Browns were doomed by two communication errors in a 27-10 loss to the Chargers. Cleveland falls to 2-7 with the bye

CLEVELAND (AP) — Myles Garrett couldn't offer an explanation for everything that went sideways in the Browns' latest debacle.

There is little to say at this point.

All seems lost for Cleveland.

Cleveland's season was doomed Sunday because of two communication breakdowns in the secondary that led to two long touchdown passes from Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert with a 27-10 loss to the Chargers.

A week after a stunning upset over Baltimore revived hopes and even reignited conversations about winning streaks and the playoffs, the Browns (2-7) reached their bye week and questions loomed at every level of the organization.

“It’s tough,” said Garrett, who had three sacks in four games in the first half. “We beat ourselves for most of the game. Don't take anything away from them. They made the plays they were supposed to make – big ones down the field, and they capitalized when we made those mistakes.

“Kudos to them for being where they’re supposed to be. We just have to get better. We have to be smarter.”

Twice in the first half, Cleveland's defensive backs allowed the Chargers' wide receivers to get behind them for wide-open touchdowns. In both cases, Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward and safety Juan Thornhill were involved and appeared to be playing different coverages.

“You can blame it all on me,” said Ward, who was cleared from the concussion protocol on Saturday. “Both were botched reporting. They were gifts.”

Thornhill appreciated his teammate's willingness to take the blame, but said the issues went beyond him and Ward wasn't on the same page.

“It’s not all about Denzel,” he said.

The defensive errors put the Browns in a 17-point hole at halftime, far too deep for quarterback Jameis Winston to overcome.

Winston, who threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns last week to help the Browns to an unexpected win over the Baltimore Ravens, had three interceptions in the second half. He was also fired six times.

It was bad from the start, as the Browns gained just 57 yards in the first half.

Afterwards, coach Kevin Stefanski said that he had no plans to change QBs and that he would stay with Winston and into the future.

“Yes,” he said when asked if Winston was still his starter. “Those are things that we just have to play better as a team.”

Winston said the bye week comes at a good time for the Browns to regroup.

“My faith doesn’t waver,” he said. “I still believe. I still know what this team, this offense and this defense are capable of. The most important thing is that we have to eliminate plays that beat us. I had three of them.

“We all know the plays we can use to help this team. So that's just responsibility and I think we'll embrace that. And we need a week to really understand how we can get better.”

There are still eight games left in a season that began with Super Bowl aspirations, but Browns general manager Andrew Berry could make moves toward 2025 and make a trade or two before Tuesday's deadline.

End Za'Darius Smith has been linked to a possible deal with the Detroit Lions, who have been looking for help since Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg.

Garrett didn't want to entertain the possibility of Smith leaving.

“I don’t look into the rumor mill or trade on rumors,” he said. “I'm focused on my job here and getting this team out of the crisis we're in and keeping these guys together. All the talk outside of this team has nothing to do with me and nothing to do with us.”

As the losses mounted, Garrett remained positive. The personal awards don't ease the pain of not winning.

“I would rather have no sacks every game than continue to lose like we did,” he said. “The stats are what they are, but I would rather win every time. It’s frustrating as hell.”

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