Worn down, worn out
Chance for road upset slips away with lack of second-half defensive stops
CLEVELAND — When quarterback Tyrod Taylor was replaced by rookie Davis Mills to start the second half of the Texans’ loss to the Browns, they needed their defense to repeat its first-half performance.
With Taylor throwing a touchdown pass and running for another to augment two takeaways by the defense, the Texans and the heavily favored Browns were tied 14-14 at halftime.
A hush fell over a crowd of 67,431 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Fans held their collective breath because the Browns weren’t dominating the Texans the way most thought they would in the team’s first home game after an opening loss at Kansas City.
When Taylor couldn’t return in the second half because of a hamstring injury, the only way the Texans could shock the NFL would have been for the defense to force more turnovers, contain one of the league’s premier running games and apply forceful pressure to quarterback Baker Mayfield.
And the defense failed on all three fronts in the second half and contributed to the Texans’ 31-21 defeat. The Texans showed some spunk as the second-largest underdog of the weekend, despite losing one player after another on a gorgeous afternoon on the banks of Lake Erie.
The defense couldn’t replicate its first-half performance to support Mills. Safety Justin Reid had an interception and linebacker Christian Kirksey a fumble recovery in the first half. There were no takeaways in the last two quarters.
The defense couldn’t stop the Browns’ powerful running game that amassed 156 yards on 34 carries, a 4.6-yard average, and produced three touchdowns. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 24 carries and 146 yards.
“I thought in the first half, they played excellent, especially with us (committing) a turnover early (Andre Roberts’ muffed punt) and (Browns) getting 14 points,” coach David Culley said about his defense. “I thought they played great. In the second half, I think we got worn down a little.”
That’s the Chubb effect. He does that to a lot of defenses.
Chubb, who sealed a victory over the Texans last season with a long run, carried 11 times for 95 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown that secured this victory in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve just got to get better,” Culley said. “There were times where we probably weren’t in our gaps, and we needed to be in our gaps. They ended up getting some big plays. Another thing was the missed tackles. We had a chance to make some plays for some losses.”
Sometimes the Texans were able to get penetration, but Chubb and Hunt got through or around them. They had no answer for Chubb, who averaged 8.6 yards a carry. He was one reason the Browns dominated time of possession 35:05 to 24:55.
“They run hard,” outside linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill said. “I mean, they’re not going to go down on first contact. They’re not going to go down easy, but we’ve got to do better tackling.”
Grugier-Hill played a terrific game. He made a team-best six unassisted tackles and was in on a team-high nine. He had three tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
Because the Browns were short on wide receivers and played multiple tight ends so much, the Texans were able to go with their 4-3 base defense more than they did in the opening victory over Jacksonville.
Kirksey, the middle linebacker who played his first six seasons with Cleveland, has great respect for the Browns’ offensive line.
“Outstanding offensive line, one of the better lines we see in the league,” he said. “As individuals, they’re Pro Bowl-types guys, and they play so well together. That’s what makes them so good.
“They have two guys (Chubb and Hunt) right behind them. It’s a lethal offense (and) they got the best of us and got the win.”
Because of the Browns’ physical running game, Mayfield didn’t have to win this game like he tried and failed to do in the opening loss to the Chiefs. The Browns never trailed, and he finished with 19 of 21 for 213 yards and a touchdown.
It was an efficient performance by Mayfield, especially because he was forced to play most of the game without his favorite receiver, Jarvis Landry, who left with a knee injury in the first quarter.
“We didn’t play well enough to win the game,” Kirksey said. “Way too many missed tackles. You can’t do that playing against a team like that with a good run game. You have to make those tackles.”
Even though the players were disappointed in the loss, they did earn some respect considering how many players left the game with injuries — especially Taylor — and how they had a chance in the fourth quarter.
On Thursday night against Carolina, they get a chance to show a national television audience they’re not the bottom feeders just about everyone around the league projected them to be.
“We know the type of team we have,” Kirksey said. “I’m very pleased with the men in this room and how we carry ourselves. I truly believe we have a great team. Even though the outcome isn’t what we wanted it to be, these men fight hard.
“A lot people counted us out, but this group is special.”
Now the Texans can prove just how special in their prime-time game against the undefeated Panthers.
“This game right here will be flushed quickly,” Culley said. “Right now, when we get back to Houston, we’re going straight to the Carolina Panthers (and) get ready for them.”