Browns dropped by Chiefs 21-7

     The Cleveland Browns turned the football over six times. Only through the surprising ineptness of the Kansas City Chiefs offense was the game remotely close as Kansas City won a 21-7 decision over the Browns in Cleveland.

Jameis Winston threw three interceptions and was benched in the final quarter in favor of Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Only a sixty-two-yard rushing touchdown by Jerome Ford dented the scoreboard for the Browns with Ford finishing with eighty-four yards on the game.

Jerry Jeudy caught eleven passes for one hundred-eight yards to lead the offense.

Cleveland dropped to 3-11 with the defeat and will travel to Cincinnati to play the also-unwinding Bengals next Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1) Starting with the worst news of the day, Nick Chubb suffered a broken foot on a play that saw Jameis Winston fake a handoff to Chubb and then turn to make a pitch only to find no one available.

Chubb broke his foot without contact and will miss the remainder of the season, not that he'll miss much in time or quality.

2) Nick Chubb finishes the season with three hundred thirty-two yards on one hundred and two carries with three touchdowns.

Chubb averaged 3.3 yards per carry and never seemed to find his stride after returning from his knee injury. While that was expected, it puts the Browns in a position to make one of many key decisions before the 2025 season.

Do the Browns re-sign Chubb and gamble that he returns to form with the money he will cost to please the fanbase?

Or do they risk allowing the most popular player on the team in years to leave town when he states he wants to stay and perhaps reverts to his past performance elsewhere?

It's a tough call and I don't envy it.

3) I think the Browns are going to start Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback for the final three games, and while I don't have an issue with it in a lost season, I do disagree with the narrative that "The Browns need to see what they have in DTR."

They should know what they have because it's apparent to most that his slight frame and lack of arm strength makes him a backup at best, a situational gimmick QB at worst and if they think he is more than that, the Browns really need to reevaluate their talent evaluators.

4) Jerry Jeudy continued his fine play and moved past one thousand receiving yards for the first time in his career.

What will be interesting is if Jeudy's numbers drop off when Dorian Thompson-Robinson takes over at quarterback after he didn't perform well until Jameis Winston took over from DeShaun Watson.

5) The Browns released Kadarius Toney last week after he fumbled a punt against Pittsburgh.

Of course, his replacement, James Proche. fumbled the first punt of the game, which led to the Chiefs first touchdown.

6) The Browns turned the ball over six times, the Proche fumble, three interceptions by Jameis Winston (one wasn't his fault), another interception by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and a Nick Chubb fumble.

Simply awful.

7) Kansas City didn't play well despite their easy win, and the Browns defense didn't play poorly and managed to keep the game close enough to not be humiliated.

8) The Browns made a silly decision on a fourth and one by going for it with a pass.

I could understand trying that but I can't understand why Jerry Jeudy, the only true weapon, is in the backfield as a decoy.

That alignment sticks the offense in a hole before the snap and the throw is going to anyone but the best pass catcher.

9) The Browns did have one big play, the long run by Jerome Ford, which was aided by several holds that weren't called but such is NFL life.

Ford will likely have the bulk of the carries now that Nick Chubb is finished for the season.

10) The worst news for this team came well before this game as Jimmy Haslam announced that Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry would return next season.

I still wouldn't think it is written in stone that either or both are sure to be back but if that is the case, I'm not sure there is hope for this franchise.

Browns lose opener to Chiefs 33-29

   The Cleveland Browns needed to play nearly a perfect game to defeat the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and they did- for close to three full quarters.

And with ten minutes to go, the Browns appeared to be on the precipice of a next-level victory that would announce  Cleveland's joining the elite of the AFC, only to self-destruct and drop the decision to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium 33-29.

Baker Mayfield threw for 321 yards with the game-ending interception while Nick Chubb rushed for 83 yards with two touchdowns on the ground to lead Cleveland.

The Browns start their season 0-1 and will host Houston in their home opener next Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1) This one hurts because this game was there to be won, not because I expected the Browns to win.

Remember this is the two-time defending AFC champions playing in their home, arguably the most difficult stadium to visit in pro football and what I was hoping for was for the Browns to give another good performance to build on.

That was more than given but to come so close and give the game away? That always makes the loss harder to take.

2) The Browns seemingly had control of the game until two fourth-quarter plays that made the difference in the game and they were the type of breakdowns that the Browns have made for years.

There has been plenty of progress made under Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski but those two plays are the type of things that plagued the losing days in Cleveland.

3) Jamie Gillan's dropped punt that led to the Chiefs' score that gave them the lead, looked to me that he was a bit panicked.

What I mean by that was that I thought he still had time to get the punt off as the Chiefs were only pressuring him with a nominal rush being applied by Kansas City.

4) The Browns also continued their late collapse on the seventy-five yard touchdown that Tyreek Hill caught over off-season signee John Johnson.

Johnson had no help on the coverage against and it's hard to blame him too much for not being able to cover Hill but that play was painful to watch as the Browns should never have put Johnson in a position to have to make that play in coverage against a player like Hill,

5) As for Tyreek Hill, Hill continues to be a Brown's thorn as Hill finished the game with 11 catches (out of 15 attempts sent his way) for 197 yards and a touchdown.

Tyreek Hill kills lots of teams but the Cleveland Browns are going to have to find someone capable of at least slowing him down if these teams play in the playoffs or next season because he is clearly a man among boys when these two teams play.

6) The loss of Ronnie Harrison after a scuffle with Chiefs coach Greg Lewis on the sidelines.

Lewis did initiate contact with Harrison and Harrison did go back at Lewis but neither hurt the other and an argument could be made for the incident being the fault of Lewis but the Browns lost a starting safety and the Chiefs didn't even lose a coach on the sidelines- Far from an even trade.

7) The Browns showed signs of the beginnings of trying to develop their own weapon like Tyreek Hill in speedy third-round pick Anthony Schwartz.

Schwartz finished with three catches, including a 44-yard pass that could have been a score had the ball been able to be caught in stride by Schwartz.

It's a process but Schwartz may develop into a dangerous weapon for the Browns.

8) I foresaw problems as soon as I saw tackle Jedrick Wills on a cart  (Wills is day to day currently from an injured ankle) and saw that the replacement was going to be Chris Hubbard.

Hubbard was decent enough last season as a rotational guard but he was awful as a tackle in 2018 and 2019 and having to block the best pass rusher for the Chiefs in Chris Jones was an immediate worry.

Jones whipped Hubbard consistently during the second half and sacked Baker Mayfield twice.

9) I really liked Kevin Stefanski's going for the two-point conversion after the Browns first possession touchdown after a Kansas City penalty moved the ball from the two to the one for the attempt.

Kareem Hunt leaped over the pile for the two-pointer, but the aggressiveness in attempting to set the tone of the game should be applauded even if the attempt had failed.

10 ) And then there was Baker Mayfield. who put up nice numbers until his interception on the final drive.

Mayfield's ankle was grabbed at the last minute by another ghost from the Browns past, safety Daniel Sorensen and it did cause the pass to flutter to Chiefs cornerback Mike Hughes.

However, Mayfield once again failed to show the ability to bring his team from behind in the waning moments.

Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reports that Mayfield has had twelve chances to win games in the final four minutes when the Browns were trailing by a touchdown or less and has a record of 3-9 with none of the three wins against playoff teams.

Lloyd's point about Mayfield and his contract extension at the end of the season connecting the extension to winning games.

"You want 38 million a year? Go win this game".

11) There are two differences between these teams- Cleveland doesn't have a threat that can go 80 yards with every touch of the ball like Tyreek Hill and they don't have a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes.

The Browns are working on the Hill-alike with Anthony Schwartz and perhaps Odell Beckham depending on his return from his knee injury.

Baker Mayfield is good, not great and I'm not sure if Mayfield can ever bridge that gap between himself and the elite level where Mahomes resides.

The road to the Super Bowl moves through Kansas City and I'm not sure if it comes down to Baker Mayfield vs Patrick Mahomes to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs that the Browns can win that matchup.

12) It will be a long 17 game season and the Browns will have opportunities to be great.

Let's not allow a road loss to the bully of the conference in the opener to allow worries to spiral out of control.

Browns season ends in close shave with Chiefs 22-17

    The Cleveland Browns gave all that they had in a loss to the powerful Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Divisional Playoffs and in their 22-17 defeat, the Browns may have proven more about the direction of their franchise than in any of their victories (with the arguable exception of their first-round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers) and may have finally established the franchise as more than another mirage.

Baker Mayfield threw for 204 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Nick Chubb led the ground attack with 69 yards, while Rashard Higgins was the top receiver with five catches for 88 yards to lead the pass catchers.

The season ends for the Browns with eleven regular season and a playoff victory on the road at Pittsburgh.

Brownie Bits

1)  I'm going to lead (Pun Intended) with the hit by Kansas City's Daniel Sorensen on Rashard Higgins that was clearly helmet to helmet and Sorensen's lowering of his helmet to deliver the blow. 

The no-call cost the Browns a likely touchdown and because the contact with the helmet isn't reviewable (as it is in college football), replay could not be brought into play.

2) I know Higgins reaching for the pylon is a risky play and I understand that, but why isn't anyone asking this- Does Higgins fumble if he's not being HIT IN THE HEAD by what is, by the rulebook, an illegal blow?

3) And I don't care about Sorensen's "intent".

How many times in college football do we see targeting called and we all talk about intent?

It doesn't matter (although I think it should matter)- There is nothing in the rules that says about whether a player 'meant' to hit the opponent in the head. 

It says you cannot.

4) If that penalty is called, the Browns have a first and goal from the half-yard line.

Four cracks at a touchdown and six/seven points in a game they lost by five to a team led by Chad Henne.

Think about that one...

5) I spent five points on one play for a few reasons.

It was pivotal and cost the Browns a likely touchdown, the officials missed the call, the NFL needs to make helmet contact reviewable for next season, and if player safety is as important to them as their lip service says (it's not) start having their officials do a better job looking for it.

6) Why didn't I mention the touchback?

Well, that is the rule and while I don't mind it as much as some do, that part of the play was called properly.

Evem if it is B.S. that the touchback could be reviewed while the guy nicknamed "Dirty Dan' by his own team didn't extend his arms to try to tackle could not be reviewed.

7) Kevin Stefanski might be the coach of the year, but he wouldn't win coach of this day.

Stefanski's constantly touted as an "analytics" believer, yet he punted on fourth and nine on the Browns final possession, gambling that he would get the ball back-they wouldn't.

8) Stefanski also botched a challenge that had zero chance of succeeded.

Still, remember just as players need experience in the postseason- Same goes for coaches.

9) Now for some good things.

Other than one bad throw, Baker Mayfield played pretty well in the loss.

Mayfield's receivers dropped some passes or his day could have been much better.

I wouldn't dog him for the loss.

10) The running game averaged five yards, but Kareem Hunt didn't touch the ball in the first half and while some of this is due to trailing for most of the game, Kevin Stefanski in the latter part of the season seemed forget this team was built on the run.

That will be interesting to follow next season.

11) The Chiefs decided to take away Jarvis Landry and they succeded even though Landry caught the Browns only passing touchdown.

Landry caught seven passes and only twenty yards.

Kansas City was able to keep Landry closer to the line of scrimmage by shadowing him and wrapped him up as soon as he caught the ball.

12) Another good game from the offensive line, who allowed only one sack of Baker Mayfield.

And that came without left tackle Jedrick Wills, who injured his ankle on the first offensive snap.

Give the Browns and offensive line coach Bill Callahan credit, they built an excellent offensive line that should be even better next season with a true training camp.

13) All of that said and it came down to a fourth and long scramble by Chad Henne.

The defense has to stop that with the season on the line and it shows just how close this team has come and how far there is to go.

For the Browns to be a true contender the defense needs to be addresses this offseason in the same manner that Andrew Berry and company worked on the offense during the last one.

The Browns have holes, they will need to fill them to take the next step-Lets see if it can be done.

14) The Browns will pick 26th in the first round.

It's been a long time since the Browns picked that low with their own draft pick.

15) Sorry that this took so long, 

It's been a long day.

I plan on a Browns season in review with the offense and defense over the next few weeks.

16) One more time-for the record.

No stoppin' the War Machine-Chiefs roll over Browns 37-21

The Cleveland Browns had plenty going against them Sunday with a new head coach, new offensive coordinator, undermanned with injuries and one of the four most powerful offense in the game entering town, things looked bleak.

The Kansas City Chiefs did what they always seem to do under the best young quarterback in the game-run up and down the field, scoring points like the Denver Nuggets under Doug Moe, but the Cleveland Browns hung in there for the most part in a 37-21 loss.

With the exception of one bad pass, Baker Mayfield looked as good as he has since the Browns left Oakland as the former Sooner threw two touchdown passes and just missed a 300-yard day (297) and Duke Johnson caught both of the Mayfield touchdown throws among his team-leading nine catches to lead the Cleveland offense.
The now 2-6-1 Browns will host the Atlanta Falcons next week in what should be another test for the defense before the Browns will serve their off week.

Brownie Bits

1) Baker Mayfield played pretty well, except for his one interception where he was baited into throwing and Stephen Nelson of the Chiefs was waiting.
The Browns did what any offense that uses Baker Mayfield as its operator will have to do- subtle moving of the pocket.
I've written in the past that Mayfield isn't especially fast, but he is elusive and a moving pocket certainly helps his effectiveness.

2) Another part of using Mayfield's movement more? Better pass protection as Mayfield might have had to wriggle out of a few potential sacks (showing his ability to avoid the rush), but on the day the Chiefs would finish with just two sacks, which is far fewer than I expected considering the offensive line play over the last month.

3) I thought Greg Robinson played pretty well in replacing rookie Desmond Harrison at left tackle.
Harrison was hit Friday with an undisclosed illness and Robinson stepped in to play well.
I never understood why so many seemed to be down on Robinson, who was signed for a reserve role and wasn't being counted on to start when the Browns signed him as a free agent.
Robinson was graded as a bust after the Rams picked him second overall in 2014 and spent time with the Lions as well, but he still is just 26 and sometimes it takes a while for linemen to get it right.
I'm not saying to count on Robinson yet, but Baker Mayfield complimented Robinson's play twice at his post-game presser and it might not only help the Browns to play Robinson more, but it might help the development of Desmond Harrison too.

4) I also thought that Cleveland did a good job in making everything flow through Duke Johnson in the offense and considering the teams offensive personnel, that's the way it should be.
Johnson is the only player (yes, I remembered Jarvis Landry) that has big-play potential with each touch of the football and the Browns under Todd Haley had not used Johnson enough, so this is a strong step forward.

5) I normally don't link to the works of others in game recaps, mainly because I can do that later in the week, but I thought this was an interesting and maybe harsh take by Doug Lesmerises in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the lack of hustle by linebacker Jamie Collins.
I'm not saying Lesmerises is wrong, because I've wondered the same about the highly paid, yet erratic linebacker, but I did find it even more interesting that this was offered by the reporter that has been the biggest supporter of deposed GM Sashi Brown, yet Collins was the owner of the largest contract that Brown dished out.

6) Denzel Ward and E.J. Gaines left the game with injuries and that made a battered Browns defense worse than it started, which wasn't that great with Damarious Randall being inactive with an injury.
However, even with those three players, the Browns were going to have trouble stopping the Kansas City passing game-Without Ward and Randall, it was darn near impossible,

7) How helpless were the Browns against the Kansas City offense?
Three of Kansas City's touchdown drives were 90 yards or longer including a 99-yard drive.
When you allow a team- any team let alone the Chiefs to move 90 yards three times for touchdowns against you, generally there is a case to be made that you barely know the questions, let alone having any answers to the offense.

8) I did like Gregg Williams going for conversions four times (Succeeding three of those).
I mean really, Williams is unlikely to receive the job for 2019, the Browns are unlikely to win more than two games tops (If I had to pick two and both are stretches- at Denver and Cincinnati at home) over the rest of the season and if they are going to win games, they need to take as many chances as they can.
I really liked that.

9) As much as I liked Gregg Williams and his gambling on fourth down, I hated going for two-point conversions after all three Cleveland touchdowns.
When you are the underdog, you need to put every point on the board that you can and even though this wouldn't have mattered a bit, had the Browns kicked the extra point in all three of those instances, two touchdowns in the fourth quarter ( I know, I know) would have won the game.
In this hypothetical, it would have taken two touchdowns and two two-pointers merely to tie.

10) This game showed the difference between second-year man Patrick Mahomes and rookie Baker Mayfield's supporting cast in both the skill positions and the offensive line, Mahomes has far more help in both than Mayfield does, so it's not hard to see that Mahomes has it easier each Sunday than Mayfield does.
However, you have to be the most extreme Mayfield fan/believer to think even with the Browns hoped for improvement that Mayfield will be the equal of Mahomes.
Mahomes, who threw for 375 yards with three scores and a late hail mary interception to end the first half, simply is a more talented quarterback than Mayfield and I'm amazed that more people didn't see it (I DID COUGH COUGH ) before the 2017 draft.
Baker Mayfield very well may be an excellent quarterback, but I don't see him ever reaching the level of Patrick Mahomes.

Back later with the weekend in boxing!

Browns trade Cameron Erving to Kansas City

The Cleveland Browns finally gave up on arguably their worst first round pick in years (that covers a lot of ground right there) and amazingly found someone willing to give up something for him as Cleveland sent offensive lineman Cameron Erving to the Kansas City Chiefs.

I was shocked to hear the Browns didn't release Erving and that anyone.let alone a playoff team like the Chiefs were willing to trade anything for Erving.
The 2015 first rounder (obtained from Buffalo in the worst trade ever for the Browns who in 2014 passed on the best wide receiver draft ever at the 4th pick to trade down to nine to take Justin Gilbert and a 2015 number one used to take Erving) was a massive disappointment as he failed in opportunities at tackle,guard and center).

Erving was simply not strong enough to be successful at the interior line or quick enough to play tackle and deal with pass rushers off the end and his missed blocks often made highlight reels across the nation-not just Cleveland.
I admit as Erving came out of Florida State,I liked him as a player,although not as much as then-GM Ray Farmer did.
I liked his athleticism,but thought he needed to get much stronger and it never seemed to happen.
Erving was touted as a lineman that could play all three line positions,but center was thought to be his best position and the need with Alex Mack soon to opt out of his contract made me think that Erving would be an acceptable replacement at pick 19.
It never seemed to happen as from day one at all positions,Erving was blown by from pass rushers,bullied over from power rushers and generally pushed all over-even on special teams where it was Erving that was pushed aside on a field goal attempt against the Ravens that would have won the game,but instead was blocked and returned for the winning score.

Considering the clips that I've seen from Erving's preseason play,I'm just astonished that someone thought he was worth trading a fifth round pick for.
Now to be fair,the Chiefs may have looked at Erving's athletic ability and thought that entering his third year,the chances of rehabilitating Erving's career are roughly equal to that of finding a productive player in round five.
There must be someone in the Kansas City organization that liked Erving entering the 2015 draft and thought that he was worth the attempt to salvage his career,it would be interesting to see if anyone with the Chiefs in their personnel department are a former Browns employee.
Maybe that played a role in the trade?

In any event,this closes the book on the Ray Farmer era as only Danny Shelton remains from Farmer's first round failures and Shelton is a good player that improved a lot last season.
What a disaster and if you are a Browns fan criticizing the Browns for getting nothing for Joe Haden earlier today,just pretend you grabbed a five for Joe Haden instead of Cameron Erving...

Still have more later!!!

Browns run out of time vs Chiefs 17-13

The Cleveland Browns used a ball control offense to hang in there against the favored Kansas City Chiefs and had a chance late in the game to win.
However,a Johnny Manziel completion to Darius Jennings deep in Kansas City territory was the last gasp as the Browns could not get another play off in a 17-13 win for the home team.
Manziel threw for just 136 yards and an interception,but rushed for 108 with Isaiah Crowell adding another 88 for the suddenly ground-bound Browns..
The 3-12 Browns host Pittsburgh this week in the finale' of an awful season...

1) Johnny Manziel's passing numbers were pretty bad,but I'm not going to blame him-Manziel wasn't sacked,but he was constantly running for his life from either a fierce Chief pass rush or awful Browns offensive line (I think it's both).
Considering that fact,it was a miracle the Browns had any offense at all..

2) Manziel was inaccurate (13 of 32),but I loved the taking the blame for the loss in the locker room despite it not being all his fault.
Manziel may be immature off the field,but that is the type of thing that you like to see from a quarterback of any age....

3) The key part of this game?
Cleveland taking 12 minutes off the clock in the second half and coming away with just three points.
A touchdown would have tied the game and settling for three was the final score for either team in the game.

4) Isaiah Crowell continued his resurgence with the aforementioned 88 yards including the only Brown touchdown.
I don't think Crowell is ever going to be a Pro Bowl level back,but I think if you had another solid back with him in tandem-Crowell could be very effective in the right situation...

5) I'm not against Mike Pettine surviving for another year,especially if the tradeoff is the firing of Ray Farmer,but he made himself look bad again with the handling of Dwayne Bowe.
Pettine made Bowe a captain (former Chief) after so many inactives and was rewarded with an inability to get open on an afternoon that ended with zero catches on one pass thrown to him.

6) I have been critical of Ray Farmer's draft prowess,but Nate Orchard is beginning to show signs of having potential three down playing time.
Orchard finished with a sack and a interception and even thought he was drafted to increase the pass rush,Orchard has been surprisingly strong when used in pass coverage.
I'd still like to see Orchard used more as a rusher,but for a Ray Farmer draft pick,Orchard has been reasonably productive...

7) The defense did show up in the second half with a shutdown of the Chiefs as they kept Kansas City off the board.
They came up huge on a 3rd and inches stop in the fourth quarter and Danny Shelton has had his best two games of the year against Seattle and Kansas City.
Combine that with the play of Jamie Meder and I have a little hope for the improvement against the run for 2016.

8) The Browns secondary let the team down on both Kansas City touchdowns.
On the Jeremy Maclin score,Jordan Poyer didn't give any help to Tayshaun Gipson on the rotation inside and on Travis Kelce's TD,Tramon Williams was simply beaten on the ball and just was out of position..

9) In a league that has started using roman numerals and abbreviations for senior and junior on jerseys,can anyone tell me why the Browns have two players named Williams that play in the secondary and not use an initial?

10) If indeed,this report is correct and Mike Pettine survives this season-look back at a gutsy high effort against a playoff team on the road as a possible reason why.
Pettine has to show that his team hasn't quit on him to return and the Browns are outmanned,outgunned but not always outgutted.
It'll be interesting to see the effort next week vs the Steelers...

Reviewing the tape-Browns lose in Kansas City.

Since this is such a late review,I'm going to skip the opening paragraph and jump to the bullet points of the Cleveland Browns 23-17 loss to the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
The now 3-5 Browns host the hated Baltimore Ravens this week.

Brownie Bits

1) Huge loss to the return game when Travis Benjamin tore his ACL on a punt return and will miss the rest of the season.
Benjamin,for all his issues in giving ground trying to make a big play, was one of the few Browns capable of making something out of nothing and will be missed.
The problem when a return guy suffers that type of injury,one never knows how it will affect his ability to make people miss...

2) The Browns signed two players this week and both have interest to me for different reasons.
Former Ohio State tackle Reid Fragel was signed off the Bengals practice squad to add offensive line depth.
The 6'8 former tight end is a project,but considering he can catch the ball,Fragel adds some interesting possibilities in some formations...
Armanti Edwards might have more of an impact as the former 3rd rounder of the Panthers could replace Travis Benjamin on punts.
Edwards also could see some gimmick play action as he was the man that engineered the famous upset by Appalachian State over michigan as the quarterback for App. State.

3) I thought Jason Campbell played pretty well in his first start.
Campbell overthrew some receivers,but showed nice touch on a 39 yard touchdown pass to Josh Gordon.Campbell will not be the long term answer,but showed more than Brandon Weeden has shown.

4) Campbell's pass to Gordon came off the flea flicker and even if the pass would have not been successful,I would have liked the call.
The play call showed imagination and considering the Browns at this point as far as offensive talent goes-you have to loosen things up a bit...

5) Lack of a running game is still an issue and will likely remain so.
The Chiefs entered the game better against the pass than rush and the Browns still only gained 57 yards.
Either the team needs to make more of a commitment to getting Willis McGahee started or just be a throw the ball around the yard team.

6) The defense bent a lot in this one but usually didn't,especially in the first quarter where two long drives only produced Ryan Succop field goals.
A great performance? No,but one that kept the Browns with a chance to win...

7) Davone Bess came to Cleveland with a reputation as a possession receiver with great hands and has shown none of that.
Bess leads the league in drops and fumbled a punt replacing Travis Benjamin that could have given the Browns great field position with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
What a disappointment.

8) Josh Gordon showed once and for all that he needed to be kept (he was) with a five catch day for over 100 yards.
Gordon has tons of ability and can be a number one receiver for a long time,if he can stay clean off the field.
Much of the off fields issues with athletes comes in the off season and the Browns might be smart to invest in either trying to keep Gordon in Cleveland then or making sure he has a handler to try to avoid those issues...

9) Two big penalties on Joe Thomas stopped the Browns on two different drives and one seemed to be really bad on a holding call against Tamba Hali.
No matter,the Browns could have used a better day from the perennial Pro Bowler.

10) Loved the atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium! What a great place with terrific fans and a fun place to watch a game from. I'm not an Andy Reid fan,but I'd love to see some cold playoff football there for the Chiefs!

11) Now,its Baltimore and a chance to sink a knife into the Ratbirds playoff hopes.
Cleveland hasn't defeated the Ravens in a while and with spitting Ray Rice hitting town,here is hoping for a nice reception for Baltimore from the fans and the Browns!

Photo Credits;Cleveland Plain Dealers