Browns Left with More Questions at QB After Manziel, Hoyer Struggle in Loss

The Cleveland Browns entered Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers hoping that they might get a better idea of who Johnny Manziel really is. They had hoped they would see a glimpse of the guy they drafted 22nd overall and handed the reins of the offense to last week. What they got was a heaping helping of question marks after a 17-13 loss.

Two games can't even write the first page of a prologue in a quarterback's career, but that doesn't mean the Browns didn't need to see something, anything from Manziel. After an 80-yard performance that included two interceptions and a 27.0 quarterback rating in his first start, progress was needed. No matter how minute, the Browns needed to see progression from the rookie quarterback.

For 13 minutes and 11 seconds, the Browns got just that. There were still miscues; the Browns burned an early timeout, and Manziel also had a miscommunication with wide receiver Josh Gordon on the Browns' first series. Other than that, this start looked light-years better than the one against Cincinnati.

The numbers were not very impressive. Manziel was just 3-of-8 for 32 yards. What the numbers don't show, however, was how the offense looked far better than the train wreck in his first start. On his second drive he threw a beautiful 28-yard pass to Andrew Hawkins on third down. That drive eventually ended with three points. They were baby steps, but that is better than nothing.

Unfortunately, the sample size would stay small because Manziel left the game with a hamstring injury. At first it appeared to happen on a designed QB sweep, where Manziel could not get the edge and was lit up by two defenders near the sideline. After the game we found out it actually occurred earlier.

"

#Browns Manziel said he didn't injure hamstring on that scramble. Did it 2 drives earlier on a pass to Gordon that was reversed before FG.

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) December 21, 2014"

As Manziel limped to the locker room, Brian Hoyer trotted back onto the field and looked like, well, Brian Hoyer.

There were some highlights. The best of which was an 81-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Cameron. He read the safety beautifully and dropped a perfect pass into his tight end, which allowed him to run for the score.

"

Hoyer: The TD to Jordan, that's probably the first time I smiled on the football field in the last month.

— Zac Jackson (@FSOhioZJackson) December 21, 2014"

There were also lowlights. Hoyer underthrew Travis Benjamin by a solid seven yards on a pass that would have been a touchdown if delivered on target. Instead it resulted in an interception. These two throws are typical of what Hoyer has displayed this season.

Just like Sunday, his inconsistency has been the key to him being relegated to the bench. He finished 7-of-13 for 134 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Essentially he lived up to his previous billing as an underwhelming backup.

Unfortunately, so did Manziel. Not the billing that he earned last week but the one he has been saddled with since heading into the NFL draft earlier this year.

"

The biggest question most have had about @JManziel2 has always been durability.. especially with the way he likes to play

— trey wingo (@wingoz) December 21, 2014"

Haters of the rookie will scream that the Browns should have seen this coming. His supporters will point to the fact that he did not actually get injured on a hit, so his size and stature played no part. Either way Manziel was not able to quiet the critics for another week, and now he has just one shot left.

If he can play, that is. Both he and Hoyer were under fire all game long as the Panthers left them no room to operate in the backfield. The offensive line was blown up in pass protection and allowed the backs to gain just 84 yards on the ground.

Hoyer and Manziel got no help from the other side of the ball either. The defense allowed 209 yards and one touchdown on the ground. It let the Panthers control the clock, and that resulted in Carolina holding the ball for 17 more minutes than the Browns.

Evaluation of either quarterback at this point has become impossible. And while the organization probably has a definitive opinion on Hoyer, it still needs to see more of Manziel. Like it or not it invested a first-round draft pick in him, and he will get more than 73 minutes before Cleveland writes him off.

Sorry, Hoyer Nation.

If Manziel can't make the start next Sunday at Baltimore to end the season, then the evaluation period for Johnny will be delayed until minicamps this offseason. No reps are more valuable than game reps, and Manziel needs all he can get.

These games may not mean anything in the standings, but they mean something for the future. At this point the Browns seem destined to lose out and finish with seven wins. For them to eclipse that mark next season, they need to begin answering their quarterback questions now.

Unfortunately, conditions surrounding the quarterbacks and injuries are making that question more and more difficult to answer by the week. It's tough to pass a test when the quarterback isn't even on the field to take it.