Cleveland Browns Waste Perfect Opportunity in Loss to Jaguars

The Cleveland Browns did not just lose a game to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. They also lost momentum, opportunity and the belief of the nation. None of these things are gone forever, but they will have to work to regain them over the next three games.

Before the Browns went to Jacksonville and were pushed around by the winless Jaguars 24-6, there was a very positive vibe surrounding the team. They were beginning a three-game stretch against teams that had a combined record of 1-16, and they had the attention of the nation and were playing some of the best football the franchise has seen since its return in 1999.

Now people will look at the score and say it's just the same old Browns.

"

Brian Hoyer: "we got our butts handed to us." - yes, yes you did

— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) October 19, 2014"

For starters, it is not the same old Browns. They can regain all that's been lost by defeating the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. That would have them sitting at 5-3 heading into their nationally televised Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals on November 6.

It will be a tough road, but they can get back to the point they were at before the kickoff in Jacksonville. They can get back to the point where the offense wasn’t anemic.

They managed just 266 total yards and converted 4-of-17 third-down attempts.

Quarterback Brian Hoyer had easily his worst game as a professional. He was 16-of-41 for 215 yards, and he threw an interception. He missed several easy throws, under-threw what would have been a possible touchdown to Taylor Gabriel and had trouble feeling pressure from the defense.

There was a lot of it, too.

The offensive line went through quite a few changes this past week with center Alex Mack being placed on injured reserve. Paul McQuistan started his first game at guard for the Browns, and John Greco started his first game at center in his life. They were exposed.

The Jaguars were constantly in the backfield, and the same offensive line that built the third-best running game in the NFL managed just 69 total rushing yards on 30 attempts.

The defense forced three turnovers, but it also allowed 336 total yards of offense and two rushing touchdowns. The Jaguars had two total rushing touchdowns entering Week 7. Running back Denard Robinson, who entered the game with less than 100 rushing yards on the season, rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown.

The Browns coaching staff was bad, too. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan abandoned the run too early in the game, and head coach Mike Pettine did not have his team prepared for this road test. All of these things added up to a wasted afternoon for the Browns, who were supposed to be using this opportunity to continue turning the corner into relevancy.

If the Browns had handled business in Jacksonville—and they had plenty of opportunities to do so—they would have improved to 4-2 for the first time since 2001.

If they would have won, they would be in second place in the AFC North and just a half-game behind the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals were crushed by the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, and it left the door wide open for the Browns to be sitting near the top of the division.

Instead, the Browns laid an egg against one of the worst teams in the NFL. Now they find themselves sitting at the bottom of the AFC North. They are 3-3 and looking up at a Pittsburgh Steelers team they dismantled at home last week.

The least important, but most prevalent, of the opportunities missed on Sunday was the chance to continue changing the national perception of the franchise. Up until kickoff in Jacksonville, the league and the world had begun to think the Browns might actually be getting good.

ESPN NFL analyst Mark Schlereth said this week on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike (Insider subscription required), h/t Reddit (NSFW language), that he thought the Browns were the favorite to win the AFC North. Mike Greenberg tweeted a similar sentiment about the prospering Browns team.

"

The Cleveland #Browns are totally for real. If Josh Gordon was playing all year, they might've won the division.

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) October 14, 2014"

The national guys were finally taking notice of a team that had been a doormat around the league for such a long time. Unfortunately, in the NFL, it only takes one clunker performance for the pendulum to swing back the other way faster than you can turn your head.

"

A lot of disappointing performances on this day around the league. But none more than the #Browns.

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) October 19, 2014"

This does not mean the Browns can’t make the playoffs. If anything, this is a good learning experience for the team. It would have been much worse to get their doors blown off at home than on the road.

The Browns are not the only team that had a disappointing loss on the road this week. The Seattle Seahawks lost to the St. Louis Rams 28-26.

The Browns have plenty of things to clean up between now and when they host the lowly Raiders next Sunday. The silver lining of the situation is that game is at home. The Browns are good at home. That is how the evolution of a good football team begins.

First, you can compete. Then you win home games, but struggle on the road. Finally, you become consistent enough on the road to play .500 football and take care of your home field, and suddenly you are in the playoffs.

No, this is not the end of the road for the Browns. It is, however, a bump that could—and should—have been avoided. Opportunities do not come along every year in the NFL, and that is especially true in Cleveland. If the Browns miss the playoffs by one game, they know which week they can point toward.

But before they can talk playoffs again, they need to bounce back from this loss. A few more wins in a row and all those opportunities will magically reappear.