Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, 5, faces New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young, 99, during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. ) and defensive tackle Brian Brisee after a short gain. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
CLEVELAND — Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have been on a posturing and political campaign over the past few months to raise money to build a new domed multipurpose stadium outside Cleveland. ‘s football team collapsed.
The Browns are a huge failure.
A season that seemed to be falling apart a few weeks ago hit a new low Sunday with a 35-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Saints outscored the Browns 21-0 in the fourth quarter, turning a close game into a rout.
The final blow came from Saints Swiss Army back Taysom Hill. He was barely touched by the Browns on a 75-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter, but it was his third TD and a much easier TD than most teams in the NFL.
In the ugly aftermath of a loss to a three-win team, the Browns are dealing with questions about their players’ effort. Speculation is mounting that major changes are in store for a team that reached the playoffs a year ago and entered this season genuinely believing they would. Super Bowl Candidate.
Instead, the Browns (2-8) enter their schedule (visiting Pittsburgh on Thursday) looking at possible organizational changes.
Coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry (both of whom received contract extensions from Haslam this summer) have faced criticism and may be fighting to save their jobs.
That is, if their fate is not yet decided.
Cleveland is in a mess, and things will get even messier if the Browns don’t rack up some wins. It’s a cruel and base business.
Stefanski proposed the usual version. “We need to be better.” Monday’s weekly review, while frustrating for fans, accurately sums up the Browns’ alarming state of affairs. Their teams are derailed at every step, and the depth and diversity of the issues make it difficult to pin blame on one person.
Let’s start pointing.
“I’m very disappointed.” Stefanski said on a Zoom call. “It’s a shame that we went into the fourth quarter with a chance and couldn’t close the game out. And we all share that. This is a combination of offense, defense, special teams, players and coaches. type of thing, so we all share that.”
However, not everyone shares the cost of failure.
It’s hard to blame all of this on Stefanski. He was twice named AP Coach of the Year, had a 39-38 record in Cleveland, and led the Browns to the playoffs twice in five seasons.
Stefanski continued to start for the incompetent Deshaun Watson for perhaps longer than he had played this season until the quarterback tore his Achilles tendon last month. By all accounts, Stefanski is well-liked and respected by his players.
Meanwhile, Berry’s draft performance has been spotty at best, and it hasn’t helped that the Browns have been hit with injuries at key positions.
When they announced contract extensions for Berry and Stefanski in June, the Haslams praised their accomplishments. “The collaborative approach and ability to overcome obstacles bodes well for the future of this series.”
The Browns thought they had stability.
Suddenly it shakes.
what is working
Cleveland’s passing game is finally starting to click with Jameis Winston throwing for 395 yards and two touchdowns in his return to New Orleans. Winston was a beloved teammate and fan favorite for four seasons there.
Performance aside, Winston’s contagious personality and leadership have played a key role in keeping the Browns connected and mostly competitive. Also, he “bridge” With Watson’s future uncertain next year, the Browns will likely look to draft a young QB.
things that need help
A year ago, the Browns had the best defense in the league. They don’t even look alike now.
Before the bye week, a communication failure in the secondary resulted in two TDs in a loss to the Chargers. Conversations were fine against the Saints, and tackles were fine as New Orleans gained 473 yards.
stock up
Finally, cornerback Denzel Ward made his first interception of the season after a number of near misses.
The three-time Pro Bowler is having his best season yet. He also forced and recovered a fumble and had two more successful passes defensed, increasing his league-leading total to 17.
Out of stock
It was a bad day for kicker Dustin Hopkins. It was a really bad day.
Hopkins missed three field goal attempts in the first half, one of which was negated by a penalty, a shocking result for one of the most consistent kickers in the game. Hopkins is 14-of-20 this season, but after going 8-of-8 in 2023, he is only 4-of-8 on attempts of 50 yards or more.
Stefanski believed that Hopkins could solve his technique problems and was quick to say: “no,” When asked if the team would sign another kicker. Hopkins signed a three-year, $15.3 million contract extension in July.
injury
Left tackle Dawand Jones will miss the rest of the season after breaking his left leg in a fall caused by teammate Wyatt Teller. This is another setback for Jones, whose strong 2023 rookie season ended with a knee injury. … Jedrick Wills Jr. could return to the starting lineup if Jones is out, but he is dealing with a knee injury that ruled him out Sunday. Last week, Wills “Business decisions” Then, last month, he missed a game due to knee pain.
key number
964 — Winston gained passing yards in three starts. Watson had 1,148 passing yards in seven starts.
what’s next
The Steelers (8-2) came to town and quickly turned things around. Pittsburgh is just 1-4-1 in its last six visits to Cleveland.
