The Browns defense needs to “get better quickly” to salvage their 1-3 start

LAS VEGAS – Many trips to Las Vegas end with tourists wondering, “What went wrong?”

After Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Raiders, the Cleveland Browns' defense is no different.

“I say we have to get better, and we have to get better fast,” edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo said. “Luckily we have a week of practice to correct those things and put ourselves in a better position to make those plays. This is unacceptable. And that’s what we imposed on ourselves.”

It was another week in which the defense failed to put together a complete game; That was also the case in their last two losses, when they gave up 20 first-half points to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 and 21 first-half points to the New York Giants in Week 3.

At 1-3, the Browns are now a far cry from their No. 1 overall ranking last year and the boombox carry and attitude that defined them.

At least they haven't shown it yet this year when the lights are on and it actually matters.

“We definitely have the mentality – we just have to get it done on Sunday,” Okoronkwo continued. “It’s cool to work it out and execute it and practice, but we have to go ahead and execute it on Sunday.”

This Sunday was a dismal failure in that regard.

The Raiders entered this week as the NFL's worst rushing team, gaining just 51 yards per game. They had just 153 total rushing yards in their first three games.

Against the Browns on Sunday, they finished with 152 rushing yards on 29 attempts. They surpassed their single-game high (71 yards) in the first half, rushing for 95 yards on 16 carries.

“It allowed them to control the game, get them on favorable downs and stay ahead of the chains,” Browns veteran Rodney McLeod said. “We talked about them trying to establish the run. I felt like (Raiders head coach) Antonio Pierce said that. He wants that to be their identity, a physical, strong team that truly embodies everything he stands for.”

The Raiders have indeed risen to the challenge posed by their head coach last week.

Pierce called out his players after the Week 3 loss to the previously winless Carolina Panthers, suggesting some players were making “business decisions” and saying coaches need to do the same.

The Raiders were also without star receiver Davante Adams (who was rumored to be traded) and three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

Still, they got to work early and didn't give up, even when the Browns took a 10-0 lead. The game was tied at halftime after the Raiders scored on a 3-yard return by Akron native Tre Tucker and a 52-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson.

“I feel like it was mostly tackles,” Myles Garrett said after the game. “I feel like we missed too many duels and now we just have to call it a day. A lot of guys went in with their shoulder trying to hit the big shot, and down the stretch he came up with that forced fumble. But on most plays, the second man has to be the one to force the ball out. The first man must team up and slow the runner or stop his momentum. So that’s what we can take away when we watch the film.”

Tackling has been a theme that comes up again and again in this defense.

As of Sunday afternoon, Pro Football Focus ranked the Browns 28th in the NFL with a team tackling grade of 38.8. Against the Giants last week, the Browns had 11 missed tackles, according to PFF tracking data.

Those poor tendencies were on full display in the third quarter on Sunday, when the Raiders took a 20-10 lead.

On third-and-9 from the Cleveland 34, running back Alexander Mattison made a 16-yard run, racing through a crowd of Browns D-linemen near the line of scrimmage.

On the next play, receiver DJ Turner gained an 18-yard running score. Cleveland appeared to have missed at least three tackles in the game from safeties Ronnie Hickman and Grant Delpit and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

In addition to the missed tackles, these plays were also examples of how the Raiders organized the game.

“We were able to lean back into the identity we had last year,” Garrett said. “We stop the run, force teams to overtake, and we have succeeded in doing that to a certain extent. They're definitely taking different approaches to exploiting the perimeter and attacking our guys on the back end and trying to get away from the front seven. We need to back that up as best we can and fall back on the identity we had last year.”

Through four games, the Browns haven't been able to commit to that identity of rush and coverage, and they've paid the price.

They may not be themselves, but how deep does the identity crisis go? And how much more will the same issues continue to impact them and their bottom line?

“We will tackle the problem as best we can tomorrow and the day after and make sure we get back to our old habits of stopping the run, forcing teams to be quick and then when we have a lead, holding on to it. “ “Put your ears back and really hit the ball,” Garrett said.

The recipe is there. The standard is set.

Now it's up to Cleveland's defense to figure out how to live up to its own expectations.