Browns are fizzling under HC Kevin Stefanski
The Cleveland Browns fell to 3-6 with their 39-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, continuing a downward spiral under head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski got off to a hot start in Cleveland, going 11-5 and winning a playoff game during his first season in 2020. Since then, the Browns are 11-15 and 6-11 in their past 17 games.
“We have to play better. We’ve got to play better offense, defense, special teams. Again, when you go down and get the result that you got, nothing is good enough. It’s just the truth,” Stefanski said in a news conference Monday.
Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal noted that Stefanski has been using those tired adages for awhile.
After the Browns scored a touchdown on their opening drive against Miami, things fizzled on offense.
Running back Nick Chubb entered Cleveland’s Week 9 bye with a league-high 841 rushing yards, but he ran for just 63 yards on 11 attempts against Miami. He scored a touchdown, but by that point, the Browns were trailing by 20 in the fourth quarter.
The 11 carries were the fewest Chubb has had this season, and Stefanski’s usage — or lack thereof — of his star back has raised eyebrows.
On defense, the Browns gave up 195 rushing yards against a Dolphins team that was averaging 86.8 yards per game.
The Browns struggled through the 2021 season with an injured Baker Mayfield, and Jacoby Brissett will start at QB in at least two more games in 2022.
Though the quarterback situation has not been ideal, the hope was that Brissett could function well enough to keep the Browns in contention until Deshaun Watson can play in Week 12.
That has not happened, as Cleveland sits in third place in the AFC North and 11th in the conference playoff picture.
Watson has not played since the end of the 2020 season. He played in one preseason game before his suspension. If he does not get up to speed soon, Stefanski's seat could get warm.
The 3-6 Browns will play at the 6-3 Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Watson, who is now able to practice with the team, is eligible to return for Cleveland’s road game against the Texans — his former team — on Dec. 4.
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