Mistakes cost Browns in 17-13 loss to Colts 

BY JEREMY SOMERVILLE
  BROWNS BEAT WRITER

Bad teams find ways to lose. They find ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They make boneheaded plays that make fans want to scream at the top of their lungs, throw random objects, and wonder why they suffer through the misery and heartbreak their team causes.

The Cleveland Browns are a bad football team, they proved that in their 17-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. As if there were any doubts before.

Dropped passes, poor coaching decisions, lack of discipline on offense, defense, and special teams, coupled with poor execution, add up to show why the Browns are a bad football team with a one and six record on the season.

Trailing 17-13 with 6:45 remaining, the Browns, despite all their mistakes, had a great opportunity to win the game slip through their hands. Literally.

On third down and one from the Colts 41-yard line, Brandon Weeden dropped back, carried through a play action fake, set his feet, went through his progressions and found a wide open Josh Gordon steps away from the end zone. Gordon reached for the perfectly placed pass in stride and got his hands on the ball, which would have given his team the lead, only to drop the pass as he stepped into the end zone.

Incomplete pass. Fourth down.

The Browns followed the Gordon drop by failing to get set for their fourth and one play, causing head coach Pat Shurmur to call a timeout, leaving only two remaining. Following the time out Shurmur chose to send his punt unit on the field, rather than his offense. Thus wasting a time out and returning the ball to the Colts.

It’s easy to blame Gordon or Shurmur’s coaching for the Browns loss, but give credit where it is due, they lost this game for many reasons.

One of those reasons was Colts rookie quarterback, Andrew Luck. Luck commanded his offense and controlled the time of possession. While he may not have had a great day statistically, the number one overall pick in the 2012 draft was a big reason his team won. Luck ran for two touchdowns, on runs of three and five yards, and later led his team on a long drive that resulted in a 38-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal that gave Indy their 17 points, and moved their record to 3-3 on the season.

For the Browns, Weeden had another very productive day, and did more than enough to earn a victory for his team. The elderly rookie from Oklahoma State threw for 247 yards and two scores, a touchdown pass to Greg Little on the teams opening drive, and the other a 33-yard strike to Gordon that pulled the Browns within one at 14-13.

That was as close as they would get.

The Browns return home next weekend as they welcome the San Diego Chargers to Cleveland Browns Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

jsomerville@lakecounty-sentinel.com or follow Jeremy on Twitter  @CleBrownsBeat

POSTED 10/21/2012  17:29