5 Browns on Thin Ice After Embarrassing Loss to Rams

1. Kevin Stefanski, Head Coach

With most fan bases, a head coach going 7-5 with four different starting quarterbacks would be praised. But this isn't "most fan bases." The Cleveland faithful are desperate for a winner and they know there's talent on this team. That's why every loss ends up putting more of a spotlight on Kevin Stefanski than it should.

Now in his fourth season, Stefanski owns a record of 33-29. He also has an NFL Coach of the Year award under his belt. He earned that in 2020, which was his rookie campaign. It was also his last winning season with Cleveland going 8-9 and 7-10 over the past two years.

This year was supposed to be different. They had a stacked defense and Deshaun Watson was supposed to play every game. But a shoulder injury sidelined him early and now has him on the IR. Making matters worse, he's on that list with other starters such as Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin, and Jed Wills. Plus, Denzel Ward is out currently and Myles Garrett was far from 100 percent (they both have shoulder injuries as well).

All these shoulder injuries have put a lot on Stefanski's shoulders (see what I did there). He's now had four different starting quarterbacks and is somehow still in control of their playoff chances. Having said that, they've lost two in a row and he has to find a way to stop the bleeding.

Thankfully, they have a few winnable games coming up but Week 14 against the 8-3 Jacksonville Jaguars could be a tough one. Then again, if they knock them off — especially if Joe Flacco is still the starter — that should calm down the haters. For a day at least.

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