Cleveland Browns Get Full Jameis Winston Experience In Loss To Chargers

A 27-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers dropped the Browns to 2-7 on the season as they head into their bye week

Nov 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Morgan Fox (56) attempts to tackles Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns team that stunned the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8, was no where to be seen in a 27-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

It was a frustrating afternoon at Huntington Bank Field for the hometown Browns, who had a golden opportunity to make the home stretch of their season, following a Week 10 bye, mean something. Instead, a 2-7 record likely pivots the teams priorities ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

One week after the Browns offense put up over 400 yards of total offense, including 321 through the air, Cleveland's offense reverted back to the unit that barely had a pulse through the first seven weeks of the season. Ken Dorsey's unit went three-and-out five times, converted just 35% of its third downs and amassed just 292 yards of total offense, chunks of which game in garbage time once the game was well in hand.

Much of that can be attributed to the full Jameis Winston experience. Last week, the veteran quarterback sparked a 29-point effort, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns. He followed it up with a three interception, one touchdown performance against the Chargers. The lone score came way too late to have any significance in the game.

It was a far cry from the Joe Flacco-eque run many fans were hoping to see Winston channel.

Winston's struggles, in the form of those three picks, all came in the second half. But the game was truthfully pretty well in hand before then thanks to multiple costly miscues on defense.

The first one came on the Chargers second possession of the game. Cleveland's defense had Justin Herbert and company backed up in a third-and-21 following a Shelby Harris and Dalvin Tomlinson sack one play prior. Poised to force a field goal, Chargers wideout Joshua Palmer slipped down the sideline past Denzel Ward with safety help from Juan Thornhill arriving late and hauled in a back-breaking 28-yard touchdown pass with nobody around him.

One miscommunication issue is bad enough, but a second one arrived just over midway through the second quarter. In similar fashion, it was Chargers WR Quentin Johnston who ran past Ward down the sideline this time. Thornhill's drop was to the middle of the field, which left him in no position to make up the necessary ground to come anywhere near Johnston.

Another Chargers touchdown followed one series later, following a Browns three-and-out. It was a sequence that told the story of the game as Los Angeles carried a 20-3 lead into the break, and then even into the fourth quarter before it's final score late in the fourth quarter.

And so the Browns head into their bye week with many of the same questions to answer that they had prior to a win over the Ravens, which proved to be only temporary distraction from the reality they live in. Come 4 pm Tuesday this team could look a little bit different.