[2022] Browns Bulletin, Week 10 - Confidence Wanes as Losses Mount

[Piercewise1]

 

The Browns still have a winning record, but you wouldn’t know it by the sounds coming from the fans or the reactions on social media. For the second straight week, the team lost to a division rival while scoring only 7 points. The Browns started the season with a five-game winning streak but are 0-3-1 since, and some fans aren’t happy.

 

“Went to the game and caught a cold…which is more than I can say for the #Browns receivers,” one dejected fan ranted on Twitter after the loss. “Hopefully some Bengals fans intercepted that too,” another responded. They were reacting to another tepid day from Cleveland’s wideouts, who caught 8 passes (on 16 targets) for a meager 53 yards. Christopher Cresswell had a couple of bad drops, and there are rumors circulating that his time as a starter might be coming to an end. QB James Rivera threw another interception, and they now outnumber his touchdown passes (6 vs 5).

 

“It’s been a run of tough losses against good teams,” @Piercewise1 said after the game. “We’re going to keep working through ideas to jumpstart this offense. Meanwhile our defense continues to perform, especially our experienced linebacking corps.”

 

The team was quiet at the trade deadline, though some fans were hoping for a big move to bring in additional offensive talent. Pierce maintains his view that the team is already in a good place to compete, despite recent setbacks.

 

“We’re a young team in a lot of places, but that bodes well for the future. We’ve got guys that are contributing in a big way who are only going to get better with experience. At the same time, we’re not playing for next year. We’re here to win, now, and I expect our fans will get to experience more of that soon.”

 

This week the Browns (5-3-1) go on the road to face the Jets (3-7), a team that has shown a knack for stopping the run. It will be interesting to see how Juan Mora, the Browns’ lone consistent bright spot on offense, fares against their excellent front seven.