PHILADELPHIA — The Browns have yet to play an AFC North game this season. The fact they couldn't beat the NFC East has their season spiraling out of control before they'll finally get a chance to play one next week.
Cleveland lost its fourth consecutive game on Sunday with a 20-16 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles . The Browns fell to 1-5 with the loss, matching the longest losing streak of the Kevin Stefanski era while extending the worst start of that stretch.
The Browns are where they are, in part, because they went 0-4 against NFC East opponents. However, they went 0-4 against NFC East opponents because of the same script that seemed to repeat itself in every game.
There was a non-existent offense that once again couldn't get over the 20-point mark. There were the usual mistakes that short-circuited moments when that offense did put things together, and a defense that couldn't make enough plays to overcome all of that.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson was 16 of 23 for 168 yards passing, once again failing to top the 200-yard plateau this season. He was sacked five more times, making it 31 on the season, and hit 11 times.
The Browns were outgained 372-244 by the Eagles (3-2). They had seven penalties for 55 yards.
Cleveland finally plays an AFC North opponent next Sunday when it returns home from its dismal three-game road swing to face the Cincinnati Bengals .
Follow along here throughout the afternoon as the Browns trying to get back on the winning side of things in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Browns were hurt by multiple penalties late in the fourth quarter. Two in particular were a third-down false start from the Eagles 3 by guard Zak Zinter , followed by a false start by tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. when the Browns were going to attempt a fourth-and-goal play from the Eagles 8.
Dustin Hopkins was brought on to make a 31-yard field goal to cut the Eagles lead to 20-16 with 3:54 remaining.
Elijah Moore picked up three yards on a catch on first-and-goal from the Eagles 8. However, he took a shot from the Eagles' Cooper DeJean and remained down for a minute.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson went over 100 passing yards on the first play of the Browns' drive with 7:53 remaining. He hit a wide-open Jerry Jeudy for a 35-yard gain to the Philadelphia 35, giving him 123 yards.
The Eagles took a 20-13 lead when DeVonta Smith caught a 45-yard touchdown pass on a crossing pattern. Smith beat nickelback Greg Newsome II off the snap, then used the traffic of another Eagles receiver in the middle of the field as a pick of sorts.
That allowed Smith to find himself all alone as he turned up field to go untouched into the end zone.
Dustin Hopkins' 49-yard field goal with 9:49 remaining tied the score 13-13. It came at the end of a promising drive that was blown up by a holding call on guard Michael Dunn on third-and-6 that Deshaun Watson had converted for a first down.
The Browns trail the Eagles 13-10 at the end of the third quarter. They've been outgained 241-138 in total yards.
The Browns couldn't block Jake Elliott's 44-yard field goal try, although they did get a hand on the kick. Still, it had enough to get through the uprights for a 13-10 Philadelphia lead with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter.
The Browns had a chance to take the lead on the first drive of the second half. Dustin Hopkins, though, was wide right on a 52-yard field goal try with 10:26 left in the third quarter.
The field goal try was set up when wide receiver Cedric Tillman was dropped for a five-yard loss on a third-and-1 jet sweep try with James Winston in at quarterback.
The Browns started the second half with the football, but without running back Jerome Ford. The team officially ruled him out with the hamstring injury that led him to go to the locker room in the second quarter.
The Browns are somehow miraculously tied 10-10 with the Eagles at halftime thanks to Myles Garrett 's blocked field goal that Rodney McLeod returned for a touchdown.
The Browns were dead in the water, looking at a halftime deficit of potentially 10 points when Jake Elliott lined up for a 57-yard Eagles field goal with 32 seconds remaining. Then Myles Garrett leaped over the middle of the Philadelphia line and cleanly blocked the field goal.
Rodney McLeod picked up the loose ball and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown, doing a flip into the end zone to cap the return. The point-after kick tied the score 10-10 and brought the boo birds out in Philadelphia.
It was the second touchdown of the season for McLeod, who also returned a fumble for a score against the Las Vegas Raiders .
The Browns got on the board as the game hit the two-minute warning, which was actually 1:58 remaining in the second quarter, when Dustin Hopkins made a 43-yard field goal. The kick cut the Browns' deficit to 10-3.
The Browns faced a fourth-and-4 from the Philadelphia 34 with 4:18 remaining in the second quarter, and coach Kevin Stefanski rolled the dice. The gamble paid off when Deshaun Watson hit tight end David Njoku on a 14-yard gain on a slant to the Eagles 20.
A.J. Brown pulled in a 22-yard fade pass from Jalen Hurts for an Eagles touchdown. Martin Emerson Jr. was in coverage, but couldn't stop the score.
The touchdown gave Philadelphia a 10-0 lead with 7:17 remaining in the second quarter.
Browns special teamer Mike Ford Jr. remained down after a Cleveland punt midway through the second quarter. There has been no update on his status or injury.
The Eagles struck first with a 49-yard Jake Elliott field goal with 13:02 remaining in the second quarter. The kick gave Philadelphia a 3-0 lead.
The Browns and Eagles are scoreless through one quarter.
The Eagles picked up a big win with 5:27 remaining in the first quarter when they won a challenge on whether Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was able to throw the ball away while being dragged down or was sacked by cornerback Cooper DeJean. The officials initially ruled the play an incomplete pass.
After review, though, the Philadelphia challenge overturned the call and DeJean was credited for a sack. The 15-yard loss moved the ball to the Browns 36.
The Browns eventually had to punt on a drive that had at one point reached the Philadelphia 49.
Browns running back Jerome Ford walked to the locker room with a trainer carrying his helmet while the Browns were out for their third offensive series with roughly six minutes left in the first quarter. Ford was questionable to return with hamstring injury.
The Browns officially ruled center Nick Harris out with an ankle injury. Michael Dunn moved from right guard to center, while Zak Zinter replaced Dunn at right guard.
Cornerback Denzel Ward came up with a huge play to break up a third-and-6 deep throw by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Smith had the ball in his hands when Ward ripped it out.
There was a flag initially thrown on the play, but it was picked up.
The Browns lost center Nick Harris to a right leg injury on the third offensive play. His leg was placed in an air cast and Harris was carted off.
There's no official word on the nature of the injury. Starting center Ethan Pocic is already out with a knee injury.
QB: Deshaun Watson
RB: Jerome Ford
TE: David Njoku
WR: Amari Cooper
WR: Jerry Jeudy
WR: Elijah Moore
LT: Jedrick Wills Jr.
LG: Joel Bitonio
C: Nick Harris
RG: Michael Dunn
RT: Jack Conklin
DE: Za'Darius Smith
DT: Dalvin Tomlinson
DT: Maurice Hurst II
DT: Shelby Harris
DE: Myles Garrett
LB: Mohamoua Diabate
S: D'Anthony Beller
CB: Denzel Ward
CB: Martin Emerson Jr.
S: Rodney McLeod
The Browns won the toss, calling tails. They deferred their option to the second half.
The Eagles will receive to open the game.
The Browns haven't officially announced anything, but judging by warmups, the entire right side of the offensive line will be new starters. Jack Conklin, and not Dawand Jones , was first up at right tackle throughout warmups.
Conklin will be playing his first game since his season-ending knee injury in last year's opener.
The Browns are about to play another defense with talented interior linemen with two new starters on the interior of their offensive line.
Nick Harris will start at center for the injured Ethan Pocic and Michael Dunn will start at right guard for rookie Zac Zinter when the Browns play at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The other three starters — left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., left guard Joel Bitonio and right tackle Dawand Jones — will all remain the same.
The Browns will also have tackle Jack Conklin active for the first time last year's season opener, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Cincinnati Bengals. Conklin is expected to have a role of some kind against the Eagles.
The other area where the Browns are going to be looking different than normal will be at safety, with both Grant Delpit (concussion) and Ronnie Hickman (ankle) inactive due to injury. Rodney McLeod and D'Anthony Bell will start in their place.
Devin Bush will once again start at linebacker in place of Jordan Hicks. Hicks remains inactive with rib, elbow and triceps injuries.
The Browns also had defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson inactive. They activated both Mike Hall Jr. (suspension) and Maurice Hurst II (injured reserve) on Saturday.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be the emergency No. 3 quarterback for the sixth game. The other inactive Browns player is rookie wide receiver Jamari Thrash.
S Grant Delpit
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (3QB)
S Ronnie Hickman
C Ethan Pocic
LB Jordan Hicks
DT Quinton Jefferson
WR Jamari Thrash
Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
Play-by-play: Kenny Albert
Analysts: Jonathan Vilma
Sideline: Megan Olivi
TV channel: FOX WJW-TV (Channel 8)
Stream: Fox Sports Live and NFL+
Announcers: Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Jonathan Vilma (analyst), Megan Olivi (sideline reporter)
The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Andrew Siciliano (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5.
The Cleveland Browns Radio Network's call can also be streamed at Cleveland Browns.com, as well as the Browns mobile app. It's also available on Sirius XM radio , with channel 385 carrying the Browns feed.
Compass Media Network is carrying the game nationally to various affiliates. Chris Carrino (play-by-play) and Brian Baldinger (analyst) are on the call.
The Browns also have a Spanish-language broadcast, with Rafael "Rafa" Hernández-Brito (play-by-play) and Octavio Sequera (analyst) on the call. Games will be streamed on La Mega Cleveland , as well as heard on WNZN-FM 89.1 in Lorain and WVKO-FM 103.1 in Columbus.
Tickets for Sunday's game on StubHub can be purchased on StubHub from $181 before fees.
It's a sunny day in Philadelphia, with the temperature at kickoff expected to be near 80 degrees, according to the National Weather Service . East winds 5 to 10 mph.
Browns:LB Jordan Hicks (ribs, elbow, triceps), questionable; RB Nick Chubb (knee), out; RB Nyheim Hines (knee), out; CB Denzel Ward (hamstring), questionable; C Ethan Pocic (knee), out; S Grant Delpit (concussion), out; S Ronnie Hickman (ankle), out; OT James Hudson III (shoulder), out;
Eagles: None
Cleveland dropped to 1-4 on the season with a 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders in Landover, Md. The Browns fell behind 24-3 at halftime and never got back in the game.
The Eagles were on their bye week.
So what should we expect from the Browns this Sunday against the Eagles? Click here to see what our writers project as the score of today's game.
Provided by BetMGM.com ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores ad Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
Moneyline (ML): Browns +345 (bet $100 to win $345) | Eagles -445 (bet $445 to win $100)
Against the spread: Browns +9 (-110) | Eagles -9 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 42.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Today is the 51st all-time regular-season or playoff meeting between the Browns and the Eagles, and the seventh since the rebirth of the Cleveland franchise in 1999. Here's a look at the series between the Browns and Eagles.
Series record (regular season and playoffs): Browns lead 32-17-1
Series record (regular season): Browns lead 32-17-1
Playoff record: N/A
Series in Cleveland (regular season and playoffs): Browns lead 18-7-1
Series record in Cleveland (regular season): Browns lead 18-7-1
Series record in Cleveland (playoffs): N/A
Series record in Philadelphia: Browns lead 14-10
Series record in Philadelphia (regular season): Browns lead 14-10
Series record in Philadelphia (playoffs): N/A
Last meeting: Browns won 22-17 in Cleveland on Nov. 22, 2020
Series streak: Browns won the last meeting
QUARTERBACKS (3): Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston
RUNNING BACK (3): Jerome Ford, D'Onta Foreman, Pierre Strong Jr.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, Jamari Thrash, Cedric Tillman
TIGHT ENDS (3): Jordan Akins , David Njoku, Geoff Swaim
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9): Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin, Michael Dunn, Nick Harris, Germain Ifedi , Dawand Jones, Ethan Pocic, Jedrick Wills Jr., Zak Zinter
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (9): Myles Garrett, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst II, Quenton Jefferson, Isaiah McGuire , Ogbo Okoronkwo, Za'Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, Mike Hall Jr.,
LINEBACKERS (7): Devin Bush, Khaleke Hudson , Winston Reid , Jordan Hicks, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Nathaniel Watson , Mohamoud Diabate
DEFENSIVE BACKS (11): D'Anthony Bell, Grant Delpit, Martin Emerson Jr., Kahlef Hailassie , Ronnie Hickman, Rodney McLeod, Cameron Mitchell, Greg Newsome II, Mike Ford Jr., Denzel Ward, Tony Brown II
SPECIALISTS (3): Corey Bojorquez , Dustin Hopkins, Rex Sunahara
Sunday, Sept. 8: Home vs. Dallas Cowboys , L, 33-17
Sunday, Sept. 15: At Jacksonville Jaguars , W, 18-13
Sunday, Sept. 22: Home vs. New York Giants , L, 21-15
Sunday, Sept. 29: At Las Vegas Raiders, L, 20-16
Sunday, Oct. 6: At Washington Commanders, L, 34-13
Sunday, Oct. 13: At Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m., FOX
Sunday, Oct. 20: Home vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Oct. 27: Home vs. Baltimore Ravens , 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Nov. 3: Home vs. Los Angeles Chargers , 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Nov. 10: BYE WEEK
Sunday, Nov. 17: At New Orleans Saints , 1 p.m., FOX
Thursday, Nov. 21: Home vs. Pittsburgh Steelers , 8:20 p.m., Amazon Prime
Monday, Dec. 2: At Denver Broncos , 8:20 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, Dec. 8: At Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Dec. 15: Home vs. Kansas City Chiefs , 1 p.m., CBS
Thursday, Dec. 19: At Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m., Amazon Prime
Sunday, Dec. 29: Home vs. Miami Dolphins , 8:20 p.m., NBC
Saturday, Jan. 4 OR Sunday, Jan. 5: At Baltimore Ravens, TBA, TV TBA
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns can't score on Eagles defense, lose fourth straight game
