The Cleveland Browns have now had 12 consecutive losing seasons after the 31-15 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Here are 10 thoughts on the game.
1. Browns have had 12 consecutive losing seasons.
The loss to the Ravens officially eliminates the Browns from the playoffs.
The Browns’ (6-9) last winning season came in 2007, when they went 10-6.
However, the last time the Browns made the playoffs was the 2002 season.
It’s the longest active playoff drought in the NFL.
Only the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball have a longer active playoff drought (18 seasons) in North American professional sports (MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL).
The Ravens (13-2) extended their winning streak to 11 games.
Baltimore’s 13 wins ties its single-season record for victories in the regular season.
With the win, the Ravens secure home-field advantage in the playoffs and a first-round bye.
The Ravens could rest their starters in Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially considering Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram Jr. left the game in the fourth quarter with a non-contact calf injury.
2. Head coach Freddie Kitchens’ made a questionable decision to go for the two-point conversion with 8:05 in the fourth quarter.
Had the Browns decided to kick and make the PAT, they would have trailed 24-16 in the fourth quarter.
Freddie Kitchens decided to go for the two-point conversion.
Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones dropped a perfectly-delivered pass from Baker Mayfield on the conversion in the flats.
Down by nine points, it was a two-possession game for the Browns.
Earlier in the game, Browns kicker Austin Seibert missed a PAT.
It marked Seibert’s fourth missed PAT this season.
The Ravens ran out most of the clock on their ensuing drive.
Ravens running back Justice Hill scored on an 18-yard rushing touchdown to put the game away.
FINAL: The @Ravens secure the AFC's No. 1 seed! #BALvsCLE pic.twitter.com/tTbeSYNYzG
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2019
3. Odell Beckham Jr. was complaining to Kitchens on the sideline.
A week after Jarvis Landry complained to Kitchens on the sideline, Odell Beckham Jr. did not look pleased with his head coach.
It came in the fourth quarter after the Browns failed to convert the two-point conversion, which would have made it a one-score game.
Odell Beckham didn't look very pleased with Freddie Kitchens on the sideline. pic.twitter.com/ypRj5da1Zy
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 22, 2019
4. Kitchens’ decision not to run the ball at the end of the first half led to the Ravens scoring their second touchdown.
Mayfield had three consecutive incompletions on the Browns’ last drive of the first half.
Kitchens decided not to run the ball even though the Ravens did not have any timeouts.
With about a minute left, the Ravens mustered a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a touchdown pass by Lamar Jackson to tight end Mark Andrews.
The Ravens took a 14-6 lead into halftime.
That was unreal from @lj_era8 😱 #RavensFlock
📺: #BALvsCLE on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/csMF3GLW6Z pic.twitter.com/LkjpVcKsiB— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2019
How do you not run the ball on third and long w the ravens not having any timeouts. Ridiculous. Unexplainable decisions by the #Browns
— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) December 22, 2019
Game management isn’t that hard. But somehow the Browns find a way to screw it up weekly.
— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) December 22, 2019
5. The Ravens dominated the final two minutes of the first half.
The Ravens had 138 yards in the final two minutes of the first half while the Browns had -1 yards.
Baltimore scored on its final two drives of the first half.
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews had five receptions for 86 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
Andrews finished with six receptions and 93 yards.
6. The Ravens’ offense dominated.
Baltimore finished with 481 total yards of offense, including 238 yards passing and 243 yards rushing.
The Ravens averaged 6.1 yards per rush.
Entering the game, the Ravens averaged 202.1 rushing yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry.
The Ravens also dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 34:19 out of the 60-minute game.
The Browns finished with 241 total yards, including 192 passing yards and only 49 rushing yards.
7. Beckham drew several penalties.
Beckham finished with four receptions on six targets for 44 yards and a touchdown.
However, some of his biggest production came from the penalties he drew from Ravens’ defenders.
There were several holding, illegal hands to the face or pass interference penalties against Beckham.
.@bakermayfield to @obj for six! pic.twitter.com/4iui4CkiHG
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 22, 2019
8. The Ravens held Nick Chubb in check.
Nick Chubb — who entered Week 16 as the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,408 rushing yards — was held to 45 yards rushing on 15 carries.
The Browns finished with 49 yards rushing on 20 carries.
In the first half, Chubb had 17 rushing yards on eight carries.
9. Three first downs by way of penalty led to the Browns’ first scoring drive in the second quarter.
The first penalty came against Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters.
Peters held Beckham, which led to a first down.
An encroachment penalty on Ravens linebacker Matthew Judon created another first down for the Browns.
Then, a defensive pass interference penalty on Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith on a 3rd-and-6 play gave the Browns the ball on the 1-yard line.
Cleveland scored on the next play on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to tight end Demetrius Harris.
10. Next up: The Bengals host the Browns.
The Bengals have secured the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft after losing on Sunday to the Miami Dolphins.
The Browns are eliminated from the playoffs.
The two AFC North rivals will play for pride next Sunday.
NEXT: Report: Browns Could Target Urban Meyer In Coaching Search
Not happy about the outcome, but had a feeling it wouldn’t be good. Obj really seemed heated out there. Hope this doesn’t cause a rift on this team.
Thanks for weighing in, David33!