INCHING ALONG ON THEIR JOURNEY

By STEVE KING

It’s been said that football is a game of inches, and that’s true.

With that having been said, then, the Browns found out in their 37-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium just how far they are from being where they want to be – where they need to be – someday.

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The Chiefs (8-1), along with the New England Patriots, who handed Kansas City its only loss, and probably now the rejuvenated Pittsburgh Steelers, whom KC defeated, are the top teams in the AFC.

The Browns, at 2-6-1 after having lost their fourth straight game, are not at the very bottom of the AFC anymore, but they’re much closer to there than to the top.

So, take your hands, put them about 16 inches apart (the number of points by which they lost to the Chiefs, which followed a 15-point loss to Pittsburgh last Sunday), and that’s how much they still need to go.

Again, in a game of inches, 16 is a heckuva lot.

There were, to be fair, some good things that happened on Sunday. In Gregg Williams’ first game as head coach and Freddie Kitchens’ first game as offensive coordinator after Hue Jackson and Todd Haley, respectively, were fired from those jobs last Monday, the Browns finally figured out how to get the ball to talented running back Duke Johnson. It wasn’t hard, really. Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield simply passed it to him and handed it to him. Why Hue and Haley couldn’t come up with a good way is something we’ll probably never know.

The Browns scored three touchdowns and kicked a field goal. Normally, that would equate to 24 points, but they felt the need to keep trying for two-point conversions, at which they were unsuccessful all three times.

That – the point total – is obviously not good enough, but, considering they had scored just 18 points or less in three of their previous four games, it’s not terrible, either.

But the defense faltered again and has now given up 33 or more points in four of the last six games. Part of it is because of injuries – and there were several more on Sunday – while bigger parts of it is because of facing outstanding offenses and good quarterbacks, and of not having enough good players yet.

When will things change with the Browns?

Likely not anytime soon.

The Browns host the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday heading into their bye week, then, when they return, they visit the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans and host the Carolina Panthers.

With that four-game meat-grinder of a schedule, I don’t see any reason for optimism.

Do you?