Head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed the media Monday afternoon following the Browns' 20-16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The Browns reviewed game film on Monday to learn from the loss as they begin preparation for their Week 5 matchup against the Commanders.

"When you're a 1-3 football team, you're not playing well enough in any area. So, we need to focus on just playing better offense, defense, special teams," Stefanski said.

Stefanski also gave several injury updates regarding RB Nick Chubb, TE David Njoku and other injured Browns, as well as his thoughts on the Browns' offensive performance on Sunday.

Mistakes lead to struggles on offense

It's often just a couple of plays – a drop, a penalty, a blown coverage – that can change the course of a football game.

The Browns saw that on Sunday in their 20-16 loss to the Raiders.

A dropped pass by WR Amari Cooper turned into an interception, which then turned into a touchdown drive from the Raiders.

An offensive holding penalty from C Nick Harris negated an 82-yard touchdown reception from Cooper that would have given the Browns a late lead.

A miscommunication between Harris and QB Deshaun Watson on their final drive led to a fumbled snap and a six-yard loss.

"Little things do become the big thing," head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday. "We've talked about that a lot. So, we focus, in this building, on things that we can control, things that we can get better at. And I think that's the mindset, that sort of winning mindset, that we have where we're going to get together and find a way to fix it."

The Browns offense has struggled to put points on the board this season, ranking 24^th in the NFL in offensive touchdowns with six. A lot of their issues, WR Jerry Jeudy said Monday, stem from issues with each of the 11 players on the field not executing their assignments fully.

"Collectively, as a unit, we just all have to be on the same page at the same time. That's the biggest thing, for real," Jeudy said. "Because as an offense, as a group, if one person messed up, the whole play is messed up."

On the Browns' final play of the game, a fourth-and-3 at the Las Vegas 19-yard line, Watson felt pressure coming from the center of the pocket and rolled out to his left. He was unable to get the ball out before he was chased down by DE Charles Snowden for a game-ending sack.

Stefanski said that each position group could have performed better on the fourth down attempt.

"We did not execute exactly how we should on that play," Stefanski said. "Obviously, the quarterback understands it's a fourth down play, so you want to give somebody a chance. He did not have the opportunity going to his left. We can be better in protection. We can be better. We can be more precise in our routes. All those things contribute to that."

With a 1-3 record, the Browns enter a month that could feature four of their toughest matchups of the 2024 season, first traveling to a 3-1 Commanders team before visiting the Eagles and ending the month with back-to-back home games against the Bengals and Ravens.

Stefanski is confident in his team's ability to correct the mistakes that have led them to their third loss in four games and improve as the season progresses.

"Our guys have the right attitude," Stefanski said. "They've got the right mindset, that we've got to fix it together. So that's what we're going to do and that's what meetings today were all about."

Injury updates

Stefanski gave several injury updates on Monday, including the announcement that Chubb is expected return to practice on Wednesday after suffering a knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season.

Stefanski did not say whether Chubb would be active next Sunday against the Commanders or the following week against the Eagles.

"I'm not going to get too far down the road on that, other than to say, like I've told you guys all year and last year some, he's working very hard. The natural progression is for him to start practicing, he's ready to do that," Stefanski said.

Stefanski added that RB Nyheim Hines, who also is working back from a knee injury, is expected to return to practice, possibly this week. Hines was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list ahead of the 2024 season after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the 2023 offseason. The team will have more information on Hines on Wednesday, Stefanski said.

C Ethan Pocic and LB Jordan Hicks were both injured in the Browns' Week 4 loss to the Raiders. Stefanski said that Pocic, who has an ankle injury, and Hicks, who has an elbow injury, are both considered day to day.

CB Martin Emerson Jr. is out of concussion protocol after exiting Sunday's game.

Stefanski said he expects Njoku to practice this week before the team makes a decision on his availability against the Commanders. Njoku returned to practice on Sept. 26 and was a limited participant and has missed three straight games with an ankle injury he endured in Week 1 against the Cowboys.

Stefanski did not have any updates on LT Jedrick Wills Jr. and RT Jack Conklin, saying that "Wednesday or Thursday will be a better gauge" on their progress through their respective injuries. Both Wills and Conklin did not play in Week 4 against the Raiders. Wills, who took the field for the first time this season in Week 3 against the Giants, sustained a knee injury in Week 3 and did not participate in practice last week. Conklin has yet to play in a game this season.