CLEVELAND — The start to the 2019 season is not what the Cleveland Browns were expecting or hoping for because after Sunday’s 32-28 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, they enter the bye week at just 2-4.
Although the Browns defeated the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago, they followed it up with a pair of setbacks over a six-day span, including a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, and then, Sunday’s defeat against the Seahawks. Now, the Browns are two games in back of the Ravens for the top spot in the AFC North Division.
“You get what you deserve,” defensive end Myles Garrett said following the loss to Seattle. “You get what you work for, and we didn’t make the plays.
“I am frustrated. We had a chance to win, and we didn’t capitalize. We had a chance to seal the game, but we didn’t. I am worried about this, but once 24 hours hits, I am onto the next one. Right now, it hurts.”
Garrett was far from the only one frustrated with the Browns’ loss to the Seahawks, a game in which they led by a 20-6 count after starting the game with three consecutive touchdown drives.
Some of that frustration was directed from quarterback Baker Mayfield to the officials for their calls, specifically a blindside block penalty on wide receiver Jarvis Landry that essentially stopped the Browns’ chances at a response drive after Seattle took its first lead of the game.
But Garrett looked inward to the team when venting his frustration.
“I am not worried about the refs,” Garrett said. “If we don’t make the right decisions or right calls, right or wrong, we pay for it.”
Like Garrett, safety Damarious Randall felt the Browns let slip through their hands a win over the Seahawks and a chance to take a 3-3 record into the bye week. Now, the Browns enter the annual break with a 2-4 record and back-to-back road games at the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos awaiting them.
“Definitely a heart breaker, but it definitely was on us,” Randall said. “We just have to live with it, period. We were digging ourselves a hole. We do not feel like that game was as close as it was, but we dug ourselves in a hole and we could not get out.
“We are just going to keep learning from it. We are just going to keep learning, keep improving and keep getting better each and every week.”
The Browns go into the bye week after back-to-back losses and have been on the wrong side of the scoreboard in three of the last four outings, and when Garrett was asked if the break comes at a good time for the team, he was succinct with his response.
“This team needs wins,” Garrett said.