Biggest Takeaways from Cleveland Browns' Week 12 Loss

In Week 12, the Cleveland Browns played host to the Baltimore Ravens in a thoroughly winnable Monday Night Football contest. But, of course, on-paper victories are quite different from real-life ones, and the football gods were not smiling upon the Browns, who lost in the last second, 33-27.

But it was a wild game, with numerous consequences stemming from the loss. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the Browns' loss to Baltimore on Monday.

Josh McCown Out for the Season

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The Browns offense took a major hit on Monday night when quarterback Josh McCown was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter. After undergoing tests following the game, it was revealed by Browns head coach Mike Pettine on Tuesday that McCown's season was over, as the quarterback suffered a broken collarbone.

Now, the Browns have to decide who will start for the remainder of the year. Johnny Manziel, pegged during the bye week to be the starter moving forward, was demoted to third-string status after lying about his whereabouts during the week off. Austin Davis stepped in for McCown on Monday night.

But Pettine has yet to determine whether Manziel or Davis will get the nod, saying on Tuesday, "We are going to discuss it more and determine our best course of action moving forward. We are going to take everything into consideration and then make a decision for this week that is best for the team."

Manziel has appeared in seven games this year and has gone 1-2 as a starter, while Davis made his Browns debut on Monday. The upcoming decision will say much about where the organization stands with Manziel as well as what Davis' role could be in the future. Either way, drama is ahead no matter what the Browns decide.

Austin Davis Looks Competent

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The sample size was small, to be sure, but if the Browns choose to turn to Austin Davis and not Johnny Manziel, the passing offense could remain in good hands.

Davis came into the game after Josh McCown was hurt in the fourth quarter and played 13 total snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He threw 10 passes, completing seven for 77 yards and a touchdown thrown to receiver Travis Benjamin to tie the Ravens at 27 points. He went 6-of-6 on that drive and had a seven-yard scramble. He took one sack and did not turn the ball over.

While a series of meetings with the quarterbacks, coaches and front-office staff will determine who Mike Pettine names the starter for Week 13 and beyond, Davis' performance makes the decision a tough one. He did not falter when called upon and, unlike Manziel, he hasn't brought any negative attention to the team.

But what matters most is which quarterback can lead the Browns to wins. Davis, for his best efforts on Monday, didn't do it. Manziel, in his three starts, has done it once. Still, Davis has a strong argument in his favor to be the man the Browns back moving forward. The passing game has not been a liability for the Browns this year, and it doesn't appear it will become one if Davis is handed the keys.

Not-So Special Teams

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There were two major special teams gaffes that directly led to the Browns falling to the Ravens on Monday night. In fact, the two plays bookended the game.

The first was Kaelin Clay's punt return for a touchdown following the Browns' failed opening drive, putting the team down, 7-0. 

The second was the Browns' field-goal attempt at the very end of the game, a 51-yarder that, if Travis Coons made it, would have resulted in a Cleveland victory. Instead, the kick was blocked by the Ravens (helped out by 2015 first-round draft picks Cameron Erving and Danny Shelton being manhandled on the play), recovered by Baltimore safety Will Hill and returned for the game-winning touchdown.

This season, special teams has been a strength for the Browns. Coons hadn't missed a field goal before Monday, punter Andy Lee is still a Pro Bowl-caliber player and no punt or kick had been returned on them for a score this season. But, in Week 12, special teams failed the Browns, and the result was a heartbreaking loss. 

Karlos Dansby's Big Play

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If there's one thing that immediately pops into mind when thinking about current Baltimore Ravens quarterback Matt Schaub, it's "pick-six." Schaub has thrown numerous interceptions for touchdowns during his tenure in the league, including a four-game streak of them in 2013 that came close to ending his NFL career altogether.

He threw another one on Monday night—his first game starting for the Ravens after Joe Flacco suffered a season-ending MCL and ACL tear in Week 11—and it was Browns linebacker Karlos Dansby who caught it and returned it for a score.

It was the second time this season that Dansby grabbed a pick-six and the sixth of his career, tying him with two Hall of Fame linebackers—Bobby Bell and Derrick Brooks—for the most pick-sixes scored at the position. Dansby is a leader on and off the field, so it's only fitting that he was the one to force the inevitable against the predictable Schaub.

Heartbreak

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If there was ever a time for the Browns to get the better of the Ravens, it was Monday night. The Ravens were without quarterback Joe Flacco (ACL, MCL), starting running back Justin Forsett (fractured arm), center Jeremy Zuttah (torn pectoral), receiver Steve Smith (torn Achilles' tendon) and linebacker Terrell Suggs (Achilles), among others.

Though all of the Ravens' seven losses were by one possession's worth of points (or fewer), their defense was susceptible to the after-catch-yardage-heavy Browns passing game. And with their offense riddled with replacement players, Cleveland's struggling defense could perhaps finally catch a break.

But all that fell apart. The Kaelin Clay punt-return touchdown, the 27-27 tie with two minutes to play, Josh McCown's injury, the clock management in the Browns' final drive and the blocked-field-goal "kick-six," all added up to a Browns loss. An exciting, back-and-forth game ended in heartbreak for the Browns.