Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns' offense continues to struggle in another underwhelming loss

Updated Nov. 1, 2021 12:35 p.m. ET

The Cleveland Browns are not playing their best football right now.

The latest piece of evidence to back up that claim is a disappointing 15-10 loss to Pittsburgh in which the Browns' offense came to an absolute standstill.

Baker Mayfield wasn't spectacular. Neither was Nick Chubb. And although he might walk away with the NFL's award for "best costume" on Halloween …

… Myles Garrett's defensive platoon couldn't carry the Browns to a W.

Cleveland is now 1-3 in its past four affairs, having dropped contests to the Chargers, Cardinals and now Steelers. The Browns' lone win in that stretch was a 17-14 victory over Denver in Week 7.

While they've suffered larger defeats within the past few weeks, chances are no loss brought quite as severe a sting as this one, especially given its divisional implications.

Cleveland and Pittsburgh each scored a mere three points in the first half, but that's a more concerning statement when it comes to the Browns, considering that Cleveland came into Sunday averaging 24.7 points per game, 12th in the NFL.

A 10-yard TD run from D'Ernest Johnson at the 9:36 mark of the third was Cleveland's only taste of the end zone on the day.

Pittsburgh came into Sunday putting up 19.5 PPG, good for 26th in the league, and responded with two TDs –– one in the third and one in the fourth. That, essentially, was all she wrote.

The criticism of Cleveland's offensive performance came swiftly and harshly from both fans and pundits. Some of it was levied at wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who had a crucial late drop and a fumble.

Others took umbrage with Cleveland's second star wideout, Odell Beckham Jr., who ended the day with one catch for six yards.

OBJ's production — 17 catches for 232 yards and zero TDs in six starts — has been so lackluster this season that Skip Bayless suggested the Browns move off of the wideout on Monday's episode of "Undisputed."

"Baker needs him out of sight and out of mind," Bayless said.

Nick Wright had a similar read on the situation on Monday's "First Things First," saying the remainder of the season is looking mighty bleak for the Browns.

"There is one game left [where] they'll be significant favorites, that's against the [Detroit] Lions," Wright said. "… Find the easy games. It's the Lions, and that's it."

While Mayfield received mostly praise on Sunday, he failed to throw a touchdown for the third time this season, and his 86.1 passer rating was his second-lowest of the year.

In addition, his 225 passing yards were his third-fewest of the season, and his 64.5 completion percentage was his third-worst this year.

Things weren't much better for the squad's normally potent rushing crew.

The Browns were held to just 96 rushing yards against Pittsburgh after coming into the matchup with the league's best rushing offense (170.4 YPG). The game Sunday marked just the second time they've been held below 100 rushing yards this year (73 against Arizona).

Cleveland is now last in the AFC North (4-4), and Mayfield and the Browns' offense have been held to 17 or fewer points in each of their past three outings, a stark difference from their first five games, in which they exploded for 28.4 PPG en route to a 3-2 record.

In a division loaded with offensive talents including Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, it's likely going to take more than 10 points per game to be successful, so Cleveland needs to get back to its early season version if the Browns are to have any hopes of making the playoffs.

The Browns have nine weeks –– if that –– to figure it out.