…but I thinks that’s the season folks. We have 7 games left. Looking at the rest of the clogged upper-middle of the AFC we probably need to win 5 of the remaining 7 to be on a crowded cusp with a 10-7 record.

Is that impossible? No. Likely? Also no. I would posit it as extremely unlikely.

We’ve been solved. We’re a hot/ cold steaky team with lots of talent that can’t put it together consistently. I’m a Baker guy but I’m fading. The next step isn’t happening. Not this year anyway.

I don’t mean to pile on but if I’m a betting man, today was the tipping point statistically speaking. Whadda bummer.

There are a few alarming trends with this year’s team … we get down more than 1 score and we are easily done, our WRs are the worst in the NFL, and our 3rd down defense is an Achilles heel.

No sure 10-7 gets the Browns in either. Already lose the tiebreaker to the Chiefs, Chargers and now the Patriots.

I'd say they have to go 6-1 to get in.

Browns need to win the AFC North to make the playoffs. They lose too many tie breakers to get a wild card slot.

So win the [bleeping] AFC North!

I wouldn’t agree that our receivers the worst but everything else you said is correct IMO. I think our single biggest problem frankly is 3rd (and 4th!) down defense. Which is hard to understand. I don’t see how Woods sticks after this season. I’m not an expert but we seem to have continuously terrible scheme and communication issues. Which of course are coaching issues.

More to the point, it’s very troubling that coaching can’t consistently prepare this team and scheme properly for opponents week in week out. And unable to make quality adjustments during the game. Some serious souls searching after this season, which I’m now expecting to come to an abrupt and unceremonious end after the last Bengals game.

There is a LONG way to go. Who saw the Ravens losing or the Steelers "not winning". No idea if they can hold on but I doubt many saw the Panthers with Cam beating the Cardinals. WFT beating the Bucs.

I agree with the comment about alarming tendencies. On both offense and D. I still think KS needs to call plays for only one half. Or even the first damn drive. How many flipping games do we come out rocking and then Stefanski gets pass happy or cute - whatever. Needs fixing. With as much analytics as we have and use - hopefully we apply plenty of it to ourselves.

Longer shot than the day started? Sure - but the season is most definitely not over.

the Browns need to stop listening to the outside noise ! practice tough...play tough.. and it will be a team belief you can win..not what tie wearers say !

I would agree. 5-2 and I think we have less than a 50-50 shot.

I'm not against the Premise, I wish it would have been titled less negatively.
" the season is over"
" We're up against it"
" the fat lady has sung"

Nevermind, there are only negative ways to say it.

Browns are still Mathmatically alive, Who doesn't love math?

Ok, sure, this week in particular there were lots of unpredictable games. But just looking at us, I just don’t see it. I don’t see the Browns putting together 5 or 6 wins with 2 Ravens games, Green Bay, Vegas, and we seemingly always split with Cincinnati. All winnable games. Will we win 5 or 6 of them? I’m putting zero dollars on it.

Good news, we are still only one game back in the division with two games coming up with that team. We can still win the division and back into the playoffs like an NFC team.

I really think Stefanski needs to bring in an Offensive coordinator and hire a new Defensive coordinator, to me our biggest problem is when things aren't going our way we don't make adjustments. This team is so inconsistent, one week we look like Super Bowl contenders and the next we look totally inept.

Can't rely on teams losing..got to go win !!! that's how Super Bowls are won.. Ya just win !

We can. I am with a few others and doubt that happens. I am just not feeling it. I hope I am wrong.

I went down to the sports bar to watch todays game. I got my check and left as the pats scored just before the half. Knowing they were getting the ball after the half, I knew it was curtains. No need to watch that.

Browns are good one week and bad the next so we will probably blowout the Lions. After that, who knows?
This team is just too darn inconsistent so going 7-1 or 6-2 the rest of the way just doesn't seem realistic at the moment.

If I had to venture a guess, it will go like this...

Back against the wall mentality, talk all week about coaching issues, locker room divide and they'll come out and beat a much inferior Lions team.

The following week when facing the Ravens on national TV in a moment for the Browns to really shine, they'll lose a heart-breaker.

The next home game against the Ravens, the Browns get mollywhopped and the season will be essentially over. Cue Counting Crows 'Long December.'

I hate to say it but I think the Steelers are also snakebit this season. Too many injuries. It's just one game Browns fans. It will get better.

That’s a fairly good bet

The two most important ingredients to winning are head coach and QB.

The Browns have an average head coach (trending toward below average) and a below average QB.

There is zero chance they are making the playoffs.

And they don't deserve to.

This is the current reality for the Browns. Get to the off season and hope Stefanski and Baker can improve.

That's all we got to look forward to. Hope for improvement and low expectations. The Browns thrive on low expectations.

Question for you - if Matt Ryan is available in the offseason, would you consider him to be an upgrade to Mayfield?

NO

No.

Only way now to make playoffs is to win the division. Obviously that is not gonna happen. We have coaches that dont stick to what works. Last week we played man coverage and blitzed the crap out of burrow. This week we reverted back to our glorified prevent defense and let a rookie QB eat us alive. On offense stefanski did his usual when the game is close. Abandon the run and become pass happy. Which from what I understand was one of the knocks on him in MINNESOTA. Joe woods, is to conservative. His defense reminds me off romeo crennells. The keep everything in front of you defense, which isnt working. Then, he will switch to a attacking defense like the one we seen against the bengals and bears , which works much better, just for him to revert back the very next game

Once again, the Browns made a rookie QB look like a pro bowler. I love the Browns, but I hate them.

This team has defensive and offensive talent out the wazu . This is on coaching

The Browns:

Not smart.

Definitely not tough.

Hardly accountable.

Baker is regressing. He double clutches way too much. Either he doesn't trust the read or trust the arm.

Play design or execution might also be a problem. On the interception..it looked like 2 receivers were in close proximity of each other. Either we did something wrong or it was a poorly designed play. Two receivers bunched up in theory means you are going to have 2 defenders in the area able to make a play on the ball.

We definitely are exposed against disciplined/tough teams like Pittsburgh and New England and Baltimore.

Or maybe it is coaches. Against Belicheck, we marched right down the field and scored, them BOOM, nothing, 42 unanswered points against us.

That tells me either the players can't pivot and make in game adjustments or the coaches can't.
At least as things stand today. Yesterday we looked like the 1999 team.

Yeah that could be too. As we’ve said, we typically look good “on script” but then have a huge lull in the middle of the game

Mayfield is done. Never liked that pick. He’s below average, inconsistent, and not a firm, solid, team leader. Management needs to start shopping or seriously looking at draft options for a real NFL QB.

Can you explain what happened in the final 9 games of last year? That's when Baker was rated as one of the top 5 QB in the NFL? Same this year until his shoulder got torn off. Genuinely curious. Was it a flukey 9 game skid?

i hate to say it,

but i dont think we're beating the lions.

Browns had an excellent run game and Baker complemented it?

Week 8: Pass yards - 122, Rush yards - 101 (L)
Week 9: Bye
Week 10: Pass yards - 125, Rush yards - 231 (W)
Week 11:Pass yards - 187, Rush yards - 137 (W)
Week 12: Pass yards - 257, Rush yards - 207 (W)
Week 13: Pass yards - 340, Rush yards - 118 (W)
Week 14: Pass yards - 355, Rush yards - 138 (L)
Week 15: Pass yards - 286, Rush yards - 108 (W)
Week 16: Pass yards - 254, Rush yards - 45 (Covid game vs Jets)(L)
Week 17: Pass yards - 166, Rush yards - 192 (W)

The good news? People can't use OBJ for an excuse as to why Baker stunk it up this week.

I see one of two things:

We either come out inspired (like we typically do after a loss) and win soundly

Or

We fold

Because OBJ stunk it up just fine on his own.

Like I said, they'll have to find a new excuse now. When you play as bad or worse with him gone, maybe you just aren't good?

I keep considering that the Bengals lost to the Jets, the Bills lost to the Jags, the Steelers tied the Lions, the Panthers blew out the Cardinals, Washington beat Tampa Bay... every team this year, that considers themselves a playoff caliber team, has laid an egg (yea, I get injuries, covid, etc but it's not like we haven't dealt with that here), this was obviously one of ours... the difference is that most of those teams have also proved they can beat other winning teams, that is something we have struggled with... we are stuck in the middle beating almost all the teams we should be but none of the teams that are "on our level" with respect to record... and that doesn't get you in the playoffs. Had we won 2 out of 3 between KC, Chargers, Steelers, which we probably should have, I think our outlook on this embarrassing loss would be different and little more, let's not panic... but we are in panic mode considering we let those games get away and haven't really proven we can win close games against good teams.

I feel like Landry has really regressed. I know he was hurt, but I saw at least twice yesterday where he basically slid to avoid getting hit. I get not taking unnecessary hits, but he was really tentative. I don't know if he is trying to avoid more injuries, or if he is packing it in. Either way, it's not something I've seen out of him.

We’ll beat the lions and hope will return. But then lose badly to the Ravens. We lose at least one badly to the Ravens but we’ll be officially on the ledge at that point. Every game from then on is must win. We lose two and our fate is out of our hands. Lose 3 and our eyes officially turn to next year, a new DC and a bunch of tough decisions about Baker & Landry among others. It won’t be official until the last game or two but we’ll know.

On the flip side, if we manage to beat the lions and take both of the Ravens games, we’re reborn. We could still fall apart of course but it’s our division to lose. But come on, that’s not happening.

We’re a 500 team. We’re going either 4-3 or 3-4 in these last 7 games. Book it.

JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!!!!!

New year, new season!

Who are we tanking for this year? Or are we going FA?

We are going to draft the best front 7 D player in the 1st and best WR in the 2nd. We will also look to FA to shore up those positions.

The Panthers blew out Colt McCoy. I mean yeah, they beat the Cardinals but when Colt McCoy is your QB, you just became very beatable.

Possibly. But I'd prefer front 7 D in both the first and second. Of course this depends on if they will be utilized properly in a good scheme. Look to best WR available in the third maybe.

It's depressing thinking about this already.

As it is every year, who we sign in free agency will tell us a lot about the positions left to address in the draft. One year deals are band aids which will not prevent us from drafting that position. Longer term veteran deals help indicate the FO has chosen to find a solution in the FA market.