The Browns have been bothered all year by a lack of discipline, and it again reared its ugly head, on Sunday, causing them to fall 23-10 to the host Cincinnati Bengals in a game they couldn’t afford to lose if they lost wanted to have any realistic chance to make the playoffs.

Was still plenty of time left in the first half, they had committed seven penalties for 83 yards. In rapid-fire fashion they committed two personal foul penalties
after third-down stops  — roughing the punter and hands through the face — and pass interference on a deep route.

It’s set up the Bengals, who here to four have been really struggling, officially, for the first touchdown, and got them untracked for the rest of the game.

The Browns finished the day with nine penalties for 98 yards.

In the second half, the Browns showed another kind of lack of discipline by biting on fakes and getting burned for a touchdown on a flea-flicker pass.

The coaches were not exempt from a lack of discipline, either, as on fourth and one deep in Cincinnati territory early in the game, they inexplicably called for a pass into the back corner of the end zone that fell incomplete.

Good teams don’t make these kind of silly, stupid mistakes, and the Browns proved once again that they are not a good team yet.

Steve King