CLEVELAND: The Browns can’t keep their quarterbacks healthy, and the trend does not reflect well on the offensive line.
New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower blitzed between center John Greco and right guard Alvin Bailey without being blocked and crushed rookie quarterback Cody Kessler as the Browns tried to run a screen pass to the right on second-and-12 from their 10-yard line Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. Kessler suffered an injury in his chest and rib area when he absorbed the hit and landed on his right side with 1:20 left in the first quarter of the Browns’ 33-13 loss to the Patriots.
Kessler never returned to the game and may not be able to play Sunday on the road against the Tennessee Titans. X-rays taken Sunday were negative, but he’ll undergo more medical tests Monday.
Coach Hue Jackson refused to blame Greco or Bailey for Hightower being allowed to sprint toward Kessler untouched.
“That is not their fault. That is on Coach Jackson,” Jackson said. “It is not on the players. It is on me.”
Was Kessler culpable?
“No, I got guys on him pretty fast, so no, that is not on Cody,” Jackson replied. “That is not on the players. It is on me all the way.”
Asked what he would have done differently, Jackson said, “I would not have called it. That is it. Don’t call the play. They had the right defense on at the right time. They won that battle.”
Jackson didn’t want to throw any players under the bus, but the bottom line is some blocking would have helped the Browns.
“We didn’t get [Hightower] blocked, and he got Cody pretty good,” left guard Joel Bitonio said. “We don’t want to see that happen.”
After snapping the ball, Greco sprinted to his right to block on the perimeter, but he didn’t lay a finger on Hightower. Bailey briefly engaged with a defensive lineman before running to his right.
“It’s just one of those unfortunate things that a guy came through scot-free,” Greco said. “We’ve got to do everything we can to pick up guys. That way there’s no free runners on the quarterback.”
Greco is a solid starter, but he’s not playing in his primary spot — right guard. When center Cameron Erving suffered a bruised lung in Week 2, the position became a revolving door. Greco started at center in Week 3, then Austin Reiter in Week 4, but Reiter suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Bailey started for the second time at right guard Sunday after being benched last week for disciplinary reasons in the aftermath of his arrest.
“Hopefully someone will get healthy and we can get to five guys that have played a lot together,” Bitonio said.
Browns backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst said his left knee was hyper-extended when rookie cornerback Jonathan Jones hit him with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter as he scrambled. Whitehurst, who signed with the Browns on Sept. 20, left the game but returned to take a knee on the final snap. He’ll undergo further medical testing, too.
Including Robert Griffin III (fractured coracoid bone in left shoulder Sept. 11) and Josh McCown (fractured left collarbone Sept. 18), four Browns quarterbacks have suffered injuries in five games this season.
All of the injuries aren’t solely the O-line’s fault. For example, Griffin was running the ball when he was injured. But there definitely have been lapses in pass protection.
“To lose those three guys and have Charlie come in, that’s not what we planned to do for the first five games of the season,” Bitonio said. “We’ve got to do everything in our power to find guys we can block. We’ve got to make sure they’re not the ones hitting the quarterback.”
Tight end woes continue
Opposing tight ends continued to put up big numbers against the Browns as Rob Gronkowski caught five passes for 109 yards and Martellus Bennett recorded the first three-touchdown day of his nine-year career. Bennett, the younger brother of Seahawks defensive tackle Michael Bennett, caught scoring passes of 7, 5 and 37 yards from QB Tom Brady.
Most of the time Bennett victimized Browns inside linebacker Chris Kirksey.
“They’ve got some good tight ends. They made the play,” Kirksey said. “I take full responsibility. I’m accountable for that, and I just have to play tighter coverage.”
Bennett made the Pro Bowl in 2014. Gronkowski has been to four.
“Coming into the game, we knew Bennett played well and Gronk wasn’t really targeted much,” said Kirksey, who totaled a career-high 16 tackles. “We knew that once Brady came back, that’s his go-to guy. They just play well together.”
It marked the seventh time in Patriots history a tight end had a three-TD day. Gronkowski owns three of those. All of Bennett’s touchdowns came after he suffered an ankle injury on the Patriots’ first drive.
“You lay down for a second and feel sorry for yourself, but then you remember all of the people who are counting on you and you just kind of find a way to suck it up and go out there and play for those guys,” Bennett said. “I didn’t want to let my teammates down.”
Bennett came to the Patriots in a trade with the Bears in March and is thrilled to play with “The Gronkinator.”
“It’s pretty dynamic with both of us out there today,” Bennett said. “I expect him to continue to play like that. That’s what Gronk is. That’s what Gronk does.”
Returning in Week 3 after being sidelined with a hamstring injury, Gronkowski came in with just one catch for 11 yards and had been mainly a decoy the past two weeks. He said he’d been waiting to get on the field with Bennett when both were healthy.
Gronkowski’s 100-yard game was the 21st of his career, tying him with former Kent State basketball player Antonio Gates for the fourth-most by a tight end in league history.
Pats cornerback ejected
Patriots rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones, a second-round pick from Alabama, was ejected with 10:59 remaining in the third quarter. Referee Bill Vinovich told pool reporter Mike Reiss of ESPN.com that Jones’ dismissal was automatic when he threw a punch and connected.
Jones’ target was Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins.
“He got upset and he went off the deep end,” Hawkins said. “I’m not going to retaliate. I’m a smart football player. I don’t want to put my team in a bad position, so I’m not a guy that’s going to fight back and start throwing blows and whatever. I’m glad the refs caught it and that’s what happens.”
Browns injuries
Tight end Gary Barnidge left the locker room with his right ankle taped, but said it wouldn’t keep him out of practice Wednesday. Defensive end Xavier Cooper suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter, but was able to return. Cornerback Tramon Williams (shoulder) was inactive.
Extra points
• Tight end Connor Hamlett, called up from the practice squad last week, scored a 17-yard touchdown on his first NFL reception. He became the first Browns player to accomplish that feat since receiver Andre Davis on Sept. 8, 2002. Whitehurst threw the pass.
• Browns defensive lineman Jamie Meder recorded his first career sack.
• Patriots coach Bill Belichick picked up his 250th career win (regular season and postseason) and joined Don Shula (347), George Halas (324) and Tom Landry (270) as the only coaches to reach that mark.
• En route to his eighth career 400-yard game, Brady put up his best first-half performance since 2009 against the Titans. Against the Browns, Brady completed 18-of-25 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Against the Titans, he threw for 345 yards.