Another quiet second half ultimately undid the Browns on Thursday night in Baltimore.
After mounting a lead at halftime, Cleveland couldn't sustain such momentum against a tough Ravens defense and an offense that suddenly sprung to life behind quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw all three of his touchdown passes after intermission.
In his postgame press conference, head coach Hue Jackson expressed his frustration at that nagging dynamic, saying he hasn't yet found a solution for why the Browns have struggled to put together full games.
"I wish I could. I've tried every different kind of speech to no speech, to whatever you can think of," he said. "I can't put my finger on it. Obviously, it's a problem. We've got to fix it."
Jackson on Friday echoed a similar sentiment. "That's my charge. That's my charge and our staff's charge. It's finding a way. I don't know and I would be the first to tell you – I am not going to sit up here and sugarcoat it – I don't know what that is because we have tried many different things, and we are not going to stop," he said.
"We aren't going to stop searching, trying to figure it out because somewhere in there is the key to unlock something that will get us to where we need to be."
But Jackson has offered something of a hypothesis, suggesting it has something to do with one of the league's youngest rosters.
"I think our players will tell you that there is nothing that anybody is doing differently (in the second half) or any of that. Sometimes, the newness – I have said this before and I think I have said it to all of you – I think the pressure of playing and doing things right play in and play out is tough," he said.
"We're the youngest team in the league with the most rookies, I get all of that, but what's put in front of them can be a very daunting task."
Indeed, the Browns — who have been dealt an unusual array of significant injuries — have been in part buoyed by rookies this season. But they struggled to match up against the veteran-laden Ravens on Thursday night.
Against that backdrop, the Browns are still trying to develop a youthful roster while in search of their first win this season.
"I don't think our guys are running from it," Jackson said. "To answer your question, how do you keep developing? You keep putting them in those situations."
Since the beginning of the season, the Browns have said they won't lean on youth or inexperience as an excuse. Two-and-a-half months later, that sentiment is still alive and well.
"Whatever your roster is, that's your roster. You have to go out and play," linebacker Demario Davis said. "Play the cards that are dealt, and do the best you can."
