CLEVELAND — The Browns are now empty—0-2—in FirstEnergy Stadium, with a whale of a road trip coming up.
So it's first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line, and the Browns needed a touchdown to tie the game and send it into overtime. Four cracks, three timeouts in their pocket, and they didn't move it an inch. Four cracks at it, couldn't get it into the end zone, and Cleveland falls short 20-13 to the Los Angeles Rams.
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A heroic and very effective game played defensively by the Browns, when you consider Christian Kirksey is on IR and the entire starting secondary is sidelined for the game and they had to just put together a secondary on the fly. Cleveland came up with three takeaways in the game.
A critical point in the ballgame was when the Browns took the lead in the game and T.J. Carrie came up with a fantastic interception, giving the team a first-and-10 at their own 49-yard line. However, they were unable to move, and after an only 21-yard punt by Jamie Gillan, the Rams went down and scored. The Browns were playing catch-up the rest of the night.
The problems continue to be the same: The offensive line continues to struggle protecting Baker Mayfield, and penalties are also still an issue. It just seems too many times the Browns are playing behind the sticks.
Are they a click off offensively? They're more than a click. No way do they look like the high, explosive, exciting offensive team that they were for the last eight games of last season. So as they start to get a little sensitive about play calling—who's calling the plays, why are they calling the plays the way that they are—the Browns now move into a very tough period of time. Baltimore is coming up on Sunday, followed by a Monday-nighter against San Francisco, and the Patriots and Seahawks are waiting, too.
1-2. Disappointing. Heartbreaking to these fans who stuffed the stadium once again and roared all night long, but walked out shaking their heads.