Browns fail to make Chargers coach Brandon Staley pay for 'disrespectful' fourth-down call

CLEVELAND — The loss itself stung the Browns enough on its own, but the gamble made by Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley exacerbated the pain.

Staley chose to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Los Angeles 46-yard line with his team ahead by two points and 1:14 left to play. Quarterback Justin Herbert's pass to wide receiver Mike Williams fell incomplete with rookie cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. applying tight coverage, and the Browns gained possession with 1:10 remaining as a result of the turnover on downs.

But the Browns advanced just 10 yards on the next series, and rookie kicker Cade York missed a 54-yard field goal wide right with 11 seconds left, allowing the Chargers to hang on for a 30-28 victory on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Afterward, Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II repeatedly said Staley's roll of the dice was “disrespectful” to Cleveland.

“That's disrespectful,” Newsome told the Beacon Journal. “To go for it on fourth-and-[1] and you give our offense the ball in the plus-50, that's disrespectful.

“You can punt the ball and make our offense drive all the way down the field with about a minute left. Instead you're going to go for it knowing that we're going to be in position already to win the game. So that's just a disrespectful play.”

The worst part for the Browns (2-3) is they failed to make Staley pay for his decision.

Browns DE Myles Garrett expected the Chargers to go for it

“I expect [Staley] to go for it, but it's still disrespectful to us,” Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett said when told about Newsome's stance. “I know he has an offense that was doing very well the whole day. He expects them to get the first down but, to us, that's telling us that he can try to take advantage of us, and we don't take that very kindly.

“It's kind of disrespectful to [our team on] both sides of the ball. I mean, he's playing the numbers game. He's thinking analytics-wise. … At the end of the day, we got the stop, but we’ve got to get the win.”

A native of Perry, Ohio, Staley explained "we liked the play and we liked the matchup" between Emerson and Williams, but there were also other considerations.

"It just really felt like the slant to Mike was going to be the play call there," Staley said. "It just didn’t go down for us, but I had a lot of confidence in our defense to go out there and get them stopped. That was a big motive because we knew that they would have to throw the ball to beat us. We felt like we could cover them. I love the way that our team finished that game. Obviously, the storybook [ending] would have been just to finish it right there and walk to victory lane, but that’s not how it went."

When the Cleveland defense made the stop, Browns rookie defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey said he thought, “We've got some f****** ballers on defense. Real talk.”

Mike Williams and Justin Herbert tormented the Browns all day

Williams had been tormenting the Browns all day. Before Herbert's final pass, Williams had caught 10 of his 12 targets for a game-high 134 yards. With Keenan Allen inactive due to a hamstring injury, Williams proved to be Herbert's go-to guy in the passing game. Herbert went 22-of-34 passing (64.7%) for 228 yards and a touchdown without an interception for a rating of 93.8.

The Browns didn't have two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward on the field down the stretch because he suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter.

“I haven't talked to him. I hope he's OK,” Newsome said. “I'm going to definitely reach out to him. I hope he's doing well.”

All of the aforementioned factors contributed to Emerson's teammates being impressed with his clutch play against the Chargers (3-2).

“M.J. Emerson has been showing me from the beginning that he's a pro, that he knows what he needs to do to become a great football player,” Winfrey said. “He's long, athletic, and he's doing what he needs to do every week to make plays. He makes plays in practice. You know if he makes plays in practice, he's going to make plays in games. And he's a long cornerback, so I know he's going to be able to match up against anybody and do what he needs to do to make a play.”

Emerson, a 6-foot-2, 201-pound, third-round draft pick from Mississippi State, finished with three tackles and a pass defensed.

“He did his job. That's what we preach,” Newsome said. “Obviously, I'm excited for him, but that's a routine play for him. I expect him to make that play, and he did it. He did his job. But for a rookie to step up in that moment is amazing.”

Newsome had his individual effort spoiled by the loss, too. In the first quarter, he caught running back Austin Ekeler from behind on a 71-yard run and executed a touchdown-saving tackle. The stop was worth four points because the Chargers settled for a 28-yard field goal four plays later.

A 2021 first-round pick from Northwestern, Newsome explained he had been thinking “go get him” as the play unfolded.

On third-and-goal at the Cleveland 9, Newsome made another crucial stop, tackling receiver DeAndre Carter after a catch for 2 yards. The Chargers settled for a 25-yard field goal and a 27-21 lead with 5:47 left in the third quarter.

“It was good that I stepped up, but we still lost, so those plays didn't mean too much, obviously,” said Newsome, who had three tackles and a pass defensed. “They were good plays, but we didn't win.”

And they let Staley off the hook.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns can't make Chargers pay for 'disrespectful' decision