4 Thoughts on Demoralizing Christmas Day Loss Against Packers

The Cleveland Browns had their opportunities to defeat the Green Bay Packers, ultimately falling short in no small part due to quarterback play. Cory Kinnan weighs in with his four thoughts.

The Cleveland Browns fell short of a Christmas Miracle, but their close loss to the Green Bay Packers did not fall short of talking points. 

Losing to the Packers by a score of 24-22, the Browns now fall to 7-8 on the season as their playoff hopes continue to dwindle. Nick Chubb finished the game with 20 designed touches for 184 yards and a touchdown on the day, but the turnovers from the quarterback position were the undoing of the offense. 

On the day, Baker Mayfield finished with 222 yards through the air and two touchdowns, but his four interceptions, inaccurate throws, and untimely sacks loomed too large to come back from. 

What thoughts did this performance from the Browns spark?

Kevin Stefanski is not taking Nick Chubb out of the game

This has to be said. Somehow, week in and week out, we find ourselves being critical of the playcalling of Stefanski. This is despite his ever-loving efforts of scheming open receivers all over the field. Christmas Day was no different as many questioned his willingness to go away from Chubb down the stretch.

Yet it was not Stefanski who went away from Chubb. It was Chubb who removed himself of the game. In fact, on the last drive of the game, Stefanski schemed the ball into Chubb's hands on four of the first five plays!

Chubb for four yards, Chubb for 10 yards, Chubb for four yards, a throw well behind David Njoku, pass to Chubb for seven yards. That is a great deal of using Chubb on the last drive of the game.

The star running back of the Browns had COVID just a month ago. Last year Myles Garrett, perhaps one of the most superior athletes on the planet, never recovered fully on the year after getting COVID. After that heavy dose of usage, it is natural for Chubb to want a breather. 

On the day, the Browns gave Chubb 20 touches, including two screens and a designed leak on the last drive (which are extensions of the run game). It's an odd complaint that they aren't getting him the ball enough, especially considering his conditioning at this point.

This is not a knock on Chubb. And it certainly should not be a knock on Stefanski. Another week past, and another week where offensive playcalling is among the least of concerns. 

This defense is far from a problem

The Browns' defense gave up 21 points in the first half of the game. How many points did they give up that weren't off of a turnover? None. The second half? The Browns defense did not give up a single point to the reigning and future MVP. 

Joe Woods' defense did this without six key defensive players. They were without Greg Newsome, Troy Hill, Jadeveon Clowney, Malik McDowell, John Johnson III, and Ronnie Harrison. Yet with guys like Sheldon Day, Porter Gustin, and Richard LeCounte starting, Woods' defense held their own.

This talk of firing Woods is over. Done. It is not going to happen. What he was able to do against Rodgers with half of his starters out was undeniable. Could he had bracketed Davante Adams better in the first half? Absolutely. 

However, Woods' scheme is executing at a high level as the defense has held their last five opponents to just 17 points per game. Like it or not, Woods is coming back, and that is for the better of the Browns and this defensive unit. 

Nick Harris: Future starter?

With J.C. Tretter on the COVID list, second-year center Nick Harris was asked to fill in. After starting a game at right guard a year ago and getting blown up in the trenches, there was much reason for concern. However, Harris did more than just hold his own on Christmas Day.

Now, there is reason to think the former fifth round pick could potentially take over for Tretter in the future. The future could even be as soon as next season as Tretter only has one year left on his deal, but little dead money attached to his name. 

With the play of Harris, would the Browns consider eating $1.6 million to save $8.25 million by parting ways with their long-time center? The conversation has gotten a bit more interesting for sure.

Harris is such a fluid mover in space, making him a great fit for this wide zone system. While he may be too small to anchor in at guard, there were not evident reps of Harris getting blown up from the center position. 

It is a small sample size, and who knows how long Tretter will be out. But if Harris does stack more playing time down the stretch and continue to play well, the Browns will have an interesting financial and personnel decision to make in the offseason. Who knows? It may be a move they were already planning for.

Just how much does Aaron Rodgers love Alex Van Pelt?

Rodgers has been extremely outspoken in favor of Browns' offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in the past. They were captured embracing yesterday pre-game as the two have a connected past together. Here are a couple of quotes straight from the mouth of the man on his way to back-to-back MVP awards:

Before Van Pelt was set to call plays in the Browns' playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year:

"I love Al, Al's going to do great. He's such a great football mind... He brought a lot of that run game knowledge right away to our offense Green Bay... He's a very calm guy on gameday... never one to get riled up or lose his cool... a lot of fun  to be around.  A great coach, great in the locker room."

In 2018 when Green Bay fired Van Pelt as their quarterbacks coach:

"Well, my quarterback coach didn't get retained... I thought it was an interesting change, really without consulting me. There's a close connection between quarterback and quarterback coach, and that was an interesting decision."

“He’s a great game-day manager, giving me exactly what I need and nothing more... He cares about it. The guy puts a lot of work into it. He’s a great coach. There’s no reason why his name shouldn’t be out there for coordinator spots right now, but he’s done a great job for us. And he and I have become very close.”

Just how close is that connection? As the Browns will be left with no choice but to look elsewhere in the quarterback market (and perhaps find nothing and remain with Mayfield), Rodgers will continue to be a name that is linked to Cleveland for a multitude of reasons.

They have a championship caliber roster, and will most definitely add at least two weapons to the wide receiver room this offseason. They run a wide zone offense, one that Rodgers has manned to the tune of much success over the last three seasons under Matt LeFleur. And Rodgers has connections to the coaching staff. 

If Cleveland were to make a play for Rodgers, would the future first ballot Hall of Famer have real interest in the Browns. It would be an easy decision to sell out for five years of Rodgers, with no looking back.

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