Cleveland Browns: What’s The Most Disappointing Part Of The Season?

The Record

Kris Grimes

What is the most disappointing thing through five games? For me, it’s not that the team has used five different quarterbacks in five games. Nor is it Josh Gordon checking into rehab or the mounting injuries.

Instead, it’s that the Cleveland Browns are 0-5, but could easily be 3-2. The team has played well enough in three of the first five games that the 0-5 record could easily be a lot different.

In the first game of the season, the Browns were overmatched by the Philadelphia Eagles. They looked overwhelmed and didn’t even look like they belonged on the same field. So that loss was deserved. The same goes for last week’s game against the New England Patriots.

Throw those two out though, and the Browns played well enough to win the other three!

In week two, the Browns took a commanding 20-2 lead against the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter. Josh McCown had taken over for Robert Griffin III after his injury, rookie Corey Coleman had caught two touchdowns, and the Browns looked like a completely different team.

Then it was like the team remembered they were the Browns. For the rest of the game, the Ravens chipped away at the lead, before finally overtaking the 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Browns lost 25-20, but the win was there.

Had they managed to score one more time outside of the first quarter they might have won. Disappointing, very disappointing.

Then in game three, the Browns had their best chance to win. They had battled back and forth with the Dolphins all game. They were in it or had the lead for most of the game. Then the Browns went and did a “Browns” thing.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Browns got a key turnover on defense. They got the ball deep in Miami’s own territory. All they needed was a field goal. Yet that was easier said than done.

Patrick Murray, the kicker who won the position in camp got injured in week three. The Browns had signed former Eagles Pro Bowl kicker Cody Parkey. While he was once a good kicker, he was not having the best day. Parkey was 3/5, and his kicking game was not on point.

So in typical Browns luck, the game came down to him. As the final seconds ticked away he kicked the ball end over end, and missed wide left. That sent the game into overtime, and Hue Jackson regrettably opted to defend after winning the coin toss. Miami took the ball and scored a touchdown on their first drive, and the Browns lost another close one yet again.

Disappointing, very disappointing. That led the Browns into week four against the Washington Redskins. In what was supposed to be RG3‘s triumphant return against the Washington Redskins, rookie quarterback Cody Kessler found himself leading the Browns for the second consecutive week.

The young QB once again had the Browns in position to win. They took a 20-17 lead into the fourth quarter. All they had to do was hold the Redskins on defense and avoid the mistakes on offense. Then came “fumble-gate.”

It was as if the football turned into a greasy stick of butter late in the fourth quarter. On one drive late in the fourth quarter, the Browns were making their way into scoring position when fullback Malcolm Johnson fumbled. The result of the fumble led to a Washington touchdown and gave them the lead.

Then the Browns got the ball back, only to see running back Duke Johnson allegedly fumble a few plays later. While he came out with the ball, the officials had already awarded the Redskins the ball. Johnson’s fumble ended up being the Browns last shot.

So again, disappointing. The Browns had three different games they could have won. Three different games where they had the lead, or could have won in the fourth quarter. That’s the most disappointing thing so far in 2016.

The Browns were supposed to be bad. That was expected. Yet in three games, the Browns actually played well. They played well enough that they could have won. Just imagine if the team was 3-2 instead of 0-5.

As a Browns fan, it would be a different feeling. We’d be talking about the team being ahead of schedule and perhaps contending for the playoffs. Instead we’re talking about the number one pick in the 2017 draft, and wondering if the Browns will even win a game. Just disappointing when you think about what could have been.