You know who to blame 

Kevin Stefanski doesn't need me or you or myriad either members of Browns Nation to point out exactly where and when it all went wrong Sunday in a very winnable game in Los Angeles against the Rams that turned into a second consecutive Cleveland loss for the first time this season.

No it wasn't when Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper left the game midway through the second quarter of the 36-19 loss and sat out the rest of the game with a concussion, taking away the club's best offensive weapon who had instantly bonded with new quarterback Joe Flacco in his very impressive Browns debut.

And it wasn't when the Browns almost caught up to the Rams despite a disappointing Cleveland defense that had all kinds of trouble corralling running back Kyren Williams and wide receiver Puka Nacua, who combined for two touchdowns and 251 of the Rams' 399 yards.

It arrived shortly after Flacco connected with seldom-used tight end Harrison Bryant from eight yards to cap a 13-play 75-yard drive with almost nine minutes remaining in regulation. That's when it all unraveled. The golden toe of Dustin Hopkins was wide right on the point-after for the first time this season.

If you were to list all the things that could go wrong for this team, Hopkins missing a big kick wouldn't even make the list. With the Browns, there's  always something that stands in the way of winning and after all these years remains unexplainable. 

So instead of a 20-20 tie, which no doubt would have been an emotional lift for the defense, it remained a one-point game. It sure looked like it when a Nacua 45-yard burst was negated by a holding penalty. Okay, time to cue the moment it all went to crap.

It's still a one-point game with 6:51 left in regulation. The Browns had twice put together clock-draining drives that wore down a Rams defense that couldn't believe the game was coming down to this. Advantage Browns and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Here comes another one of those long, drag-out slogs that could end with another Hopkins game-winning field goal with no time on the game clock just like the victories over Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Ahhh what sweet retribution for Hopkins that would be for the missed PAT.

No way Stefanski could screw that up. Or so a lot of us thought. Run the damn ball. Run down the clock. Make the Rams used heir timeouts. Flacco has been terrific. Don't spoil it for him, right?

Wrong. This is the very unpredictable Kevin Stefanski, who is often guilty of overthinking a situation. All afternoon, Flacco had played play-fake football beautifully and thrown the football even better though he hadn't taken an NFL snap in nearly a year.

So for the first time all afternoon, the playcaller asked the still strong-armed Flacco to let it rip, sending speedy Elijah Moore downfield. As the ball was in the air, I found myself shouting, "What in the hell are you doing?!!" over and over. He had the game in his grasp. He's been here before. And then this.

Former Browns free safety John Johnson III, back with the Rams after the Browns released him last March, tracked down the nearly 70-yard heave at his 34 and returned it 42 yards to the Cleveland 24. Five plays later, the Rams were up, 27-19 on a Cooper Kupp touchdown throw from Matthew Stafford.

And then it devolved from that point into embarrassment and a final score that was misleading. The Browns, by now falling apart completely on offense, turned the ball over on downs at their 30 when David Njoku failed to hold on to a well-defensed Flacco throw on fourth down at the Cleveland 30.

Williams scored four plays later and the Rams tacked on two more points when Flacco was sacked in the end zone by Toby Turner and Aaron Donald. 

If nothing else, the new Cleveland quarterback proved beyond any doubt he should start the rest of the games on the schedule if the Browns genuinely believe they have a chance to qualify for the postseason. At 7-5, good enough to tie Pittsburgh for second place in the AFC North, their struggles have become much more difficult. It's not good to struggle in December.

Flacco threw for 156 yards in the first, half, completing 11 of his 21 throws, Cooper hauling in three balls for 34 yards. Moore, his former teammate with the Jets last season, was easily his favorite target with a dozen. He caught only four balls for 83 yards

It was obvious Cooper's absence hampered Flacco's timing and effectiveness, all because the head coach totally lost control of the game when it mattered most. And because of that, this one falls into a familiar category: Trusting this head coach can be bad for your health.

Once again, the ground game was an afterthought --- 23 attempts for 87 yards while Flacco dropped back 46 times. A ratio of 2-1 in favor of the forward pass is unacceptable. In the name of Nick Chubb, it might be time to reverse that ratio.

The Browns' defense, which is collapsing in slow motion, was roughed up for 120 yards. That's 100 yards or more in eight of the last nine games. Remember when that run defense put up sensational numbers in the first three games of the season? Time to start calling them the good old days. 

With five games left, the pressure to win mounts. Three of them (Jacksonville, Chicago and the Jets) are at home, where the Browns are 5-1. All are winnable. The way this team is playing football now, that means squat. Winnable is one thing. Knowing how to win is altogether different.

The Browns don't.