Browns Drop Overtime Heartbreaker to Denver 26-23

Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus (8) kicks the game-winning field goal out of the hold of punter

(4) in overtime against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Denver defeated Cleveland 26-23. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Overtime

LB Barkevious Mingo picked a great time to show up on the field. He recorded his first NFL interception, which was Manning’s third of the day. It’s a shame that McCown and the offense went three and out on their next series.

McCown was sacked on 2nd down, marking the fourth straight game he has been sacked at least four times. Unfortunately, this rushing defense is really, really bad on the edge. Denver took the next possession 72 yards on 12 plays to set up the game winning McManus field goal to end it at 26-23.

This loss cannot be more devastating. It’s the same problems every week: the inability to stop the run and inconsistent play from the offensive line. Where else can you point the finger after the loss? Denver’s zone run scheme is designed to hit the edges, which they did consistently against the Browns.

If the offense was able to generate only ten yards after the Mingo pick, the Browns give themselves a chance to win. Instead, McCown got sacked on second down and flushed out of the pocket on third down, which we saw frequently all afternoon.

So instead of beating a 5-0 team while holding Manning to a bad day, the Browns snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and drop to 2-4 with their second overtime loss.

Next: Sunday Superlatives And Loss By The Numbers