The Browns allowed four touchdown passes to Arizona's Kyler Murray, who dominated the heralded battle of Oklahoma Heisman-winning passers as Baker Mayfield was intercepted once and lost two fumbles to more than offset his two touchdown passes and 234 passing years.
Donovan Peoples-Jones caught both of the Browns touchdown passes and finished with 101 receiving yards to lead Cleveland.
Cleveland drops to 3-3 and will host the Denver Broncos on Thursday night in Cleveland.
Brownie Bits
1) Baker Mayfield was awful.
Just awful and while I can admit he was limited due to his injured shoulder, after a while how long can injury be an excuse for poor play?
If the shoulder is so badly injured that it is affecting his play that much, Why is he playing?
2) Mayfield doesn't seem capable of throwing longer than 15 yards more than two or three times a game and please don't point to the Hail Mary as proof of arm strength.
3) Watch the Hail Mary score to Donovan Peoples-Jones at the end of the first half as the rush comes in.
For a split second, Mayfield ducks away from the rush and appears to consider just running rather than launch the pass.
Mayfield's waning arm strength made the play a success as the ball barely made it over the goal line and with Peoples-Jones blocking out Cardinal defensive backs like a basketball player looking for a rebound, the fluttering ball was grabbed for the score.
4) I will give Mayfield credit for toughness and will as after his second fumble of the game and appearing to severely aggravate his shoulder injury, Mayfield raged like a tiger on the sideline and finished the game.
I can criticize many things about Baker Mayfield- his will and competitive fire will never be questioned.
5) The Browns played this game without Nick Chubb and while Kareem Hunt finished with 66 yards on 14 carries for a solid 4.7 average, Hunt was taken out of the game after the Cardinals jumped to the early lead.
And to make things worse, Hunt suffered a calf injury late in the game on a meaningless drive that will cost the Browns his services for the next month, if not longer.
6) I am a big fan of Nick Chubb and he is slightly superior to Kareem Hunt but I have to admit that I love the way that Hunt runs.
Hunt runs angry and I told Cherie during the loss to the Chargers that if I had the editing skills (and I certainly do not) I would love to make a video of a pissed-off Kareem Hunt stomping on defenders to the tune of Angry Fred Flintstone from the Flintstones.
7) The Browns defense hasn't played well in the last two weeks and for the second game in a row, the opposing team's top pass catcher, in this case, Demetrius Hopkins grabbed a wide-open touchdown pass without a Brown even on the television screen.
Whether it is a player making a big play or a blown coverage but good defenses don't allow those types of plays in back-to-back games.
8) The Browns defense was expected to take a step forward after spending big money on safety John Johnson and medium cash on slot corner Troy Hill from the Rams but both have struggled especially Johnson.
Johnson has been a big disappointment after arriving as the best safety available in the free-agent market and while adjustment periods are understandable, Johnson is reaching the point of exceeding that period very soon/
9) The Browns lost Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to a high ankle sprain just as the second-round draft pick has started to become a force.
JOK finished the game with five solo tackles, three assisted, and a pass defended and his loss weakens the linebackers just as Anthony Walker returned to the lineup against the Cardinals.
10) Kevin Stefanski decided to go for it again on the second Browns drive on a fourth down on the Arizona 13.
Baker Mayfield would be sacked for a loss of nine yards and the Browns would never be closer than seven points again when the Cardinals would drive down the field for a 14-0 lead.
11) I know the analytics aspect of these things is sweeping the league currently and I like a riverboat gambler as much as the next guy but sometimes you need to walk away with something rather than nothing.
I like Kevin Stefanski but some of his decisions over the last three games have made me wonder about the analytics aspect.
There is room for numbers and facts in any game and it is an interesting thing to watch the game change, but I still think that there are times that you take the points and do the safe thing.
12) Yes, Odell Beckham dropped a key fourth-down pass for the second week in a row but he appeared to be seriously injured and yet came back and finished the game through the pain.
Beckham caught five of eight passes thrown to him for 79 yards and if we are going to applaud Baler Mayfield for his toughness in finishing the game and deservedly so, Odell Beckham deserves the same kudos.
13) With the Browns not playing well and facing the prospect of an early Thursday game against Denver without their starting quarterback, two running backs, and both starting tackles and the chance of falling to 3-4 with a loss, the game could be a crossroads point for the Browns.
More than just one game could be on the line Thursday night, it could be the path that the Browns roll on for the remainder of the season.
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