The Browns dropped their final game of the three-game home stand, 27-10, to the Chargers. They head into their bye week with a 2-7 record.
"Very disappointed with today. That first half, just costly mistakes hurt us, and we couldn't dig out of that hole in the second half," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "Offense, defense, special teams, we have to play better on all three sides of the ball. We got to coach better on all three sides of the ball. But we own it."
Here are three takeaways from Sunday's game.
Browns offense stifled by Chargers defense
The Browns knew they had a challenge in facing a Chargers defense that was allowing an average of 13 points per game this season, the best in the NFL.
Cleveland struggled to overcome Los Angeles' stingy defense, as the Browns' only points in the first half came on a 38-yard field goal by K Dustin Hopkins in the second quarter. The Browns were forced to punt on five of their six offensive possessions in the first half and were held to 57 net yards of offense in the first half.
"It's a good defense," Stefanski said. "We knew that going into it. They were stout. We weren't good enough on third down in the first half. I think that was a big key not being able to sustain drives in that first half."
In the third quarter, the Browns drove down the field into the red zone. However, as the Browns were in the red zone, QB Jameis Winston's pass was deflected and intercepted by DB Elijah Molden, keeping the Browns from finding the end zone.
"That play right there is still living in my head," Winston said. "I have to make a better ball right there. And if we score right there, the momentum changes in this game probably has a different outcome. That's where my focus is, one play at a time. We have to make most of the one play. The Browns have to win that one play. And I didn't do that."
The Browns continued to struggle throughout the second half, as they were forced to punt once as well as turned the ball over on downs once. Winston also threw three interceptions, and Hopkins had a field goal blocked, which turned the ball over to the Chargers. Los Angeles has a plus six turnover margin heading into Week 9, and the Browns knew how the Chargers defense came up with takeaways early on in the season.
In his second start for the Browns, Winston completed 26 of 46 passing attempts for 235 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. On his first interception in the third quarter, Winston intended his pass for WR Jerry Jeudy, and said he needed to put the ball about two feet higher on the play. His other two interceptions came on the same type of routes.
"As a quarterback, my job is to lead our team to get in the end zone, and we didn't do that enough," Winston said. "The biggest thing is we have to eliminate plays that beat us. I had three of them. We all know the plays that we can help this team out with."
Browns defense struggled to contain Chargers pass game
The Chargers relied on the success of their pass game to help fuel their success offensively, as they totaled 214 net passing yards in the first half against the Browns. Herbert completed 14 of 16 passing attempts for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the first two quarters. He also had a passer rating of 158.3 – a perfect passer rating.
The Browns defensive line applied solid pressure on Herbert but allowed the Chargers to score 20 points in the first half. Cleveland bounced back in the third, forcing Los Angeles to punt on its three offensive drives and not score.
"It's tough. We beat ourselves a lot of the game," DE Myles Garrett said. "They made the plays they were supposed to make, big ones down the field and capitalized when we made those mistakes."
The Chargers only converted on 5 of 14 third-down attempts but excelled in those five successful attempts – especially in three third-and-long situations.
On the first third-and-long, Herbert connected with WR Joshua Palmer for a 27-yard touchdown reception. Herbert's longest pass of the day came on third down attempt that turned into a 66-yard completion to WR Quentin Johnston in the second quarter for the touchdown. Herbert connected with Johnston downfield, who was open and ran down the sideline. Then, on a third-and-7 in the second quarter, Herbert connected with Palmer again on a deep pass for a 26-yard completion.
"The third downs in the first half was a key to this game," Stefanski said. "We had them in some really good distances there, and we had some miscommunications, and it hurt us."
Herbert finished the game completing 18 of 27 passing attempts for 282 yards and two touchdowns and a rating of 125.8. He was also sacked six times for loss of 36 yards in the first half alone.
"They're one of the best fronts we're going to face all year," Garrett said. "So, we have a lot of respect for them. So, I think we're just ready for what they were going to throw at us. They threw some one-on-ones, and I made most of them, but guys on the interior also dented the pocket, making it where he couldn't step up a lot."
Cedric Tillman with lone touchdown for the Browns
After a career-game in Week 8, WR Cedric Tillman had another strong showing in Week 9 in his increased role. He led the team in total receiving yards, with 75 yards on six receptions and a touchdown. Tillman said he noticed how the Chargers defended him differently, playing inside of him harder than opponents have in recent games.
Tillman caught a 17-yard pass from Winston in the end zone and kept his feet in bounds for the Browns first touchdown of the day with less than a minute left in the game. It was his longest reception of the day.
"He was one on one, and he made an amazing route," Winston said. "That's what he's capable of doing. So, I'm happy that we were able as an offense to finish with a touchdown."
