To paraphrase Police Chief Martin Brody saying “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” in the movie “Jaws,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is gonna need a bigger thesaurus. Last week Haslam used the word “perplexing” to describe the Browns’ dismal season. That was before Dec. 15, when they played one of their worst games offensively of 2024 while falling to the Chiefs, 21-7, before a disheartened and damp crowd under a gray, dismal sky at Huntington Bank Field. Related Articles Cleveland Browns | Browns’ Nick Chubb breaks foot in another setback after his season-ending knee injury in 2023 Cleveland Browns | PHOTOS: Browns vs. Chiefs, Dec. 15, 2024 Cleveland Browns | Browns’ defense hasn’t recovered from being burned in 2023 playoff loss | Jeff Schudel Cleveland Browns | Jeff Schudel’s Week 15 NFL picks against the spread Cleveland Browns | Dismissed by Browns, Kareem Hunt leading Chiefs rushing attack Whatever comes after perplexing, that’s what the Browns are. They are 3-11, after making the playoffs at 11-6 last season. No matter what happens in the final three games, they will finish with their worst record since 2017 when they were 0-16. Jameis Winston took exception to being asked whether he forced the ball on the two interceptions he threw into the end zone Sunday in the #Browns' 21-7 loss to the #Chiefs. Another pick glanced off the hands of Nick Chubb. pic.twitter.com/nh3cKkqktj — Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) December 15, 2024 And that isn’t the only bad news to come from the loss to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Running back Nick Chubb suffered a broken left foot on a play in the second half. He missed the first six games this season recovering from a 2023 knee injury and now he will miss the last three this season. He is unsigned for 2025. “I didn’t know,” right guard Wyatt Teller said in the Browns locker room. “Injuries are part of the game. It’s all around us. It really stinks when it’s someone like Nick.” Pop music icon Taylor Swift, girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, did not show up for the game, much to the disappointment of her fans, and neither did the Browns offense until late in the third quarter. And even then it was only a flash, like the sun glinting off fool’s gold. Here is Kevin Stefanski after the #Browns turned the ball over six times today in a 21-7 loss to the #Chiefs. pic.twitter.com/o76uSxY10B — Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) December 15, 2024 Jerome Ford broke free on a 62-yard touchdown run with 3:16 left in the third quarter to trim the Kansas City lead to 21-7. That was it. That was the only offensive highlight for the Browns in three hours. The Browns won the coin toss before the start of the game and deferred. The strategy worked when the defense forced a three-and-out, but Browns’ returner James Proche fumbled the punt. The Chiefs recovered and turned the takeaway into their first touchdown. The Browns turned the ball over five other times. Jameis Winston threw two interceptions into the end zone — one intended for Elijah Moore plus one intended for Jerry Jeudy — and one that glanced off the hands of Chubb. The Chiefs recovered a fumble by Chubb and Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw an interception in the fourth quarter after Winston was benched. “You cannot turn the ball over six times and expect to win any football game at any level,” Coach Kevin Stefanski said. “It’s hard enough to turn it over once versus a very good football team.” The Browns defense had zero takeaways. The Browns ranked 29th at minus-10 in takeaway/giveaway before playing the Chiefs. Now they are minus-16. Only the Raiders, who host the Falcons on Dec. 16, are worse at minus-17. The interceptions were crippling, maddening. Yet even after five giveaways the Browns were still in the game. With 5:49 to play and the Browns facing fourth-and-11 from their 49, DTR completed a pass for 14 yards to Michael Woods. But wait! Left tackle Germain Ifedi was penalized for not being on the line of scrimmage. The Browns punted on the next play, ending any chance for a miracle comeback. If one play that doesn’t jump out from the stat sheet summarizes the Browns’ season, it was the drive-killing Ifedi penalty. “This is the first illegal formation penalty for me since 2019 at Jacksonville,” Ifedi said. “That one was probably egregious. I line up the same way every snap. I can’t say much to it. They called it. I can’t do anything about it and I don’t want to lose money. It’s frustrating because you go out there and try to play the right way. It stinks to hear your number called.” Haslam rarely meets with the media, but he was stopped by an ESPN reporter at NFL meetings in Dallas on Dec. 11. “We went from 11-6 and making the playoffs to 3-10, so it’s a little perplexing what happened,” Haslam said. “We’re very supportive,” Haslam continued when asked about Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry. This is not a call to fire Berry or Stefanski, but the Browns cannot, cannot go into 2025 status quo. Winston is 2-5 in seven starts. He has thrown 12 interceptions. Stefanski in past weeks has said “Jameis is our quarterback” even after a three-interception game, of which Winston now has three in his time with the Browns. Stefanski did not say that after the loss to Kansas City. “I’m not going to get into any decisions right now,” he said. “I need to work through everything.” Something has to change. Giving Thompson-Robinson a week to prepare to face the Bengals as QB1 Dec. 22 in Cincinnati would be a good place to start. Jerome Ford had one of the Browns’ bright spots against the Chiefs with a 62-yard touchdown run. (Tim Phillis – For The News-Herald) Instead of Taylor Swift, fans saw the Browns lose to the Chiefs. (Tim Phillis – For The News-Herald)