Nothing much went the Browns' way on a gusty, chilly and occasionally snowy Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Cleveland could only muster two field goals and struggled to sustain deep drives against the Las Vegas Raiders in a 16-6 defeat. Neither side found much offensive success, but a few bad breaks for the Browns proved costly in the final result and sealed their third loss of the season.
Here are the biggest plays that made the difference in Sunday's defeat:
1. Carlson nails 29-yarder to even score
The Browns caught a good break before Raider kicker Daniel Carlson was given a chance to tie the game at 3-3 with a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter.
On the previous play, Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III made a catch in the back of the end zone, but it was ruled incomplete. Referees ruled that Ruggs' right foot was out of bounds, and replay showed that Ruggs was a matter of inches from making the touchdown grab.
The call stood, though, and the Raiders converted on the short field goal attempt to tie the game at 3-3 with 6 minutes left in the first half.
2. Raiders add FG before halftime
FirstEnergy Stadium did not have ideal conditions for kickers Sunday, but that didn't stop them from adding points to the scoreboard in the first half.
The Raiders received the ball with 4 minutes left in the second quarter and used 12 plays to drive 51 yards into field-goal range. The middle of the drive featured blizzard-like conditions, but the end of the drive featured little precipitation and, unfortunately for the Browns, a calming wind.
That set up a relatively easy chip shot for Carlson, who nailed it to give Las Vegas a 6-3 lead at halftime. Four field goals were attempted in the first half, and three of them split the uprights to make up for the lack of offense.
3. Parkey converts 38-yard field goal
The kicking competition continued into the third quarter in Cleveland after Parkey pounded a 38-yard attempt through the uprights.
Those three points felt like a bit of let-down, though, after the Browns had a Jarvis Landry touchdown called back on the previous play. Mayfield delivered a perfect 20-yard lob throw to Landry inside the end zone, and it appeared as though Landry initially made the diving catch.
Replay showed that the ball hit the ground before Landry gained control, however, and Cleveland was forced to settle for its second field goal of the afternoon.
4. Carr connects with Renfroe for first TD
Just about every play in the end zone Sunday required a close replay review, and the first touchdown of the afternoon was no exception.
Hunter Renfroe caught a short 4-yard pass from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to start the fourth quarter and appeared to use the ground to secure possession once he crossed the goal-line. The movement of the football prompted the refs to take a closer look — that was the third replay review of the afternoon — and they upheld the ruling.
It was an unfortunate sequence for the Browns, who now needed to find their first touchdown of the game to climb out of what became a 13-6 deficit.
5. Browns stuff Jacobs at the goal line, force Raiders FG
The Browns defense was running low on energy after the Raiders used 11 plays to crack the red zone and threaten for their second touchdown of the quarter.
Las Vegas was poised to officially break the defense for six points with a set of runs from running back Josh Jacobs. The first run, however, was stuffed. So was the second run. And so was the third.
Yes, the Browns stopped Jacobs on all three rushing plays on the drive, and the final stop came after defensive end Porter Gustin broke through the trenches to drag Jacobs to the ground again.
That forced the Raiders to send Carlson out for his fourth field goal attempt of the game. He nailed it to bring the score to 16-6, but the Browns were still in striking distance with just over 4 minutes left, and the credit goes to the defense making a goal-line stand.
6. Raiders stop Browns short of the end zone in final minutes
The Browns came within 14 yards of securing a crucial last-minute touchdown that would've brought them within a possession of the lead, but Las Vegas didn't allow Cleveland to record its first touchdown of the game.
After two incompletions on first and second down, the Browns were hurt by a false start penalty that moved them back 5 yards. Quarterback Baker Mayfield attempted to hit Landry in the end zone, but a big hit from Raiders safety Lamarcus Joyner jolted the ball loose.
The Browns ended the drive without any points after their 37-yard field-goal attempt was thwarted away by the swirling winds, and the scoreless drive cemented the loss and a difficult day Cleveland.
