. Meanwhile, LBs D’Qwell Jackson and rookie James-Michael Johnson combined for 24 tackles, the latter enjoying a breakout game. This was easily the finest effort of the season for the defense. Previous game’s grade: C-minus
Special teams: C
P Reggie Hodges continued to struggle with consistency, though he did kick better in the second half. His fourth-quarter punt that emerging rookie Johnson Bademosi caught on the San Diego 3 yard line pinned the Chargers back. KR Josh Cribbs allowed two punts to squirt past him inside the 10 and later explained that he didn’t want to race over and muff them in the adverse conditions. The coverage units performed well and the Browns did recover from the disaster last week in Indianapolis, so a decent grade is in order. Previous game’s grade: F
Coaching: A-minus
What is most important here is Shurmur and his coaching staff have continued to motivate players on a 1-6 team to perform with passion and growing confidence. Shurmur and offensive coordinator Brad Childress pushed all the right buttons in the fourth quarter, mixing in short, effective passes with Richardson runs to keep the Chargers off-balance and maintain control of the ball. Defensive coordinator Dick Jauron designed an effective scheme that flooded the passing lanes and put just enough pressure on Rivers (impressive DT Billy Winn recorded the lone sack) to make him uncomfortable in the pocket. The Chargers managed no runs that exceeded 11 yards and struggled mightily to complete passes. Previous game’s grade: D
Stay dialed in on the Cleveland Browns on Twitter at @CBSBrowns throughout the season with on-site updates from CBSSports.com RapidReports correspondent Marty Gitlin.
