6. Sketchy officiating
I don’t think it mattered in the long run – a loss is a loss, especially when it’s 24-6 – but there were several instances where I thought officiating made some questionable calls that went against the Browns.
The first one was just a few plays into the Browns first possession, when Taylor Gabriel got his hands on a screen pass, was blasted by a Rams defender to pop the ball loose and it was recovered for a defensive touchdown. Replays showed that it could have very easily been ruled an incomplete pass – Gabriel may not have taken two steps with the football or had it controlled before the hit – but there was no official review (it also appeared Pettine did very little to argue on his defense’s behalf).
Later in the game, McCown was hit as he threw a pass and the ball came forward. It was ruled a fumble that the Rams recovered, although replays showed that McCown’s arm was already forward and the ball may or may not have already started coming loose. The play was not officially reviewed, although it certainly warranted one. McCown, in his postgame interview, believed it was an incomplete pass.
There were several instances of roughing the passer on McCown that weren’t called, including one brutal one on a helmet-to-helmet hit just before McCown left the game for good. Those 15 yards could have kept some drives going. A defensive holding call against K’Waun Williams looked pretty ticky-tack and kept alive a Rams drive.
Maybe that’s just me, but it always seems that the Browns are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to NFL officiating. Just a few ticky-tack plays here and there that could have been called either way went against the Browns, and that’s been the trend since 1999.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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