Key Takeaways From Cleveland Browns 20-3 Loss To Miami Dolphins

Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the Browns offense struggled again, as former Browns QB Tyler Huntley led the Dolphins to victory in Week 17

Dec 29, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, right, shakes hands with Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel before the game at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The losing streak continued for the Cleveland Browns, who dropped their fifth in a row, in a 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins. It's yet another loss in a disastrous season for Cleveland, but perhaps the one silver-lining is how Sunday's results impacted their draft position.

In his second start of the season, Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggled yet again, as the offense managed to put a mere three points on the scoreboard. The unit converted just six third downs, crossed the 50 only four times, and lost to turnover battle for the 10th time this season.

Adding insult to injury, Thompson-Robinson had to watch the backup QB they opted to move on from, Tyler Huntley, contribute in a meaningful way to a Dolphins win, as he filled in for Tua Tagovailoa under center.

In a season defined by mistakes, bad football and lots of losing, it was more of the same for the Browns in Week 17. And it sets the stage a season finale in Baltimore that matters to both division foes for very different reasons.

Here are the key takeaways from Sunday's loss to Miami:

Tyler Huntley Revenge Game

While the Browns continued their evaluation of DTR, their offseason and training camp backup, Tyler Huntley wasthe man under center for Miami, and while its offense didn't do anything overly impressive in a low scoring win, Huntley did look like the more competent quarterback of the two on Sunday.

Huntley finished with 22-for-26 for 225 yards and a passing touchdown. He added another 53 yards on the ground and another touchdown to boot. Huntley was getting rid of the ball quickly and had some really impressive tighter window throws. He added a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, which pretty much put the game away, as well.

Meanwhile, Thompson-Robinson continued his struggles. The 2023 fifth-round pick completed 24-of-46 passes, for 170 yards and an interception. It took him until the fourth quarter to cross the 100-yard plateau. Additionally, DTR has now thrown 10 interceptions to just one touchdown in two seasons in the NFL. Maybe the Browns kept the wrong backup QB in training camp.

Case of the Dropsies

After being targeted only three times in Week 16, it was clear the Browns and DTR made a point in getting the ball to Jerry Jeudy one week later. The problem is, Jeudy couldn't seem to take advantage of the opportunities. On the second drive of the game, Thompson-Robinson dropped a nice ball to Jeudy on a crossing route right near the left sideline, only for the ball to deflect right off his hands and fall incomplete.

The Browns opened up the next drive with back-to-back passes to Jeudy, one near the sideline that he caught but couldn't get two feet down, then another one out of the backfield which was deemed a dropped forward pass. On the first drive of the second half, Jeudy dropped a third down pass that would have kept the drive alive.

Feeding Jeudy remained a priority for the Browns in this one, as he finished with 12 receptions on 18 targets for 94 yards. But his drops prevented his numbers from being even better. Or maybe he was just in on losing for a better draft pick.

Another Myles-tone

Anyone who watched Hard Knocks this past week heard Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett mention that after eclipsing 100-career sacks, he was closing in on another major milestone: four straight seasons with 14 or more sacks. It's never been done before, and Garrett got there on Sunday with two second half sacks. It's a small consultation prize in a season where he'd certainly trade the individual accolades for more wins. Hopefully Sunday wasn't his last game in Cleveland, because he's an absolute pleasure to watch every week, even in a miserable year.

If the Season Ended Today

Perhaps the silver-lining in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins is that the Browns would hold the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft if the season ended today. Cleveland got some help earlier in the day via the matchup between the Titans and Jaguars, both of whom had 3-12 records entering the day and were ahead of the Browns in the draft order. With a fourth win for Jacksonville, they slid to the No. 5 overall pick. A Giants win over the Colts – which was the surprise of the day – also helped Cleveland. New York's strength of schedule is better, which means they take over they fall in as the fourth pick.