Cleveland Browns make way too many mistakes in pitiful 34-10 loss to Detroit Lions

The Cleveland Browns did what they always seem to do. They provided an initial sliver of hope, just for it to all come crashing down in frustrating fashion.

The Browns fell by a final of 34-10 against the Detroit Lions, which would be a shocking final to someone who only watched the beginning of the game. The Cleveland defense forced a Lions punt on the first possession of the game, only for Joe Flacco and company to go on an 88-yard touchdown drive to take an early 7-0 lead.

Then the wheels fell off.

The Lions responded with a touchdown of their own, followed by Flacco throwing one of the ugliest interceptions you will ever see. Wrong route or not, Flacco cannot be throwing those types of passes.

Intercepted by Kerby Joseph

CLEvsDET on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/OPdf0ljn1r
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025

That was only the beginning of the ugliness, as the offense proceeded to slam to a halt leading into halftime trailing by a score of 20-7. The defense was doing their part while the offense looked painfully stagnant with Flacco back there.

Calls from fans on social media for Dillon Gabriel to get the nod in the second half went unanswered, and the game was essentially over when Andre Szmyt missed a field goal that would have cut the lead to 20-13 late in the third quarter. Unfortunately, that was not the only special teams miscue on the day.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: Return punt for TD ✅
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: Give ball to wife ✅

Kalif Raymond 🏠#CLEvsDET 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/ynPUaPdfRf
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 28, 2025

Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone may find himself as the fall guy after this performance.

Things got so bad in the fourth quarter that Kevin Stefanski finally put Gabriel in the game. He managed one attempt and zero completions.

We saw with our own eyes how bad the offense looked once again with Flacco under center. If not for a miracle comeback last week, this team would be 0-4. Instead, a 1-3 record at least provides some hope of a turnaround and avoids a totally lost season before October even begins.

The defense had their worst performance of the year by only giving up 277 yards, showing how dominant the unit was even with the final point total. There is only so much they can do if the offense continues to put them in awful situations both in terms of field position and morale.

If fans are looking for a bright spot, Quinshon Judkins had another solid performance with 82 rushing yards and a touchdown. Denzel Ward also showed up with an interception on a day when the defense finished with no sacks.

This Browns team is a difficult one to analyze because of the major holes on offense. It is clear Flacco doesn't have what it takes to lead a winning unit, but is Stefanski protecting Gabriel from a similar fate? Being down both starting offensive tackles didn't help Flacco and certainly would put Gabriel in harm's way as well.

Is the team trying to tank? That is another question worth asking. While the likely answer is no, the way things are being run right now points to another long, losing season.

It is fair to point out that the Browns went 1-3 during an absolutely brutal stretch of games to start the year. Next up is a game overseas against the Minnesota Vikings, who will have the advantage as they are already over there after taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin early Sunday morning. But if Carson Wentz remains under center, there is a chance.

Fans will be anxiously awaiting to see if a quarterback change is made this week. Yet at this point, the offense may be too far gone.