CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns took a seven-point lead over the Oakland Raiders late in the fourth quarter when rookie running back Nick Chubb hustled down the field for a 41-yard score, but after a game full of two-point conversion attempts, Coach Hue Jackson elected to try a kick.
Although rookie kicker Greg Joseph converted the attempt to go up by eight points, the Browns allowed 11 points over the reminder of the fourth quarter and overtime on the way to a 45-42 loss to the Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Sunday.
“Why go for two then?” Jackson said Monday. “We are up seven, right. I was aggressive at the right times early. I thought just making sure that we made the point-after try. I had been touching ‘Lady Luck’ all day in this game in going for two. I am very aggressive as you said, and that was going to be my mentality.”
In addition to the extra point try, Jackson defended his decision not to go for the conversion on fourth-and-short late in the fourth quarter.
With a fullback in front of him, veteran running back Carlos Hyde took a handoff from quarterback Baker Mayfield and plowed through the line of scrimmage behind right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Chris Hubbard. Although Hyde got spun around from an interior defensive lineman, he fell toward the line needed to get a first down.
Originally, Hyde was ruled down at the Cleveland 19-yard line. However, the officials reviewed the play and said Hyde’s elbow was down short of the first down before the ball reached the 19.
“There were thoughts given to passing, but we felt good about our guards and our tackles,” Jackson said. “We feel like we have an offensive line that should be physical enough and a big back. Obviously, when you throw it, there are a lot of bad things that can happen.
“When you hand it off, there are some good things that can happen. Hyde has been very successful in doing that. I think that he stuck the ball up in there the way that you want him to. There were some things that they did defensively, schematically that we can do better on the edge, but we felt like he had a chance to make it.”
The officials reviewed the call on the field and overturned it, giving the Browns a fourth-and-one at their own 18-yard line. The Browns punted, and the Raiders forced overtime with a touchdown and two-point conversion try on the ensuing drive.
“The ball was at the 18-yard line,” Jackson said. “We miss it, then there goes. They are going to tie.”
Outside of those late calls, Jackson was aggressive in going for three two-point conversions, two of which were successful, and plans on being proactive when it comes to his coaching in the weeks ahead.
“I told our team last week that I do not want to play with my hands behind my back anymore,” Jackson said. “I told them that from now on, we are going to be as aggressive as we can be. We practiced a lot of different things and those situations a lot.
“Why not go after people? I heard the room go, ‘Yeah, Coach. Let’s do it.’ That is what this is all about. I want to change the mentality here. We are trying to defeat people, not just beat you. We want to defeat you. We need to do that, and we need to continue to do that and get it right.”
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