Turn out the lights . . . on the season

With apologies to the late Don Meredith, who musically and famously bid goodbye to losing teams in the early years of Monday Night Football, it’s time to “turn out the lights (on the Browns’ season), the party’s over.”

Yep, after Sunday’s maddeningly frustrating 24-19 loss in Denver, the Browns’ fourth straight as the 2019 season sinks slowly in the sunset, this star-crossed franchise can kiss any playoffs hopes buh-bye.

Considering how the Browns have played in the first half of this season, it would be ludicrous if anyone in this organization today says sure, we’ve got a chance. A chance for what? The postseason? Really?

What was it former National Football League coach Jim Mora said about 20 years ago after his Indianapolis Colts lost a game? “Playoffs?” he bellowed. “You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win another game.”

Put those famous words in Freddie Kitchens’ mouth Sunday and they would fit, especially after his very offensive offense wasted opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to fall to a disappointing 2-6.

Everyone knew the first seven games were a minefield, but emerging with only two victories in the first eight games was anathema to what was expected. Three and five with a break here or there; four and four at best. Definitely not this.

Once again, this team arrived in Denver not ready to play a smart, solid, clean game of football. The Broncos, not nearly as talented as the Browns, were grittier when they needed to be, especially when the Cleveland offense arrived in the red zone.

Sunday’s loss served as a microcosm of this season with two notable exceptions, The Browns committed only five penalties (amazing) and did not turn the football over (incredible).

They controlled the ball for 35 minutes and 30 seconds. They had eight more first downs (21) than the Broncos. They ran 73 plays to Denver’s 43 (including three kneeldowns at the end of the game) and compiled 351 yards of offense.

So how did they lose this one? How did they all but insure that the rest of this season will be nothing more than an exercise to set the tone for next season? That’s what this season was supposed to be about.

They lost because the defense had no answer for a journeyman quarterback who hung on and hung on until he finally got his chance when Broncos starting quarterback Joe Flacco landed on injured reserve early last week with a neck problem.

Brandon Allen had never taken a snap in a regular-season game until Sunday and the Browns made him look like a polished veteran.

They lost because the defense was gashed for five plays of 20 or more yards, including a 75-yard catch and run by rookie tight end Noah Fant and a sensational 21-yard scoring grab by 6-4 Courtland Sutton over 5-11 Denzel Ward.

The Fant touchdown featured missed tackles – bet you haven’t heard that one before – by Jermaine Whitehead, Greedy Williams and Adarius Taylor. Whiff, whiff, whiff.

They lost because the offense arrived six times in the red zone (cheating here because one of them was a yard shy) and emerged with just four Austin Seibert field goals (all in the second quarter), one touchdown (a Baker Mayfield-Jarvis Landry connection that made it 24-19 in the fourth quarter) and a quarterback sneak at the Denver 5 that was ruled short of the line to gain and survived a Kitchens challenge.

The Broncos, leading by five (17-12) at the time, responded to that  drive with a seven-play, 95-yard drive of their own in four minutes, Phillip Lindsay zigzagging through the middle of the Cleveland defense for a 30-yard score.

Mayfield had one last gasp left as the Browns desperately tried to end the losing streak. He moved his men 63 yards in six plays – featuring a 39-yard catch and run by Odell Beckham Jr. – and had a third-and-1 at the Denver 26 with four minutes left in regulation.

But loyal Browns knew something would go wrong. They have become inured to such happenings in the final stages of close game. And they were unfortunately rewarded (poor choice of words) with two terrible plays.

Nick Chubb, who ground out 68 extremely rough yards, is one of the most devastating runners between the tackles in the NFL. So where did Kitchens, the playcaller, send him on that third-and-1? Up the middle to extend the drive? Uh, no,

Showing absolutely no faith in his offensive line, which blocks best when it’s straight ahead, the wonderfully creative mind of Kitchens sent Chubb sprinting to the left of the formation, horizontal to the line of scrimmage, where he was dragged down from behind for a three-yard loss by blitzing free safety Justin Simmons.

A short pass intended for Landry, who was double covered, fell harmlessly to the ground on fourth down as Beckham, who had beaten Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr., and was wide open down the left sideline, waved his arms vainly.

Mayfield produced an all right game with 27 completions in 45 attempts for 273 yards and the one score, but all right doesn’t cut it. In the red zone, with that one exception, he was a cipher.

He is not making the kind of plays he made last season as a rookie. He has nothing about which to brag now. If there is swagger, it is not real. This performance pretty much makes it official: Baker Mayfield is no longer dangerous. Six teams now have knocked that chip off his shoulder. They figured him out.

This edition of the Browns is underperforming and underachieving much like its predecessors of the last two decades. The only difference is the talent level is infinitely better than those misbegotten teams.

No one in the NFL universe expected this, least of all General Manager John Dorsey and his star-studded front office. It’s almost as though Browns Nation has been slapped silly for believing this team could be the one to lead this team out of the wilderness.

This season, which began with so much hope, is, for all practical purposes, over with regard to any kind of reward for the fans, who will now get to see them in person the next three weeks against the surprising Buffalo Bills, resurgent Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, no longer winless after beating the New York Jets Sunday.

While they statistically and idealistically still have a chance to make the comeback of all comebacks by winning every game from now on, they realistically will be playing for pride and self respect and, as Mora put it, “just hope (they) can win another game.”