CLEVELAND — After their 41-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week, the Cleveland Browns seemed like they were ready to stake their claim as a top AFC contender. Then, they went into Foxborough and were destroyed by the Patriots on Sunday to the tune of 45-7.
As we do every week, it's time to discuss the big headlines surrounding the team in "3 Things About the Browns." 3News sports anchor and "Voice of the Browns" Jim Donovan is once again back with Stephanie Haney to recap the action and also look ahead to what's next.
Here's a rundown of what they talked about Monday:
3rd Down woes
One of the major keys to Sunday's loss was 3rd Down conversions. The Browns couldn't make them on offense, and they couldn't get off the field on defense. How did Bill Belichick so effectively shut down the Browns on both sides of the ball?
Baker Mayfield's health
The Browns quarterback had one of his worst games as a professional on Sunday, completing 11 of 21 passes for just 73 yards. He was intercepted once, but easily could have been picked off on two or three other occasions. Mayfield has already been playing with a torn labrum and a broken bone in his non-throwing shoulder, now add a knee contusion to his list of aches. Is Baker Mayfield simply too hurt to play, making him a liability right now?
Can Kareem come back?
The Browns were without their top two running backs in New England as Nick Chubb was on the COVID list, while Kareem Hunt works his way back from a calf injury. Could Hunt be back in the mix this week? And if so, how does that change the Browns offense?
Lions up next
Was there anything remotely positive to take away from Sunday's game and from the Browns' current status as a 5-5 team? What will it take for them to get things turned around by Sunday when the Detroit Lions come to town?
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