The Cleveland Browns weren’t going to be able to win games in the fourth quarter forever. But it didn’t seem like the New York Jets would be the ones to flip the script and drive that point home in a 17-12 Week 5 loss.
Despite not playing well at rainy MetLife Stadium on Sunday, the Browns were in line to cash in their fourth straight game-winning fourth-quarter scoring drive. They took a 12-10 lead on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to Denzel Boston with 6:15 remaining, though a missed extra point by Andre Szmyt left them vulnerable.
But this time, the Browns’ defense was unable to protect the lead, and after the Jets regained it, quarterback Deshaun Watson was unable to lead another Cleveland comeback. It all added up to the end of a three-game winning streak.
With that in mind, analyst Jimmy Watkins delivered a harsh reality check about the Browns’ outlook, saying the defeat exposed shortcomings that they might not be able to overcome going forward.
“Strip the offense of Watson’s fourth-quarter fireworks, and we see a unit that can’t run, block or throw deep well. We remember why oddsmakers set their preseason win total at 5.5, or about the same as last year. Gag a game against the Jets on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and you rinse the glow off your 3-1 record. The Browns have changed coaches, added talent and won a few games to start 2026. But they looked like their old selves on Sunday,” Watkins wrote.
Cleveland had been able to avoid these offensive issues over the past three games against better opponents than New York, but the Browns did need fourth-quarter rallies and defensive stands to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, and Pittsburgh Steelers. They got neither of those against the Jets.
On offense, the running game struggled again, with just 96 total yards, 40 coming from Watson. The blocking was exposed by allowing an embarrassing eight sacks, including four in the fourth quarter. Finally, Watson was held to 155 yards on 35 attempts, with just 85 yards in the first three quarters and just two big-time throws overall.
Yet, with the 12-10 lead, the Browns defense forced a turnover. But the offense went three-and-out, and punter Corey Bojorquez had the snap go through his hands. The defense could not overcome that, and Braelon Allen scored from 22 yards out on a third-and-9 run for the 17-12 lead.
Cleveland does have a chance to return to first place in the AFC North with a victory against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, but the Browns will have to find a way to rebound from this revealing loss.
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