It would be the peak of the afternoon as the Browns would be thoroughly outplayed thereafter in a deceivingly close 33-18 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes (one in garbage time with seconds remaining), but finished with just 180 yards through the air.
The now 2-5-1 Browns will return home as a heavy underdog against the powerful Kansas City Chiefs.
Brownie Bits
1) I didn't figure the Browns would win this game to start with, but when the Browns kicked two field goals in the first quarter and Greg Joseph missed a third to start the second quarter, I figured that the day was not going Cleveland's way.
One staple of the "new" Browns have always been settling for field goals rather than touchdowns.
2) I still wonder about Greg Joseph as the long-term kicking answer with another missed extra point and another missed field goal.
You simply cannot allow kickers to miss so many kicks on a team that has little margin of error.
I would be bringing kickers in this week.
3) Baker Mayfield's play continues to slide and although it's not his fault completely, one of my concerns on him originally are becoming apparent- he's having more problems than expected against the pass rush.
I'll get to the larger problem next, but keep that in mind as you watch Mayfield next week against Kansas City, he's slippery but not speedy in avoiding the rush.
4) Mayfield is receiving almost no time at all to get the ball away, let alone downfield.
Chris Hubbard was awful at one tackle and Desmond Harrison continued his recent problems at the left tackle.
Mayfield was sacked on one play by T.J. Watt when Watt blew by Harrison without being touched, leaped into the air, had time to come down and then ran two steps to crush Mayfield.
Brutal.
5) The "offensive" line play gets worse when you consider that the Browns dumped millions of dollars into Chris Hubbard and spent the first pick of the second round on Austin Corbett, who hasn't been able to break into a less than a stalwart bunch.
Baker Mayfield has been sacked 20 times alone, not counting the times Tyrod Taylor was sacked-unacceptable.
Just thinking about the level of play that they are receiving for the dollars spent is a difficult exercise.
6) The Browns woes in stopping the run continue as James Conner cruised through the Browns for 146 yards and two scores.
Conner's not a bad back, but he looked dominant in the second half against the Browns and I would say that his second half was the key difference as the Steelers kicked sand in the Browns face.
7) Denzel Ward's Good News vs Antonio Brown- held him to just six catches and 74 yards with 43 of those yards on one play.
Bad News: On that 43 yard gain- that went for a touchdown that saw Ward beaten very badly after biting on a hard Ben Rothlisberger pump fake.
And Browns caught another touchdown pass as well.
8) And about those two Browns touchdowns.
Both came with asterisks as Baker Mayfield's third-quarter score to Antonio Callaway (on a very nice throw by the way) came as part of a 24 yard drive when Pittsburgh never touched a free kick (after the Browns allowing a safety on Desmond Harrison's holding Bud Dupree in the end zone) and allowed the Browns to recover for one.
The other was in complete garbage time with the Steelers in total prevent as Baker Mayfield hit Seth DeValle with a 24-yard pass for a score with just six seconds remaining.
9) On that safety, which was the first score of the half, Desmond Harrison clearly held Bud Dupree and even though you hate to do that, I'm not sure Harrison had a choice.
If Harrison doesn't hold, Dupree would have blasted by him, almost unobstructed for a free shot on an otherwise absorbed Baker Mayfield.
You never like to hand away penalties, let alone points, but I do see the need to avoid hits like that on what you hope is your franchise quarterback.
10) I'm not usually going to give Hue Jackson a ton of praise and I won't today, but credit to him for one thing.
After the Mayfield to DeValle pass and the resulting two-point try that failed, the Browns were down 15 with six seconds to go and Jackson made a smart and thoughtful decision.
Instead of a ridiculous onside attempt in a game that was decided, Jackson didn't pull a "Steve Robinson" and just had Greg Joseph pop the ball in the air deep where the Steelers could call for a fair catch and one kneel-down to end the game.
Down that many points and with just six seconds to go, Jackson decided not to take the injury risk (and the onside kick is rarely thought of, but it can be a play that can often cause injuries) for a game was decided.
Kudos to him for saving his players and not attempting to prove a point.
11) That said, the drama and contention around this team are clearly being caused by Hue Jackson.
Jackson's post-game comments in Tampa brought nothing but attention and stress to the team over the future of Todd Haley.
Haley's offense hasn't exactly reminded anyone of the Rams, but neither did the team over the last two seasons with Jackson calling the plays.
Jackson should be thrilled even getting to coach another season, but he continues to hamper any type of progress in a rebuilding effort that has seldom been seen in league history.
12) Hue Jackson has to have a special relationship with the Haslam's to survive because I'm struggling to find a reason why.
If you want Jackson to have the full season, I'm OK with that, but shouldn't Todd Haley have the same benefits?
Why (among the team and media, not the fans who call for Jackson to be the one axed) is all the scoops and news about Haley leaving in mid-season and not nearly as much about Jackson?
This team has had several cancers eating away over the past three seasons-the only common thread holding it intact is Hue Jackson and whether it is today or after the final game in Baltimore- that cancer needs to be removed.
Back later with a few thoughts on the Cavaliers firing of their head coach (Who would have thought the Cavaliers would be looking for a new coach before the Browns?) Tyronn Lue
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