Sitting at 1-2 heading into their bye, the Cleveland Browns can't feel good about how Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Ravens wrapped up.
Nursing a 21-20 lead with five minutes to go, the Browns failed on two consecutive possessions to eat up the clock. Their first march notched just three yards on three plays over 59 seconds. Their second -- with 2:19 left -- saw Cleveland account again for just three yards on three plays while taking a mere 21 ticks off the board.
"For the bulk of it, the players played well enough to have a victory," Browns coach Mike Pettine told reporters after the game, per The Chronicle-Telegram. "I put this one on me. We didn't coach well enough to win today. I'm not going to get into too much of the specifics until I get a chance to go through it. The list is long."
Coaching made all the difference in Cleveland's Week 2 win over the Saints as Pettine devised a defensive scheme that put major heat on Drew Brees and took away the opponent's downfield passing attack.
The opposite occurred against the Ravens. Baltimore didn't allow a sack while making key fourth-quarter plays through the air, with Joe Flacco hitting Steve Smith on a 32-yard completion with 1:28 left to set up Baltimore's game-winning field goal.
Cleveland also ate through its second-half timeouts prematurely while netting a pair of flags for having the wrong personnel on the field. Pettine's players, though, wouldn't let their coach to take all the blame.
"I don't know what the hell he's talking about," pass-rusher Jabaal Sheard said. "I take it on us, man. We let them rush for too many yards and we didn't get any sacks."
Said Alex Mack, echoing the need to close out games with better play: "It's gracious of him to say that, but we're on the field."
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps all of the Week 3 action and picks the top team in the AFC.
