Dire straits in D.C.: Browns can't recover from offensive sleepwalk in 14-11 loss to Redskinsby Tony Grossi Sunday October 19, 2008, 9:58 PM
Tracy Boulian/The Plain Dealer
Derek Anderson and Lawrence Vickers had a disagreement on the field that led to a timeout.LANDOVER, Md. -- Had you fooled, didn't they?
Thought the Browns would ride the momentum of their big offensive night against the New York Giants and make something out of their season?
Gotcha.
The offense suffered a relapse in FedEx Field on Sunday with dropped passes, poor throws, broken routes, missed opportunities and clock mismanagement. That is why the Browns' season is back in intensive care, the team's heartbeat barely audible.
The Browns essentially fell four games behind the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers by losing lamely to the Washington Redskins, 14-11.
A 54-yard game-tying field goal by Phil Dawson with 25 seconds left fell outside the right goalpost by about six feet, securing the Browns' fourth loss in six games. The Steelers are 5-1 and own the tie-breaker over the Browns.
That the Browns had a chance to tie was a credit to the defense, which had another outstanding effort. It forced the game's only turnover with 5:36 left when cornerback Eric Wright chased a rampaging Clinton Portis from behind and safety Brodney Pool recovered. After the Browns finally scored a touchdown on a Josh Cribbs' 1-yard catch and added a two-point conversion on a Braylon Edwards grab, the defense then forced a punt at the two-minute warning.
Portis had a big game, rushing 27 times for 175 yards and one touchdown, but the Browns stopped him when they had to.
The offense then wrapped up the game's goat horns. Taking over at the Browns' 29 with 1:51 left, quarterback Derek Anderson could move the team only 35 yards in seven plays.
Their timeouts were expended on the defensive series before. But the offense wasted at least 24 seconds after Anderson ran a sneak for a first down at the Redskins' 36.
An immediate spike to stop the clock was the thing to do. But Anderson sprang to his feet and sprinted to the sideline for a play because his radio helmet malfunctioned, as usual. Rip Scherer, quarterbacks coach, voiced a play to Anderson. Anderson's pass for Kellen Winslow was tipped at the line of scrimmage.
On the next play, the Redskins ran one of their rare blitzes. Anderson read it, but Edwards did not. Anderson's throw fell harmlessly as Edwards never turned for the ball. Edwards turned a similar play against the Giants into a 49-yard gain.
"That was my fault," Edwards said, who also dropped four passes in the game. "I've got to pick it up."
Then on third-and-10, Anderson threw short and low for Edwards 20 yards downfield. Picking up a few more yards for Dawson's game-tying attempt seemed the prudent thing to do at that point.
"I think we were trying to do that," coach Romeo Crennel said. "The one to Braylon was a little low. We had another one that was open [to Winslow] and they tipped the ball. We didn't make the play. They made the play."
Like in Cincinnati three weeks ago, the offense was abysmal until the fourth quarter, totaling 121 total yards and seven first downs while trailing, 7-3. The Redskins added a touchdown 2 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter when Santana Moss beat Terry Cousin crossing the field and turned it up to the end zone for a 14-3 lead.
A 43-yard kickoff return by Gerard Lawson woke up the Browns. On the ninth play, Jamal Lewis took an Anderson dump pass all the way to the Redskins' 1. Rookie safety Chris Horton, who was a bear the whole game, saved the touchdown.
The Browns had a first down at the 1 -- and couldn't score.
Cleveland native London Fletcher stopped Lewis for no gain. On second down, Anderson threw a screen to backup fullback Charles Ali. It was the first time in two seasons Ali touched the ball from scrimmage. Fletcher tackled him for a 2-yard loss. On third down, Anderson threw incomplete for Jason Wright. On fourth down from the 3, Anderson's pass for Edwards was batted down by defensive end Demetric Evans.
"Braylon was wide open in the back of the end zone," Anderson said. "They're pretty stout down there.
Wright's tomahawk chop forced Portis' fumble on first down to set up the dramatics at the end.
"I had no doubt we would score a touchdown on our last drive. It just didn't happen," Anderson said.
The Browns were at a loss to explain how they lost the offensive timing that made them look invincible against the Giants.
"I'm trying to figure that out myself," Crennel said. "If I do that, I think I'd be a better coach and we'd be consistent all the time." The Browns totaled 59 yards and four first downs in a scoreless first half, failing to gain even one first down on back-to-back possessions that began in Washington territory.
"Ever get writer's block?" Anderson said when asked about the inconsistency. "Can't explain it. We're out there fighting our tails off, trying to do everything we can to get on track. It takes all 11 guys to make a play work."
Two guys expected to make plays -- Winslow and Edwards -- did not.
Winslow played a lot despite missing two weeks of practice with an illness which after the game he revealed was a staph infection. He did not make his first catch until the fifth ball thrown to him with 4:40 left in the game. He caught two passes out of eight thrown him. Winslow also was penalized once for offensive pass interference.
"It wasn't like he was running wrong routes," Anderson said. "We just didn't connect. They beat him up pretty good. At the end of the game, guys were just holding on to his shoulder pads, pretty much."
Edwards had four catches for 58 yards and four drops.
"I dropped a lot of passes and didn't help my team today," he said. "By the time I made a play, it was too late."
Edwards also said the Browns "were a little lax" after the Giants win on Monday night.
Who'd have expected that, huh?
