CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns experienced a 14-point loss Sunday when they suffered a 38-24 setback to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the fourth time they have been beaten by double digits this season.
With the mounting losses and the chances of the Browns teetering on the brink of elimination from postseason contending and extending the NFL’s active playoff drought to 17 consecutive seasons, the future of head coach Freddie Kitchens is very much in question, but it is not a concern for the bench boss.
“I don’t care about my future as the coach,” Kitchens said after the loss, the Browns’ second in the last three weeks. “I’m going to show up Monday, and I’m going to do the best job that I can do Monday. That’s the only thing I can control.
“I’m pretty sure that ownership and John Dorsey would like for me to do my job, keep my head down, keep working, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not worried about anything other than that. I’m going to work tomorrow to get the Browns better. That’s the only thing.”
RELATED | Hopes dashed? Cleveland Browns on brink of elimination after 38-24 loss at Arizona Cardinals
The Browns headed west looking for a much-needed road win to remain in realistic contention for a playoff spot, but an inability to stop the run and generate scoring plays when they possessed the ball reduced those chances further Sunday.
Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake scored four rushing touchdowns and rookie quarterback Kyler Murray added a fifth with a passing score in the third quarter on the way to a 38-24 win over the Browns (6-8).
The loss was the Browns’ second away from home in the last three weeks and extended their road losing streak to five straight after they started with wins at the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens in the first month of the year.
With the victory, the Cardinals (4-9-1) broke a six-game losing streak.
“Not the result we wanted,” Kitchens said. “I thought our guys kept fighting hard to the very end. We’ll get back to Cleveland, put our heads back down, keep working and come out next week and give our best shot against Baltimore.”
Drake finished the game with 137 yards and the four touchdowns on 22 carries, while Murray was efficient with his throws, completing 19 of his 25 attempts for 219 yards and one touchdown against one interception on the way to a 98.6 quarterback rating.
Murray outdueled Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, his former University of Oklahoma teammate and fellow Heisman Trophy winner, who completed 30 of his 43 attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns against one interception.
Browns running back Nick Chubb powered his way to 127 yards and one touchdown, a 33-yard score, on just 17 carries, while wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry combined for 13 catches and 89 yards on 21 total targets.
“I thought we were ready to play,” Kitchens said. “I didn’t do a good enough job getting them ready to play. I’ve got to do better during the course of the week of making sure they’re ready to play when we get to the game.
“Whenever you show up, you’re supposed to perform at a higher level, so I’m assuming I’ve got to go back and revisit what I did during the course of the week to see if I can get them to the game better. We’ll see on Sunday.”