The Browns played a home game to match the mood of a half-empty stadium on Sunday, losing 27-10 to the Ravens to remain winless on the season.
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns reverted to a pair of “That’s So Browns” moments on a gloomy, gray Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Browns played a game to match the mood of a half-empty stadium, losing 27-10 to the Baltimore Ravens while falling to 0-14 on the season.
This miserable loss was summed up by two gestures from little-used wide receiver Sammie Coates in the third quarter — both wrong, both comical.
Coates, who had recorded five catches on the season coming into the game, made a rare appearance on a third-and-9 at the Ravens’ 47-yard line with the Browns trailing 24-10.
Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer, who achieved the almost-impossible feat of throwing for minus-12 yards in the first quarter, hit Coates on a slant. Coates was thrown to the ground soon after the catch by Ravens cornerback Brandon Carr, a clear yard short of the first down.
No matter. Coates jumped up, strode forward and emphatically gestured first down. Many fans stood, hands on their head in disbelief.
On the next play, Cleveland coach Hue Jackson went for it on fourth-and-1. The Browns tried a quarterback sneak, and Kizer was stopped clearly short.
Coates, who lined up left on the side where Kizer tried to sneak, signaled for another first down. A measurement and a challenge — which took a while to request because Jackson could not seem to find his red flag — proved the Browns were short again.
Two plays, two signals, both wrong. Fourteen losses in a row to start the 2017 season — after also starting the 2016 season with 14 losses in a row.
For the Browns, Coates’ 0-for-2 in first-down signals provided a pair of very Browns moments that summed up what has been a very difficult season.
• Statistics
• Scoreboard
• 2017 schedule, results
• Standings
The Browns are now 0-14, and their trek toward avoiding a winless season depends on getting a road win in Chicago on Christmas Eve or in Pittsburgh for the season finale. Cleveland is not favored in either game.
Sunday’s loss to the Ravens was the seventh in seven home games this season for the Browns — eight if the loss in London is counted, though it was technically a home game — and 15th loss in a row overall going back to last season.
This game featured a strip-sack of Kizer in the end zone that gave the Ravens a touchdown, a Kizer interception in the end zone on a poor decision and four total turnovers by the Browns — three by Kizer, who is responsible for 25 turnovers this season.
The misery list is getting tough to keep up with:
Jackson’s record as coach is 1-29.
The Browns have lost 16 in a row in the AFC North.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is 17-2 in games he’s started against the Browns.
And the Browns have gone 4-47 in their past 51 games.
On this final Sunday of “NFL” football in Cleveland, maybe 35,000 fans showed up.
The end of this season’s home schedule is an act of mercy.
