The Browns are preparing to fly to London for their Week 5 matchup against the Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 5.
The intercontinental trip comes on the heels of a 34-10 loss against Detroit in Week 4. Head coach Kevin Stefanski attributed the loss to the Browns turning the ball over three times and allowing a punt return touchdown against a good team like the Lions.
"We have to learn from some of these lessons, and we have to have to play better as a football team if you expect to win those games," Stefanski said. "We'll learn from it and then we will have a good week of practice. Obviously heading out Wednesday evening for our game this Sunday, but it'll be still a good work week for us. Once the guys walk out of the building today, the focus goes right to the Vikings."
Here are the main pieces of news heading into Week 5.
Injury Updates
Stefanski announced that wide receivers DeAndre Carter and Cedric Tillman will be out for "weeks," including the Week 5 game against the Vikings, with a knee and hamstring injury, respectively. Carter was officially placed on injured reserve on Sept. 29.
Carter served as the primary kick and punt returner for the Browns, averaging 24.9 yards per kick return this season and returning all but one punt this season. Tillman was fourth on the Browns in receiving yards, catching 11 passes for 106 yards. He caught a touchdown in each of the Browns' first two games of the season.
Carter was injured in the fourth quarter on Detroit's final kickoff of the game while Tillman was injured during the second quarter of the game.
Traveling to London
The Browns will spend the next three days in Cleveland, including practicing on Wednesday at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, before leaving Wednesday night for London. Once the Browns land in London, it will be Thursday morning local time.
As a result, Stefanski said Thursday will be more abbreviated than a normal game week. He said the Browns will have meetings, walkthroughs and a jog through on Thursday before transitioning back to a normal game-week schedule on Friday.
Stefanski credited the Browns staff for helping set up the logistics of the trip for Cleveland and doing the necessary behind-the-scenes work to prepare the team for the trip.
"It's a big undertaking for organizations when they go overseas, wherever you're going for a game. It's a big operation and the logistics of it," Stefanski said. "We're very fortunate to have a group that does an outstanding job, taking care of all these things."
The trip to London also presents a new opportunity for the Browns to write a new chapter this season, according to LB Devin Bush. After a double-digit loss with multiple turnovers against the Lions, Bush believes the Browns can put that in the past with a strong performance against the Vikings in London.
"Of course, the offense has plays that they want back, that's every team when they lose in the NFL on any given Sunday," Bush said. "We have a new week. We have a new opportunity, and we get a win this week, and everything that happened this week kind of goes behind us."
Reenergizing the offense
After a fourth consecutive game in which the Browns were held to under 20 points, G Wyatt Teller said the Browns offense needs to handle the little issues and then the big plays will come.
Against the Lions, the Browns' offense showed potential on the first drive. QB Joe Flacco passed for 70 yards on 5 of 5 passing attempts and the Browns scored first to take a 7-0 lead. On the possessions following, Detroit held them out of the end zone and started to extend its lead. Even still, going into the fourth quarter, the Browns were down by 10 points and were within two possessions of the Lions.
"I feel like if we can play complementary football in all phases of the game, our defense is unbelievable," Teller said. "The games have gotten away when it's been late in the fourth quarter where we had a chance to win in the fourth and it got away."
Stefanski said the offense's performance four weeks into the season hasn't been on just one person. He acknowledged the need for both the offense and the coaching staff to improve in order for the performances to turn around.
Teller believes the offense's connection will come from explosive plays, and said they've been an inch away from big plays at times. He pointed to the Packers game where Green Bay's defense held the Browns' offense in check until the fourth quarter. With just under 10 minutes in the game, RB Quinshon Judkins broke off two double-digit yard runs, helping spark the Browns' comeback win.
"So, as long as we can – not get moral victories I mean, obviously, we want to win the game – but ways of handling whatever the (defensive) front is doing or stuff like that," Teller said. "I trust our coaches and I trust the guys we have in the room to get it done."
The Browns added to the room on Sept. 29, trading for T Cam Robinson to help shore up the tackle position with a season-ending injury to T Dawand Jones and T Jack Conklin dealing with an elbow injury. Tackles Cornelius Lucas and KT Leveston started at tackle for the Browns against the Lions as a result.
Robinson provides another veteran presence to the room, currently in his ninth NFL season. He has played in 104 NFL games, starting in 102.
"I've not spoken to Cam just yet, but obviously he is a guy that we're excited to bring in here," Stefanski said. "We've had injuries at the position, so having guys that have started multiple games and played well is obviously an important part for us."
Stefanski wasn't committal when it came to whether Robinson would play this week in London against the Vikings. However, even with the cross-Atlantic trip, Teller wasn't concerned about being able to get Robinson up to speed. The Browns guard cited the similarities that being an offensive lineman in the NFL can hold, going from team to team, especially with Robinson being in the league for multiple years.
"Techniques might change a little bit, and jargon might change, but for the most part, it's pretty much the same," Teller said. "So, having a guy who has experience and able to step in and help us is paramount."
