Browns loss to Bengals makes Kevin Stefanski’s pregame quarterback decision look as bad as it gets

The Cleveland Browns have now lost five straight games and the fifth one was their first AFC North game against the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 21-14.

Cleveland lost QB Deshaun Watson to an Achilles injury and it put a magnifying glass on a pregame decision that head coach Kevin Stefanski made.

The Browns decided to make second-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson the backup against Cincinnati and made Jameis Winston inactive. As the third emergency quarterback, Winston was unable to come in unless Thompson-Robinson was hurt. With 3:43 in the fourth quarter remaining, Winston entered for DTR following a finger injury.

All preseason and training camp, Winston was the backup to Watson and recorded more snaps than any other quarterback not named Watson. So, the Browns threw Thompson-Robinson out there and he went 11-for-24 for 82 yards and two interceptions.

Winston would have helped the offense, and he should have had more than 3:28 on the clock to work with. The Browns should have gone with the veteran in this situation. Instead, Cleveland made a move that matched other poor decisions that have piled up into what is a poor season. In the time he had to work with, Winston was 5-of-11 for 67 yards and a touchdown.

An offense that doesn’t have Amari Cooper anymore lacked a wide receiver that could contribute consistently. Tight end David Njoku led the Browns with 10 catches for 76 yards plus a touchdown.

Cleveland has put out a poor effort of a season this year and they are 1-6 because of it. They’re heading for a top-five draft pick and they have turned this season into the opposite of what it was supposed to be. Even on a day that Nick Chubb returned and scored a touchdown , the Browns were badly a letdown.

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