Terrelle Pryor's big day was ultimately overshadowed by a loss to the New York Giants. But his performance was one of several bright spots on a day that saw the Browns fall to 0-12 this season.
Pryor, who caught six passes for 131 yards on Sunday, became the first Browns player to record at least five receptions in five straight games since 1999. He has three 100-yard receiving games this season and leads the team in receptions (62), receiving yards (855) and receiving touchdowns (four).
But Pryor — who has taken the league by storm since switching from quarterback to receiver last year — shrugged off personal accolades in postgame interviews.
"My performance wasn't good enough because I didn't do enough to contribute for us to win," he told reporters in the locker room. "The way our defense played today, you can win a game like that. We didn't take advantage today … it's just sad, games that we can win against a very good team."
Indeed, the Browns trailed by just seven points in the fourth quarter but their comeback aspirations were ultimately undone by three turnovers and uneven play. But there were bright spots to be gleaned on both sides of the ball.
Cleveland's defense held Eli Manning and the Giants offense to 296 total yards and forced them into nine punts. The Browns offense featured rookie receiver and first-round draft pick Corey Coleman catching a late 21-yard touchdown while rookies tight end Seth DeValve and receiver Rashard Higgins had their roles increase, combining for 40 snaps.
"I do see improvement across the board, but it is not enough," Jackson said. "It is not enough to win at this level. We just have to keep working at it. That starts with me and it kind of trickles down everywhere else, but I have to get it fixed."
Jackson said he admired the "fight" in his players through a difficult season. "I don't think we have a guy that's not fighting, and I think we are fighting our tails off and that is what makes it really hard when you fight so hard and you play as hard as you can and you still come up short," he said. "There is an answer in there somewhere that is going to give us what we want, and we just have to keep searching for it."
That, of course, includes Pryor, who continues to make his presence known on the field.
"We say it every week that TP is getting better and better. You try to find positives in moments like this, and he is certainly one of those," quarterback Josh McCown said. "(His) progress is one of those and has been a bright spot. I fully expect him to continue to do that the rest of the season and build some momentum for himself moving forward."
