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In a game that had a lot of good, bad, and just flat out ugly, the Cleveland Browns lost on their home field to the Jacksonville Jaguars by a final score of 32-28. Just three weeks ago, Cleveland looked like a serious contender to win the AFC North, or at least make a run at a wildcard spot. Now, with their record at 4-8, it's time to start thinking about next year again.
First off, let's get to the bright spot of the game: wide receiver Josh Gordon, who made NFL history by being the first player to ever have back-to-back 200+ yard receiving games. He finished the day with 10 catches for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 95-yard go-ahead touchdown with just a few minutes remaining in the game.
We actually saw a much-improved Brandon Weeden today in terms of getting rid of the ball quicker, although a lot of that just meant, "throw it in the area of Gordon." Unfortunately, Weeden had a disastrous end to the second quarter, throwing interceptions on back-to-back plays and then fumbling, allowing Jacksonville to turn a 14-7 deficit into a 20-14 lead heading into the half.
For the Jaguars being a rather pitiful team on offense, the Browns' defense did not get the job done against them. They finished with just two sacks, but allowed the Jaguars to go the length of the field with under four minutes to play in the game. The Browns held a 28-25 lead, so a field goal would have sent the game to overtime. Instead, on a third-down play, Joe Haden bit on a short route and was beaten by Cleveland native Cecil Shorts III for the game-winning, 20-yard touchdown. Weeden's Hail Mary as time expired was batted away by the Jaguars.
I guess you could say that the Browns are now improving their draft position now, which could certainly help in the long run. It still hurts to lose a game like this. The Browns travel to New England next week, where the Patriots are 6-0 at home.