CLEVELAND — When it goes bad for the Browns, it goes bad in a hurry.

And it keeps getting worse.

The Browns played the sleepwalking Baltimore Ravens (5-4) to a scoreless tie in the first half Monday night at Cleveland Browns Stadium. But for anyone optimistic enough to think the Browns would pull the upset on national television, the Ravens quickly removed all hope with 13 points in 17 seconds early in the third quarter.

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The Browns never recovered — or scored — and fell 16-0. Cleveland dropped to 1-8 under first-year coach Eric Mangini and tied a dubious franchise record with its ninth straight loss at home. The expansion era started with nine losses in 1999-2000.

On the game’s final play, with the outcome settled, Brady Quinn completed a pass to Joshua Cribbs, who pitched to Robert Royal, who was tackled by Ray Lewis as he looked to lateral. As Cribbs continued across the field without the ball, Ravens defensive end Dwan Edwards drilled him under the chin.

Cribbs, who was moving his legs, stayed on the ground for several minutes as players from both teams circled him and took a knee in prayer. The doctors started to remove his face mask with a drill and he was placed on a stretcher. He was driven off the field on a cart and was headed for tests as he left the stadium in an ambulance.

“He has feeling and movement in all parts of his body,” Mangini said. “The reason they took him off on board was more of a precautionary measure than anything else.”

The cart was also used on the first play as Elyria native and Ravens safety Haruki Nakamura broke his ankle on the kickoff.

The second half of the season, and the Browns’ first game after the bye, started much like the season opener. The Browns were competitive early, then outclassed after halftime.

Cleveland received the kickoff to open the second half, but went three-and-out. The possession ended with back-to-back Quinn-to-Cribbs screen passes that were batted down at the line.

The Ravens offense, which entered the game ranked 10th in the NFL, got the wakeup call at halftime and needed only four plays to go 59 yards for a touchdown against the 32nd-ranked defense.

On third-and-5, quarterback Joe Flacco threw an out to veteran wideout Derrick Mason, who turned upfield for a 41-yard gain. Cornerback Brandon McDonald made a late and ill-advised attempt to step in front of the pass, allowing Mason to pivot and streak down the sideline.

“When you have a breakdown in the secondary it’s going to lead to big plays,” Mangini said.

Ray Rice scored from 13 yards on the next play, as the confused Browns had defenders running on and off the field as the ball was snapped.

A seven-point deficit isn’t insurmountable. A two-touchdown hole? Forget about it.

The Ravens’ lead reached 13 when Quinn’s short throw to Royal was high and wide and went off Royal’s hands into the arms of safety Dawan Landry. He headed down the right sideline into the Dawg Pound for 48 yards and a touchdown. The extra point was blocked by Shaun Rogers to leave it 13-0.

“I’ve got to give him a better ball,” said Quinn, who went 12-for-28 for 85 yards, two interceptions, four sacks and a 20.7 rating. “I’m going to be accountable for everything I do out there.”

Any lingering thoughts of a comeback — how can a team rally when it can’t get past midfield? — were erased when Quinn was intercepted on the next possession.

The third-and-12 throw was on target on a slant to Mike Furrey, but it ricocheted off his hands to cornerback Chris Carr.

“The points we stressed at halftime, we came out in the third quarter and did the opposite,” Mangini said. “We had a blown coverage and followed it up with two turnovers.”

Quinn called the Ravens defense “always angry” last week, and he riled the beast on Carr’s return.

Quinn dived at the legs of Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs, drawing a 15-yard penalty and sending Suggs limping to the sideline. Quinn, who could draw a fine from the NFL, walked over and tried to talk to Suggs while he was on the ground. Suggs’ injury was announced as a knee sprain and he didn’t return.

“He came across the last second into my vision,” Quinn said. “I would never wish that on anybody. I’ll be praying for him. I couldn’t be anymore sorry.”

Quinn’s return to the lineup after five weeks on the bench proved that there are more problems with Cleveland’s offense than the quarterback. Derek Anderson knows how that goes.

Despite a week off for the bye, the 31st-ranked offense was no better. First-year coordinator Brian Daboll went to a no huddle and used Cribbs at quarterback seven times in the Wildcat formation, but the change in production was negligible.

The Browns’ deepest penetration was the Baltimore 45-yard line in the first half. They crossed midfield one other time, in the second half.

Punter Reggie Hodges earned his first paycheck. He was signed Sunday to fill in for the hurting Dave Zastudil (right knee) and kicked nine times.

The Browns have scored just five offensive touchdowns, one with Quinn, in nine games. They’ve scored six points or fewer six times.

Running back Jamal Lewis, who drew headlines last week for blasting Mangini’s practice methods, opened with a 13-yard run against his former team and finished with 10 carries for 36 yards. Rookie Chris Jennings, a former Canadian Football Leaguer, got his most extensive action with seven carries for 18 yards.

Cleveland and Baltimore played the first scoreless first half of the NFL season as America clicked over to “Dancing with the Stars” or “The Big Bang Theory.” That was the bright spot for the Browns.

The proposed fan protest — an empty stadium for the opening kickoff — didn’t materialize, but the fans showed their frustration when the stadium was 80 percent empty early in the fourth quarter.

Who can blame them?

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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