Not a Good Look

How else can you describe what happened at Cleveland Browns Stadium today? The Browns have lost three in a row, and allowed the Baltimore Ravens to clinch a playoff birth with their 20-10 loss today.

I think to say it was ugly would be an understatement. The Browns managed just 280 yards of offense today, and had 4 turnovers - 3 interceptions and a fumble. Colt McCoy had his worst day as a pro, going 15/29 for 149 yards and those three interceptions, earning him a 27.0 QB rating. Yikes. The running game was no better, as Peyton Hillis was game planned against, and only managed 12 carries for 35 yards. I think he was hurt, as Mike Bell was in for a lot of the game, and had 7 carries for 27 yards along with 2 receptions for 48 yards. Also on the receiving end, Chansi Stuckey had 4 catches for 39 yards, many of which coming on a drive that ended in an Ed Reed interception in the 4th quarter.

What's amazing about this game is that the Ravens somehow had less total yards than the Browns with only 258. That's because the Ravens focused on the running game today on the cold shore of Lake Erie and the Browns didn't force Joe Flacco to beat them. In total, the Ravens had 161 yards on the ground, a glaring number that highlights why the Browns sometimes have a tough time getting off fo the field. The ground attack was led by Ray Rice, who had 92 yards on 25 carries. It's nice to note that the Browns didn't allow an individual 100 yard rusher, but I guess that doesn't matter when you allow 161 total, does it?

In the air, Flacco was an efficient 12/19 for 102 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception by Joe Haden, his 6th of the season. No wide receiver had more than 50 yards for the Ravens, with Derrick Mason leading the charge with 4 catches for 50, and Anquan Boldin was held to 2 catches for only 15 yards. Clearly the strength of the Browns team is their passing defense, which has been brought on with the emergence of both Joe Haden and T.J. Ward. It's been nice to see them progress and become great players this season.

So what does all this mean? Well, first off the Browns are 5-10, and have lost double digit games for the 3rd consecutive season, and 7th time in the last 8 years. Yikes. It also doesn't make the case for keeping Eric Mangini any stronger, as the Browns have now lost three in a row. I still think the turning point of the season was when the Browns lost to the Jets in week 10 - to me they just haven't looked the same.

This game was also really poor for Colt McCoy, who didn't make his case stronger to be the Browns quarterback for the long term by not playing well in the cold weather. It's the first time he has looked like a rookie all season, but I really expect him to bounce back and have a better game next week against Pittsburgh.

Try to enjoy the rest of your day and the rest of the Holidays, Browns fans. I'll be back with you next week for the final game of the season as the Steelers come to town.

~MAS