CLEVELAND, Ohio — The first words out of Denzel Ward’s mouth Sunday said it all.
One of the Browns’ team captains, their Pro Bowl cornerback didn’t want anyone else to come under fire for two critical broken touchdowns in the Browns’ 27-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“You can put it all on me,” Ward said to open his postgame availability. “We need to do a better job of communicating. They’re both dud covers and we gave them that. You can put it all on me. I need to do better at communicating there.
“Just calling the guys and making sure we’re all in the right position.” They were really gimmicks, and we gave them that. I hate that I did this, but like I said, put it all on me. We just have to be better.
It’s no surprise that Ward was responsible for this, considering both touchdowns occurred on his side of the field.
But even though Ward was willing to handle the pressure, his teammates weren’t willing to let him face the fire alone — especially safety Juan Thornhill, who was on the same side of the field as Ward for both plays.
The Chargers’ touchdowns came on a 27-yard pass from QB Justin Herbert to WR Joshua Palmer and a 66-yard pass from Herbert to WR Quentin Johnston.
“I don’t think it’s fair for Denzel to do that, because it wasn’t all up to Denzel,” Thornhill said. “I’m a security, I’m supposed to communicate with him too. I have to make sure he gets these checks even though he’s not looking at me, I have to find a way to get these calls to him. So I would never put that on Denzel. It’s all 11 of us. It’s never just about him.
To an objective observer, the truth probably lies somewhere in between.
Palmer’s 27-yard touchdown run came at the 6:49 mark of the first quarter, with the Chargers facing third-and-20 after a minus-3 yard run stop by edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo and a sack by defensive tackles. Shelby Harris and Dalvin Tomlinson.
The Browns were Cover 2 on the play, with the safeties responsible for the deep zone. Thornhill, it seemed, found himself caught in the middle of the field, biting on a route from Los Angeles rookie receiver Ladd McConkey.
Near the Chargers sideline, it appeared Ward expected an assist that never came as Palmer ran a go route. Ward wouldn’t blame the lack of help after the game, but simply said, “It was a botched coverage for both of them.” We just have to be better, that’s the most important thing,” when asked.
According to Thornhill, on both plays there was a lack of communication within the defense.
“A lot of people think it was Denzel who didn’t get a call, but several people didn’t get a call,” he said. “Denzel and I were just able to make eye contact before the play. I can’t assume he knows or he can’t assume I know. We just need to communicate together.
The Chargers’ second touchdown put the Browns in a 13-3 hole with 8:01 left in the first half, and once again, it came after a big negative yards play, as Myles Garrett had recorded his third sack in four plays. stretch to start the ride.
Facing third-and-6, however, Ward stayed too long in the flat near wide receiver Jalen Reagor. This allowed Johnston to get behind the Browns corner and the rest of the Cleveland defense.
Herbert saw the read immediately and found Johnston near the Cleveland 32. The receiver rushed into the end zone easily and untouched.
“I just know I could be better in whatever aspect it is,” Ward said. “I could just be better at preventing a situation like that from happening. That’s what I plan to do in the future, I just have to be better at avoiding leaving people wide open and able to play.”
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Ward returned to the field Sunday, a quick turnaround after suffering a concussion last week in the Browns’ 29-24 win over the Ravens.
He was evaluated during that game and placed in the league’s concussion protocol, diagnosed with the sixth known concussion of his NFL career.
Ward did not practice Wednesday or Thursday this week, but returned to practice on a limited basis Friday and officially cleared protocol Saturday.
He insisted the concussion had nothing to do with the mistakes he made against the Chargers exactly a week later.
“It has nothing to do with concussions,” he said. “I just have to be better on my part and make sure we’re all in the same call and we’re all where we’re supposed to be. .That’s on me.
Ward suffered his fifth known concussion in August during Browns training camp. He was absent for a little over two weeks (August 12 to 27). After returning this summer, he said he felt good about not wearing a goalie cap during games, after changing his helmet, and also said he felt good when asked about his future in the game.
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So far, he seems to be holding up on both of those things.
“Yeah. I feel good,” Ward said when asked directly if he still has confidence in his helmet and his future in the NFL after this latest concussion. “I feel good. I’m happy to To be a part of this team and do what I can to help us win, that’s the main goal.
But when it came to this afternoon, frustrating was still the main word that came to mind despite Ward’s quick return.
The afternoon ended with the Browns secondary feeling like they had wasted a great performance from the defensive front, who managed to sack Herbert six times in the first half.
And the bigger picture is the fact that this is a unit filled with veterans, now in their second year in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s system.
“It’s frustrating because we’re better than that,” Ward said. “This is probably the first time we’ve had failed coverages all year, but we know we can fix it. We know we can be a better defense and a better team, and we’re definitely going to work to fix it »
No matter who is at fault, Ward will take it upon himself to help make those fixes.
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