Browns' season sinks deeper wilth questions about the team's effort and a possible shakeup

CLEVELAND (AP) — As owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam postured and politicked the past few months to find funding to help them get a new, domed, multipurpose stadium built in Cleveland's suburbs, their football team collapsed.

The Browns are a bust.

A season that seemingly crashed weeks ago sunk to a new low Sunday with a 35-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints, who outscored the Browns 21-0 in the fourth quarter to turn a tight game into a rout.

The final blow was delivered by the Saints' Swiss Army-back Taysom Hill, who was barely touched by any of the Browns on a 75-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter — his third TD and one much easier than most in the NFL.

In the ugly aftermath of losing to a three-win team, the Browns are dealing with questions about player effort, and there's growing speculation massive changes are ahead for a team that went to the playoffs a year ago and entered this season seriously believing it was a Super Bowl contender.

Instead, the Browns (2-8) are heading into the teeth of their schedule (Pittsburgh visits on Thursday) and looking at a possible organizational overhaul.

Coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry — both of whom received contract extensions from the Haslams this past summer — are under fire and potentially fighting to save their jobs.

That is, if their fates haven't already been decided.

It's a mess in Cleveland and it will only get messier if the Browns don't string together some wins. It's a cruel, bottom-line business.

Stefanski offered up a version of his customary “we need to be better” weekly assessment on Monday, a line that rankles fans but accurately sums up the Browns' troubling state. They team has digressed in all phases, and the depth and diversity of problems makes it difficult to pin the blame on one person.

Let the finger pointing commence.

“Very disappointing,” Stefanski said on a Zoom call. “Disappointing going into the fourth quarter with the chance and then not finish that game. And we all share in it. It’s an offense, defense, special teams, players and coaches type of thing, so we all share in it.”

However, not everyone will share in the price of failure.

It's hard to lay this all on Stefanski, a two-time AP Coach of the Year who is 39-38 with Cleveland and has taken the Browns to the playoffs twice in five seasons.

Stefanski did continue to start an ineffective Deshaun Watson longer than he probably should have this season before the quarterback ruptured his Achilles tendon last month. By all accounts, Stefanski is well-liked and respected by his players.

For his part, Berry's track record in the draft has been spotty, at best, and it hasn't helped that the Browns have been hurt by injuries at important positions.

When they announced the contract extensions for Berry and Stefanski in June, the Haslams praised the pair's "collaborative approach, and ability to overcome obstacles bode well for the future of this franchise.”

The Browns thought they had stability.

It's suddenly shaky.

What's working

Cleveland's passing game is finally clicking with Jameis Winston, who threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns in his return to New Orleans, where he was a beloved teammate and fan favorite for four seasons.

Performance aside, Winston's infectious personality and leadership have been critical in helping the Browns stay connected and mostly competitive. Also, he might be emerging as a “bridge” for next year with Watson's future uncertain and the Browns likely headed toward drafting a young QB.

What needs help

A year ago, the Browns had the league's best defense. It doesn't look anything like one now.

Before the bye week, communication breakdowns in the secondary led to two TDs in a loss to the Chargers. Talking wasn't a problem against the Saints, tackling was as New Orleans racked up 473 yards.

Stock up

Finally, cornerback Denzel Ward hauled in his first interception this season after so many near misses.

The three-time Pro Bowler is having his best season. He also forced and recovered a fumble and had two more pass defenses, raising his league-leading total to 17.

Stock down

Kicker Dustin Hopkins had a bad day. A really bad day.

Hopkins missed three field-goal tries — one was nullified by a penalty — in the first half, a shocking showing for one of the game's most consistent kickers. Hopkins is 14 of 20 this season, only 4 of 8 on attempts over 50 yards after going 8 for 8 in 2023.

Stefanski trusts Hopkins will work out any issues with his technique and quickly said, “no,” when asked if the team is signing another kicker. Hopkins signed a three-year, $15.3 million extension in July.

Injuries

Left tackle Dawand Jones will miss the rest of the season after breaking his left leg when teammate Wyatt Teller fell on him. It's another setback for Jones, whose strong rookie season in 2023 ended with a knee injury. ... With Jones out, Jedrick Wills Jr. could move back into his starting spot, but he's dealing with a knee injury that kept him out Sunday. Last week, Wills caused a stir when he said he made a “business decision” and sat out a game last month when his knee was sore.

Key number

964 — Yards passing for Winston in three starts. Watson passed for 1,148 yards in seven starts.

What's next

A quick turnaround with the Steelers (8-2) coming to town. Pittsburgh is just 1-4-1 in its last six visits to Cleveland.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Tom Withers, The Associated Press