Story by
One Botched Snap Cost the Browns in New York, but the Real Problem Started Long Before It
- Story by
- One Botched Snap Cost the Browns in New York, but the Real Problem Started Long Before It
Corey Bojorquez will wear this one in Cleveland for a while, but the Browns' 17-12 loss to the Jets was built long before the punter let a snap slip through his hands. The Browns converted 4 of 16 third downs , went 0-for-2 on fourth down and scored one touchdown in 13 possessions.
An offense that can't finish drives left a two-point lead for special teams to protect. With a little over four minutes left, Bojorquez's fumble gave New York the ball at the Cleveland 23, and Braelon Allen ran 22 yards for the winning score three plays later .
Advertisement
Field goals where touchdowns belonged
The first warning came in the opening quarter. Cleveland put together a 12-play drive that reached inside the Jets' 10, then Deshaun Watson's third-and-5 throw to Denzel Boston fell incomplete and Andre Szmyt kicked a 25-yarder. A 41-yard field goal in the second quarter made it 7-6 at halftime. That was the Browns' only trip inside the red zone all afternoon.
Then came five straight punts. The drive that broke the streak needed a 20-yard Watson scramble on second-and-11, and Watson then hit Boston on third-and-10 for a 29-yard touchdown with 6:15 left. Cleveland led 12-10, but Szmyt missed the extra point , his first miss of the season.
Advertisement
The defense handed the offense a chance to close it anyway. Carson Schwesinger strip-sacked Geno Smith, Adin Huntington recovered near midfield and the Browns needed only a few first downs to drain the clock. They went three-and-out instead, with two incompletions. "Unfortunately, we go three and out, and then obviously giving up the snap and the punt at the end," head coach Todd Monken said, per the team's website . Watson finished 15 of 33 for 155 yards, and the Browns totaled a season-low 198 yards while the Jets sacked him eight times.
Monken's summary was blunt. "But that's what happens when you don't play clean, you're going to get beat," he said after the game . The Ravens visit Huntington Bank Field on Sunday, and an offense that can't run the ball or convert third downs won't get many chances to lean on its defense against Baltimore.
More on the Cleveland Browns
Advertisement
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
