Browns brought back down to earth with reality check from Chargers heading into their bye: Ashley Bastock - cleveland.com

Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston throws on the run against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Following the Browns’ 27-10 loss to the Chargers on Sunday, it’s worth bringing up the column I wrote earlier this week.

I kept thinking of two games in particular after the Browns' big Week 8 over the Ravens. Both were big wins against the Bengals in the middling 2021 and 2022 seasons, that ultimately, meant nothing in the scope of their respective seasons.

There was the 41-16 road win over Cincy in 2021 that came on the heels of the Odell Beckham Jr. departure drama. The Browns won only three of their next eight after that, rather than going on a run, and missed the playoffs at 8-9.

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In 2022, it was the 32-13 Halloween night win over Cincy at home that felt like it was a turning point. The Browns went into their bye on a high note, but then were brought back down to earth and dismantled on the road by the Dolphins the following week, 39-17. Total, they went 4-5 over the rest of the year and finished 7-10.

Sometimes, even when division wins are spectacular, they wind up just being a flash in the pan, and a team is dealt a quick and harsh reality check briefly after.

It’s why I cautioned fans (and surprisingly, got push back) over getting too excited with the team at 2-6.

But that reality check, I think, came on Sunday with this loss and the Browns now 2-7.

Many fans were hopeful that the Browns had turned a corner, finally forced to start Jameis Winston after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7.

Winston put on a show against Baltimore, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He went 27 of 41 passing for 334 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 115.3 rating in that game.

On Sunday, it was the other version of Winston, the one prone to mistakes and interceptions that have plagued him his entire NFL career.

His luck finally ran out in terms of dropped picks -- the Ravens dropped three a week ago, and after two drops from Daiyan Henley and Derwin James Jr. in this game, the Chargers got on a roll with picking off Winston.

L.A. finished with three interceptions, all of which came in the second half. The first was a pick in the end zone by Elijah Molden. The ball intended for Jerry Jeudy was tipped by Tarheeb Still.

Two drives later, Winston was picked by safety Alohi Gilman at the L.A. 14.

In the fourth quarter, his final pick came at 10:44 by Still, on a ball intended for Elijah Moore.

Winston finished with 235 yards and those three picks on 26 of 46 passing with one touchdown.

So no, the veteran didn’t prove to be the immediate savior for the Browns offense that was right under Cleveland’s nose through the first seven weeks of struggles.

And then there’s the defense, which got themselves into an early hole thanks to a few big blown coverages -- one they couldn’t dig out of even with a series of big stops, including Myles Garrett’s three first-half sacks.

This is every bit of a 2-7 football team entering their Week 10 bye, with the trade deadline less than 48 hours away.

So what do the Browns do now? If it remains true that they are unwilling to part with cornerstone players (such as Myles Garrett or Denzel Ward), don’t expect a draft jackpot.

And forgive me, but it’s simply hard to get excited for a slew of day two or day three picks if they ship out guys on expiring deals.

Look at how they’ve used their third-round picks over the last few years, to: Jordan Elliott, Jacob Phillips, Anthony Schwartz, Martin Emerson, Alex Wright, David Bell, Cedric Tillman, Siaki Ika, and Zak Zinter.

There are some decent pieces in there, but can anyone honestly tell me they are thinking about the next franchise savior coming that late?

At this point, the issues with this Browns team are systemic. They did some good things against a familiar opponent in Baltimore, but one thing is clear.

There isn’t one quick fix or easy answer for this football team right now. And the reality check is here.

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