The Cleveland Browns finished the 2021 season with an 8-9 record.
To be clear, 6 of the 8 losses were disappointing because the Browns were competitive in those games and could have won them.
Only the Cardinals and Patriots games were blowouts that the Browns were never really in.
That means narrowing it down to just 3 disappointing losses is a tough task, but here it goes.
Here are the 3 most disappointing losses for the 2021 Browns.
1. Kansas City Chiefs – Week 1
The Browns came into Arrowhead Stadium as the underdog in this rematch of the AFC divisional playoff.
This game had a bizarre sideline event between Ronnie Harrison and Chiefs assistant coach Greg Lewis that resulted in Harrison being ejected from the game.
Despite that, the Browns were very much in this game and possessed the first of their several 2021 late-game leads that they gave up.
The Browns had the lead for 53 of the 60 minutes.
In this case, it was punter Jamie Gillan who changed the momentum in the latter stages of the game with the punt that was not.
Browns punt blocking on this play was excellent. He could have got that punt off still. Jamie Gillan just panicked.pic.twitter.com/G87L5cUdjZ
— Tim 🏈 (@OptimstGridiron) September 12, 2021
Because he opted not to kick the punt, the Chiefs got excellent field position and were able to score with relative ease.
Baker Mayfield threw an interception as the Browns were driving in the closing minutes of the game which sealed the victory for the Chiefs.
Mike Hughes seals the win for the @Chiefs! #ChiefsKingdom #CLEvsKC pic.twitter.com/MjTbeBiYVL
— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2021
The final score of this game was 33-29.
2. Baltimore Ravens – Week 12
This was the game that showed us the breakdowns on the Browns’ offense.
The Browns defense intercepted Lamar Jackson 4 times.
With that number of turnovers, the offense must convert those opportunities into points.
They scored just 3 points on those 4 turnovers and could only manage to score 10 points on the day.
The Browns lost by the score of 16-10.
The game last night was a joke 4 turnovers and we only score 10 points. SMH. 🤦♂️#CLEvsBAL x #Browns
— BROWNS OR DIE 💀 (@BrownsorDie) November 29, 2021
Another storyline of this game was the dropped passes by the wide receivers.
The debate of who was at fault continued throughout the season.
https://twitter.com/agallan/status/1465177778068901889
3. Green Bay Packers – Week 16
Much like the Kansas City game, the Browns came into Lambeau Field on Christmas day as the underdogs.
What transpired was a hard-fought game where the Browns were very competitive.
The Browns controlled the line of scrimmage with more first downs, yards, and time of possession but still could not come out with the win.
Christmas Day W.#CLEvsGB | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/gdqyOJ504v
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 26, 2021
The Browns turned over the ball 4 times, and the Packers capitalized on them.
The final turnover, a Baker Mayfield interception, came as the Browns were driving at the end of the game.
The FOURTH @packers INT is in the clutch!
📺: #CLEvsGB on NFLN/FOX/PRIME VIDEO
📱: https://t.co/0SJbpVToh5pic.twitter.com/zJfnLMoJSR— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 26, 2021
Aaron Rodgers prevailed once again, and this was the game where he broke Brett Favre‘s franchise touchdown record.
The Packers won by the score of 24-22.
Conclusion
What makes this season so frustrating for Browns fans is thinking about what could have been if even just one of these losses ended up being a win.
It could have changed the course and momentum of the entire season.
Clearly, that was not meant to be in 2021, but what did emanate were the themes of costly mistakes and late-game scoring opportunities squandered away.
NEXT: 3 Players The Browns Should Extend This Offseason