5 Browns On Thin Ice After Falling to Third in AFC North Standings

Week 12 was a tough one for the Cleveland Browns. Not only did they see their three-game winning streak come to an end but they also suffered several injuries during the loss to the Denver Broncos. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Amari Cooper, and Myles Garrett all wound up sidelined and the status of DTR and Garrett is still up in the air.

As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, they also fell to third in the AFC North standings. This was due to the Steelers pulling off a win, and the Ravens won as well which gave them a larger cushion.

With all of the dust settled from this past weekend, let’s look ahead to Week 13 and identify five Browns on thin ice as they prepare to play the Rams in Los Angeles.

5. Pierre Strong, CB

For weeks, many of us wanted to see more of Pierre Strong in the backfield. The explosive running back went into the game against Denver with 153 yards and a touchdown on just 35 carries. He also had a 41 yard reception against Seattle earlier this year, showing how quickly he can move down the field.

But in Week 12, he made a huge mistake that cost his team in a big way. Trailing 17-12, the Browns had just lost Dorian Thompson-Robinson to a concussion and needed a spark. Kevin Stefanski looked to Strong for this and called a double reverse. The ball went to Elijah Moore originally and he then pitched it to Strong, who was unable to hold onto the ball.

He fumbled it away and Denver was able to recover. They put the game away at this point and while a lot of the anger was directed at Stefanski, Strong also should feel the heat for dropping the ball. That play could lead to him seeing even less time on the field going forward.