BALTIMORE — A season on the brink went over the edge in 10 minutes during the third quarter Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. Picture a 21-car pileup in slow motion at the bottom of a canyon.
When the metal stopped crunching and the smoke cleared, the Browns had lost 28-10 to the Baltimore Ravens to fall to 0-3. They have one game before the bye week and nothing is settled. Not the head coach, not the quarterback, certainly not their rise from the depths of the NFL.
The only definite thing is that all the playoff talk in July looks as silly as a touchdown dance when losing by 40. Since 1990, only three teams have made the postseason after starting 0-3. None of them was called the Cleveland Browns.
“It’s pathetic. I don’t know what to say,” running back Jamal Lewis said.
The Browns had played their best football of the season in the first half, taking a 10-7 lead into the locker room. They hadn’t committed a turnover and would open the second half with the ball.
That’s when the lead car slammed on the brakes. Maybe the driver saw Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis waiting over the middle.
On the third play of the third quarter, on third-and-3, Derek Anderson tried to fit a ball into tight end Kellen Winslow on a slant. Winslow caught the ball, but Lewis drilled him and the ball popped into the air. Cornerback Chris McAlister snatched it and returned it to the 12-yard line. Fullback Le’Ron McClain scored three plays later to take a 14-10 lead.
“Ray had one huge hit, and that was a game-changer,” said rookie Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who improved to 2-0.
On third-and-6 on Cleveland’s next possession — a three-and-out doesn’t count as a drive — safety Ed Reed stepped in front of a pass intended for Syndric Steptoe over the middle. Thirty-two yards later, Reed was in the end zone, the Browns were down 21-10 and two of the wheels were off the bus.
“Ed jumped in front of Step and I hit him in the chest,” Anderson said. “I pretty much gave them
14 points. They were walk-in touchdowns.”
The Browns composed themselves long enough not to turn it over on the next possession. Instead, Braylon Edwards’ block in the back wiped out a first-down run by Lewis, Anderson was penalized for delay of game, he threw high for Winslow on a slant, then was sacked when the Ravens overloaded the left side of the Browns line.
If that weren’t enough, Beau Bell missed a tackle on the punt return and Mike Adams was penalized
15 yards for hitting a Raven in the gut. The Ravens took over at the 35-yard line and picked up two first downs and the touchdown on five plays.
With 4:49 left in the third quarter, the Ravens led 28-10 and had gone just 47 yards on offense in the quarter. It was good enough for Joe Flacco (two interceptions, 47.8 rating) to become just the third rookie quarterback since 1970 to start a season 2-0.
Baseball has the seventh-inning stretch. The Browns may look back at those 10 minutes as their season-ending stretch.
“Why it turned out the way it did, I’m trying to figure that out myself,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “We’ll see if we can come up with some answers.”
“The intensity was gone,” said Edwards, who led the team with three catches for 27 yards. “They took the momentum and ran with it the rest of the game.”
It seems like years since Anderson had momentum or a good game. He went 14-for-37 for
125 yards, a touchdown, three interceptions and a 22.9 rating. He was sacked five times and had a ball batted back into his face.
“I’m frustrated,” said Anderson, who had deep routes taken away by soft coverage. “I expect more out of myself. I expect more out of everybody else on this team.
“It starts with me. If I start playing better and the offense starts making plays, everything is going to start rolling a little.”
Anderson has completed
46 percent of his passes with two touchdowns, five interceptions and a 43.5 rating in three games. Crennel said he’d consider personnel changes at every position, including quarterback, where Brady Quinn waits impatiently.
“I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but there’s a lot of games left,” Anderson said. “A lot of guys on this team aren’t ever going to quit regardless of the situation.”
The offense has scored
26 points in three weeks after racking up 402 last year. The only thing more surprising is the
0-3 record after going 10-6.
“I don’t know whether we’re trying to live on the success we had last year, but it’s not working,” Crennel said. “I thought we’d be a better football team than we are. We’re not very consistent and not very good right now.
“We’re going to have to do a lot better, or this thing’s really going to get away from us.”
Many, possibly including his bosses, think it already has — despite the protests of the players.
“Is it savable? You can answer that question. There’s 13 games left,” Edwards said.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.
 

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here.
If you are registered, click here to log in.
Need help? Email Us.