3 Takeaways from Browns' Week 2 Loss

A 13-point advantage with less than 2 minutes to go is typically a safe lead for most NFL teams. But not for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon.

The New York Jets scored 14 points in the final 1 minute and 22 seconds, handing the Browns a 31-30 loss at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. It was a missed opportunity for the Browns to get off to a 2-0 start after they notched a road win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1.

Nick Chubb had a 12-yard touchdown run with 1:55 remaining that gave Cleveland a 30-17 lead. But Jets quarterback Joe Flacco threw a pair of late touchdown passes (a 66-yard toss to Corey Davis and a 15-yard strike to rookie Garrett Wilson) to deliver a comeback win.

Here are three takeaways from the Browns' Week 2 loss.

The Browns were in a great position to win on Sunday. And if they're going to be a good team and contend in a wide-open AFC North, then they can't let games like this slip away.

After Flacco's TD pass to Davis that cut Cleveland's lead to six points, New York recovered an onside kick at its own 47-yard line. Then, the Jets went 53 yards on nine plays over 1 minute, taking the lead with 22 seconds to go. The Browns finally got the ball back after that, but quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw an interception that sealed it for New York.

“Everybody’s going to want to point fingers and say, ‘Whose fault was this?’ Put it on everybody,” Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press. “It’s all of us, me, coaches and players. It’s everybody."

There's a good chance that the Browns will be in a similar position at some point later in the season. If so, they'll need to do a much better job of closing the game out and finding a way to hold on to the victory. Otherwise, it could end up being a tough season in Cleveland.

Flacco is a 37-year-old quarterback who was supposed to be the Jets' backup. He's only playing because Zach Wilson is recovering from knee surgery. Yet, Flacco ended up with some huge passing numbers on Sunday, throwing for 307 yards and four touchdowns.

New York has some exciting young playmakers on offense, but Cleveland's defense is strong enough that it shouldn't be letting Flacco air it out like that. The Browns' secondary especially struggled in the closing minutes, giving up big plays that flipped the game.

There had also been some breakdowns for the unit in Week 1, such as when Carolina Panthers QB Baker Mayfield connected with Robbie Anderson for a 75-yard touchdown.

“That’s two weeks in a row and that’s not acceptable,” Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome II said, per Withers. “That’s not the brand of football we play. That’s not what we talk about being the best defense in the NFL. We gotta be better.”

Neither the Panthers nor the Jets have the best passing attacks. So if the Browns don't get better, they could get face even worse defeats when coming up against top offenses later in the year.

Although Brissett was picked off on Cleveland's final offensive play of the day, the 29-year-old quarterback had a stronger showing than he did in the team's season-opening win. Brissett went 22-for-27 for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Brissett also did a better job of getting the ball to Amari Cooper, the Browns' clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver. Cooper had nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown after recording only three catches for 17 yards in Week 1.

With Deshaun Watson serving an 11-game suspension, Cleveland needs Brissett to lead its offense to success in the meantime. And Brissett is beginning to prove he's capable of doing so.

“He was nails,” Browns guard Joel Bitonio said, per Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I think he played really well. He did what we needed to do to win the game."

Brissett will now look to build off this performance and potentially have even more success in the weeks to come. If he does, Cleveland could be in good shape by the time Watson can play.