CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 10: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers is seen in the second quarter in the game against against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Daily Dawg Tags bring you all the Cleveland Browns news you need to know. Today’s main story is the reports that Mike McCarthy will land with the Browns

This weekend the Cleveland Browns suffered a heartbreaking loss. With a slim shot at making the playoffs still out there, Cleveland traveled to Houston where they were beaten pretty easily by the Texans.

It clearly wasn’t the best day for most members of the team. Baker Mayfield had just come off his Rookie of the Month award and followed that up with three first-half picks. Defensively, Cleveland had no answers either. In the end, they fell to 4-7-1 and are still on the bottom of the AFC South.

Now practically out of the playoff hunt, the Browns could start to look ahead to 2019 — which they apparently are doing. After Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was relieved of his duties, reports started surfacing that Cleveland could already be working to hire him as their new coach.

That story and more can be found in today’s Daily Dawg Tags.

Cleveland Browns News

Browns were ‘worried’ about Texans DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney — Mark Lane, Texans Wire/USA Today

“Yeah, we did,” Williams told reporters. “And we were worried about him. I would have loved to have had an opportunity to coach him many years ago when he came out there too. I was real high on him. We were making sure that we understood from a protection standpoint where he was, where (J.J.) Watt was. I thought our guys did a good job with that.”

The Browns may not have been ‘worried’ so much as they were trying to be prepared. Clowney can wreck a game and the Cleveland O-line has flaws. Williams was right to focus on him and Watt as they tried to keep Baker Mayfield upright.

Report: Cleveland Browns working to hire Mike McCarthy according to sources

“Sources have told FanSided that the Browns are already working on whether they will hire McCarthy. McCarthy has obvious ties to the Cleveland front office, most-notably general manager John Dorsey, vice president of player personnel Alonzo Highsmith and assistant general manager Eliot Wolf.” — Verderame, FanSided.com

It’s easy to connect the dots here. McCarthy has a relationship with John Dorsey and other members of the Browns front office. As they look for a coach to lead them out of the doghouse, why wouldn’t they look at a familiar face? That still doesn’t mean it will be popular if he is the choice, because McCarthy’s star lost a lot of it’s shine over the past couple of seasons.

Baker Mayfield ‘absolutely’ shoulders responsibility for Cleveland Browns’ loss to Houston Texans — Matthew Florjancic, WKYC 3

“We’ve got to be more precise, especially when you’re playing a team like that, that’s that good on defense. It’s all about the little things, the little details. Gotta have the right depths, gotta have the timing. I’ve gotta have throws out on the right time. The offensive line played great, zero sacks again. It’s just about taking care of the ball and the little details when you play a team like that.”

While the loss was ugly, there were still positives to take away. The Browns played better in the second half and Mayfield proved to be a leader. Not only did he take the blame here, but he even encouraged receiver Antonio Callaway after he fumbled away a touchdown on the one-yard line.

Week 13 instant reactions

Martin McConnell weighed in after the Browns latest games and gave his reactions to the loss. He discusses not only what went wrong in the game, but also what bright spots were there for the taking as well.