CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns had delusions of grandeur that they’d head into the bye week 6-2.
Mother nature and the Raiders had other plans.
Las Vegas beat the Browns at their own game in the driving wind, rain, sleet and snow to leave town with a 16-6 victory leaving Cleveland’s locker room feeling unsatisfied despite exceeding expectations with a 5-3 start.
“Not anywhere close to where we want to be,” quarterback Baker Mayfield, who completed 12 of 25 passes for 122 yards, said. “We have a 5-3 record. It should be a lot better. We believe that. That is why our locker room is pissed off. We believe in this locker room, and we are going to continue to get better and hopefully going on a streak right after this bye week.”
Kareem Hunt, who was limited to 66 yards on 14 carries and had a crucial drop in the fourth quarter that helped to stall their final drive, shared Mayfield’s frustration at an opportunity lost.
“Definitely disappointed,” Hunt said. “That is a game I feel like we definitely should have won but hats off to them. Those guys did a good job of managing the clock, running the football and doing a good job to keep us out of the end zone on offense. We have to learn from it and get better.”
Defensive end Myles Garrett suffered a knee injury that limited his playing time, but he is confident they’ll bounce back after the bye.
“This is not a question on whether we can regroup,” Garrett said. “Nobody is going worried about this two weeks from now. It is just about getting the guys that we need back healthy and coming back and executing our gameplan. We did not execute today, and they did.”
While the locker room might feel they dropped the ball Sunday, the loss doesn’t derail the season.
“It was disappointing, but we are still 5-3 and we still have everything in front of us,” Hunt said. “We just have to keep getting better and find a way to win and win these ball games.”
Perfect timing – The bye week comes at a good time for the Browns as injuries have piled up in recent weeks.
Running back Nick Chubb, who they desperately needed Sunday, and right guard Wyatt Teller could return Nov. 15 against the Texans.
“They are working very, very hard to get back on the field,” Stefanski said. “We are no different than any other team really in that regard.
We will find out if those guys can help us next week.”
Landry will get time to rest his broken rib and Myles Garrett’s knee, hand and ankle will all get needed rest, assuming his MRI results Monday come back positive.
“It is pretty good timing to be honest with you,” Mayfield said. “I think everybody needs it. Obviously, we would have loved to have gone into this bye 6-2, if not better, but we are where we are. We can only deal with that, move forward and continue to get better.”
Still Scoreless – Jarvis Landry led the team with four catches for 52 yards but he still remains without a touchdown for the season despite a few opportunities Sunday to put 6 on the board.
“I have very high expectations for Jarvis. He has tremendous ball skills,” Stefanski said. “I think he will make those plays. I did not have a loss of any faith whatsoever in him. I think he will always tell you every ball that comes his way, he should catch. That is just his mindset.”
Landry appeared to score in the third quarter on a 20-yard throw from Mayfield but a replay review overturned the catch that would’ve given the Browns a 10-6 lead. Instead they had to settle for a 38-yard field goal and a 6-6 tie.
Landry, playing with a broken rib, got drilled by Raiders safety Lamarcus Joyner trying to go up to haul in a touchdown with 1:58 left moments after Mayfield was unable to connect with him in the end zone on his previous throw.
“Tough to say on the review for the potential touchdown. I just thought that it looked pretty similar to the one to (Hunter) Renfrow,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, they are going to make the calls and they are going to do what they do. That is a tough one in man coverage with the safety over the top, trying to put it where he can get it. That is a tough one. He got a shot in the ribs, and he was hurting right there. Not many people can make that play, but I know Jarvis is going to beat himself up.”
Vernon Visible – Olivier Vernon reminded everyone he’s still on the team by recording his first 2 sacks of the season in the first half Sunday.
He now has 56.5 sacks and 9 multi-sack games in his career.
Positive Notes – The Browns didn’t allow a sack for the third time this season, second best behind Tampa Bay (4), and for the first time since 2008, they’ve allowed 11 or fewer sacks through the first half of the season.
Kicker Cody Parkey tied Phil Dawson for the most points by a Browns kicker since 2012 through 8 games with 52. He made 2 of
Injury Report – Myles Garrett suffered a knee injury and will undergo an MRI Monday while defensive tackle Vincent Taylor was evaluated for a concussion and did not return.
