News

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Cleveland Browns got inside the New York Jets’ 20-yard line four times, but failed to score a touchdown, settling for one field goal in their 24-13 loss at MetLife Stadium.

The loss dropped the Browns to 4-11 overall, including a 1-6 mark away from FirstEnergy Stadium.

“It’s unacceptable,” Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said. “It was a tough game to swallow. Our execution was poor in a number of situations. Whether it was drops, red-zone offense, third-down defense or giving up some big plays in the run game, it was not good enough.”

To the Browns, the most frustrating trip inside the 20-yard line came at the start of the second quarter. Because of two defensive penalties, the Browns ran seven plays inside New York’s 10-yard line, but did not score a single point, as their pass on fourth-and-goal from inside the two was ruled incomplete when wide receiver Josh Gordon failed to corral the ball before going out of bounds.

“It’s frustrating,” Chudzinski said. “That’s a key part of the game. We stress the red zone a lot. When you get down there, you want to get touchdowns. We had a possession where we went for it on fourth down and weren’t able to get it. We had good field position and weren’t able to get in on that particular series. You have to get touchdowns when you get down in the red zone. That’s the bottom line, and we had opportunities. That’s the name of the game.”

In addition to the red zone troubles, the Browns managed just three points after halftime.

“We had a 10-point lead near the end of the first half, and gave up two quick scores to tie it going into halftime, and that was a key stretch in the game,” Chudzinski said. “We just executed poorly. Whether it was a mental mistake, whether it was a lack of focus or concentration or whether it was getting beaten in a one-on-one situation, we’ll look through those on the tape, coach them up and continue to evaluate where we’re at.”

Browns quarterback Jason Campbell completed 18 of 39 attempts for 178 yards with two interceptions in the loss. In the first quarter, Campbell completed six of 12 attempts for 56 yards. However, he misfired on four of his first five attempts of the second quarter as the Jets chipped away at the Browns’ 10-point lead.

“Early in the game, we missed some opportunities,” Campbell said. “We weren’t able to put points on the board, and to do that keeps the other teams around. Once they start to get their breaks and get their confidence going, you’re very disappointed.

“It starts with me, as a leader, first and foremost. I’ve just got to rally the guys around me, make sure that I’m doing my job and make sure we’re in good positions.”

INJURY UPDATES

Following the game, Chudzinski gave injury updates on two of his players, and one of his assistant coaches, who was injured when outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo pushed Jets quarterback Geno Smith out of bounds along the Browns’ sideline.

“Phil Taylor has a concussion, John Hughes has a knee sprain, and Louie Cioffi, our defensive backs coach has a knee injury as well,” Chudzinski said.