The Cleveland Browns entered this game with high hopes for the upcoming season, looking to build upon last year's 10-6 finish and take the next step, into the playoffs, this season. When it was all over, they would find themselves off to the same 0-1 start as last season. This loss wasn't as lopsided as last year's Week 1 beatdown, but it was certainly more one-sided than the score would indicate.
With an already young and unproven secondary that was even further depleted by the preseason injury to Antwan Peek, the Browns defense hinged on the ability of their rebuilt defensive front to pressure QB Tony Romo and stop the Dallas ground game, two things that they were unable to consistently do last year. Even with the additions of Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams, that pressure never materialized. Tony Romo completed 75% of his passes for over 300 yards while Marion Barber and upstart Felix Jones combined for over another 140 as the Cowboys moved at will against the Browns D.
Game planning seemed lacking on the defensive side as Rogers and Williams routinely drew the doubleteams that one would expect, but backup pressure from the linebackers never materialized. Both players still managed to find their way to the ball, but with no support up front, the Cowboy blockers were able to gang block them into obscurity.
Offensively, the team showed no identity. Play was inconsistent and sloppy with multiple procedural penalties and dropped balls. Braylon Edwards dropped as many balls as he caught (literally) and the Browns penalty yards (55) more than cancelled out their top receiver (Kellen Winslow Jr., with 47). Jamal Lewis ran the ball well, but then the team moved away from the run to the spotty passing game and only returned to the running game enough to make themselves look completely out of sorts. Free agent acquisition, Donte Stallworth, suffered a quad injury in pregame warmups and did not play.
As with last year, Romeo Crennel continues to grasp game management, opting in the fourth quarter to kick a meaningless field goal with the team down 28-7 in a move that has no football logic behind it, not even being used to set up an onside kick to try to get a fresh set of downs, since the Browns then proceeded to kick the ball away down 28-10.
The Browns will look to rebound next week against the archrival Pittsburgh Steelers, but will have their work cut out for them as the Steelers would dismantle the Houston Texans 38-17 this week.