Should Browns have Doubled Bengals Ja'Marr Chase?

Coming out of the loss to Cincinnati Bengals, the Cleveland Browns defensive game plan was criticized for not doubling star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase. Should they have?

Coming out of the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, I read Jason Lloyd's article i The Athletic where he described the decision not to double team Ja'Marr Chase as "unexplainable, crippling decision making, all of it, by players and coaches." It's hardly Lloyd's only criticism of the game, but it's the one that stood out the most. Chase caught 10 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, so it makes for a compelling criticism, one that has merit, but it's not why the Browns lost the game.

The Browns might have been better off providing help on Chase more of the time than they did, especially given that the Bengals were without tight end Hayden Hurst, then almost immediately lost both wide receiver Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins due to injuries. Nevertheless, the plan put together by defensive coordinator Joe Woods was an effective one that should've been enough to win the game. 

The Browns lost on the defensive side of the ball because of a series of penalties, some legitimate like the roughing the punter call on linebacker Tony Fields and some that were more questionable, such as the defensive pass interference call against Denzel Ward. Those were two of three penalties that accounted for 53 yards on a single drive along with an illegal use of the hands call on rookie Isaiah Thomas. The Bengals produced 30 yards of their own on four plays, the last of which was the touchdown to Chase where Ward did get help. Sadly, as is often the case with safety John Johnson III, it was inadequate. (I'm assuming this is what Lloyd was referring to when he said players didn't do enough in helping with Chase.)

The Browns also gave up a touchdown on a flea flicker scored by Trenton Irwin. The Browns defensive backs read run, including safety Grant Delpit who charged down hill because Burrow handed the ball off and when he got the ball back, there was no one covering Irwin, who scored from 45 yards. It was a one play drive. The Browns would force five punts, cause a turnover and only yield nine other points in the game.

That being said, I simultaneously appreciate the idea of declaring Ja'Marr Chase isn't going to beat us. Burrow is going to have to throw to someone else to win. Put multiple defenders on Chase and take him out of the game. Maybe the Browns should have done that, but Burrow has often proved that he can win throwing to just about anyone.

Denzel Ward is also being paid an awful lot of money to compete in these matchups and has fared better against Chase in the past. Pride isn't a reason to keep doing something that isn't working, but here again, it's not why the Browns lost the game.

The Browns lost ultimately because they only scored 10 points. The Bengals allowed Donovan Peoples-Jones to amass 114 yards receiving, a career-high. They never doubled him. Amari Couple was limited with a hip issue and only caught two passes. David Njoku chipped in 59 yards and a touchdown. The breakdown of yardage for the Browns receivers was basically the same as it was for the Bengals.

In fact, on the interception Watson threw in the game, DPJ was wide open. Watson was late on the throw, allowing Jessie Bates to cross the field and undercut the pass causing the turnover. DPJ was also left one on one in the end zone on a fade. He allowed the ball to get into his body rather than high pointing it and couldn't make the play. DPJ could've been well over 150 yards with at least one touchdown in the game.

Based on the production DPJ did have, he accounted for 33.1 percent of the Browns total yardage compared to Chase's 32.7.

Should Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, arguably one of the best defensive coordinators in the league and someone being mentioned as a potential head coaching candidate be criticized for not doing more to take away DPJ? Maybe, but Anarumo made his choice, utilizing his resources to win the line of scrimmage, stopping the run and sending pressure at Watson and the Bengals won.

So to call it an unexplainable, crippling decision? Overstated. The Browns were hardly crippled. There's merit to the argument Jason Lloyd makes and the Browns should have done more in some specific situations. It's a credit to how dominant Ja'Marr Chase has been and how poorly Denzel Ward has played this season, but it's not why the Bengals won the game.