The Cleveland Browns offense struggled mightily against the Baltimore Ravens while the defense carried a significant load for the team. Despite getting four interceptions and generally harassing former MVP QB Lamar Jackson, the defensive effort wasn’t enough to secure the victory.
On the Ravens lone touchdown of the game, Joe Woods brought pressure in the red zone. Jackson continued to drop back about 20 yards before finding TE Mark Andrews wide open in the endzone. The play left Jadeveon Clowney upset and Myles Garrett shaking his head.
For a defense that played well most of the game, the scramble drill somehow allowed the Ravens best pass-catcher to be wide open. Due to how far back Jackson retreated, even ESPN’s “dot” feature didn’t show what happened in coverage:
🤷♂️ @NextGenStats pic.twitter.com/zKJ1eDQrkt
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 29, 2021
A screenshot as the ball was in the air shows two areas where Cleveland defenders were overloaded while leaving Andrew open:
After the game, CB Denzel Ward took responsibility for leaving Andrews open:
#Browns CB Denzel Ward said he should have stayed with TE Mark Andrews on his TD catch
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) November 29, 2021
Ward started the play over Andrews on the right side of the offensive formation and seemed to travel with him early in the play before ending up in double coverage on WR Devin Duvernay.
Whether Ward was at fault or is taking the heat for one of his teammates, the result was the Ravens lone touchdown and the Browns falling to 6-6 on the season. The defense played well outside of a couple of plays but Ward would like this one back.
