Browns home skid hits 3

By STEVE DOERSCHUK

Cleveland’s mistakes open gates to 16-6 loss to Texans

The error-prone Browns can forget about any playoff chances this season after their third straight home loss.

CLEVELAND — Brother, what a loss ... 16-6 to a Texans team that exudes less clout than the Rice Owls.

Hey, the mighty Owls are 3-8 on the less-relevant college football front; their NFL neighbors in Houston are 4-7.

After a third straight home loss, even Joshua Cribbs gave up the ghost of a chance that the Browns could get to the postseason.

“I’m terribly frustrated,” Cribbs said. “I feel really disappointed. I feel I personally I let my team down. That’s kind of the morale right now. A lot of people feel let down.”

Cribbs was the only person who watched this fiasco blaming Cribbs.

On the off chance you still give a hoot, where among the core players would you like to start?

With the first interception Brady Quinn threw in the third quarter? Or the second?

With left tackle Joe Thomas’ false start that hurt a fourth-quarter drive into Texans territory? Or Thomas’ hold on the next play that made it second-and-20?

With the Jamal Lewis fumble that handed Houston a 10-0 first-quarter lead? Or the one that snuffed out a chance to make it a game in the fourth quarter?

With Kellen Winslow Jr.’s latest offensive interference penalty, which set up the play call resulting in Lewis’ second fumble?

With Braylon Edwards’ fourth-quarter drop in the red zone, or his subsequent drop in the end zone?

With Derek Anderson’s Joe Borowski impersonation? You remember the Indians’ wayward reliever, don’t you?

This goes without saying: Forget about 2008, with the record down to 4-7.

Browns fans are finished with the coaching staff. Put it to an election, and they’d vote to start from the beginning, with Bill Cowher.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

“It’s frustrating,” Thomas said, “because we feel like we have a lot of ability. We didn’t play to that ability today. We had a sloppy game.”

Sloppy, and embarrassing. The Browns were outgained 383 yards to 240 and trailed 37:25-22:35 in time of possession against a team ranked No. 22 in defense and reeling from a three-game losing streak.

Cleveland’s defense got interceptions from safeties Brodney Pool and Sean Jones, the sort of thing that has wrecked the Texans, but the offense couldn’t capitalize.

Quinn was benched after throwing his second pick, ending his day with a 21.3 passer rating. Anderson wasn’t sharp, got no help from Edwards, and put up a 17.3 rating. Houston QB Sage Rosenfels, by way of comparison, went 24-of-32 for 275 yards, with an 84.8 rating.

Browns captain Willie McGinest was left scratching his head.

“We’ve shown signs of fixing problems and playing good football,” McGinest said. “It’s frustrating we can’t do it on a consistent basis against teams that you say, ‘Hey, we’re supposed to beat these guys.’

“We’ve shown signs of it. It’s just not happening. I don’t have an answer.”

The fans gave their usual response, making the grandstand a ghost town as the fourth quarter ebbed away. Edwards said he didn’t blame them. By now, everyone understands “woe is me.”

Trailing 16-6 in the third quarter, the Browns ran the ball into the red zone, then lost it on Quinn’s second pick in as many series. It was his last pass of the day.

Anderson trotted on to a scattered ovation with one play left in the third quarter. Quinn stuck his hands in a warmer and watched Anderson direct a quick three-and-out, amid scattered boos as his third-down pass nearly got picked.

The Browns spent most of the fourth quarter teasing fans who stuck around.

Two groaners that kept the deficit at 16-6 were a 39-yard field goal badly yanked by Phil Dawson with 7:38 left, and — after Jones’ interception restored hope — a botched handoff recovered by the Texans with 6:17 left.

“It is a tough and disappointing loss,” said Crennel, whose chances of keeping his job beyond 2008 dropped closer to zero.