Just when we thought it was safe to show some pride in the Cleveland Browns, the team laid a major egg at home in a 38-14 drubbing by the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. it was a major blow to the momentum and positivity surrounding the young and improved Browns, the most lopsided loss since the depths of the 0-16 season.

Here are the top three things I took away from the disheartening loss.

Wide receiver is a major issue

Injuries have certainly played a role here. Rashard Higgins had emerged as a solid complementary threat on the outside and a player with good synergy with Baker Mayfield. He’s out. So is his replacement Derrick Willies, who sparked the team in the win over Baltimore. Rod Streater left Sunday’s loss with a neck stinger. Ricardo Louis was lost in the preseason. Josh Gordon is in New England.

Now the wideout corps is Jarvis Landry and a scant few young question marks. Antonio Callaway has big-play potential but at this point is extremely unreliable as both a route runner and a catcher of the pigskin. Damion Ratley made a lot of catches in his first extended action but also let an easy TD opportunity go thru his fingers.

The Chargers quickly and effectively shifted their defensive focus to taking Landry away, and with it went the passing offense.

Saturday’s signing of former Ravens draft bust Breshad Perriman smacks of desperation, but these are desperate times for the Browns at wide receiver. Perriman has a great chance to revive his career, but expectations need to be low for the oft-injured 25-year-old. Expect another move this week, perhaps promoting Da’Mari Scott from the practice squad…or something more dramatic and impactful.

It takes time for young teams to learn to win

The Browns field a precociously young roster, with many of the key players on both sides of the ball in their first through third seasons. Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Joe Schobert, Emmanuel Ogbah, David Njoku, Jabrill Peppers, Larry Ogunjobi, Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb are the essential core of the team. None are over 25. That’s how old Landry is, too.

Related David Njoku gets Browns game ball in ugly loss to Chargers

It’s an impressive core with incredible potential, but as a team coming together they’re still all learning how to win. We hoped the Baltimore game was a big step in that direction, but it proved a false step. If not a false one, it certainly didn’t sustain as the team wanted.

The coaching staff is responsible for navigating the team through these waters. Against the Chargers, they failed their players as much as the players failed them. The Chargers were more prepared for the specific opponent and made better adjustments to the action unfolding on the field. Hue Jackson, Todd Haley and Gregg Williams all lost to their Los Angeles counterparts on Sunday. Hopefully they will learn from it too.

The lines need to play better

I’ve only seen the live broadcast thus far and not the All-22 or a second helping yet, but I’ll be shocked if my takeaway here changes with more study. Both the offensive and defensive lines were badly outplayed by their Los Angeles counterparts.

On offense, right tackle Chris Hubbard had a brutal start in pass protection. Rookie left tackle Desmond Harrison committed a bad penalty and also had issues staying between his blocking assignment and Mayfield. The interior line, which is simultaneously one of the best and most expensive in the league, did not play well against a largely anonymous Chargers front which was singled out by Los Angeles insiders as a matchup where the Browns should thrive.

The Chargers bagged five sacks on Mayfield, who didn’t help his own cause on at least two of them. That’s four more than the Browns defense recorded. Myles Garrett generated some pressure but didn’t impact Rivers enough. The elaborate blitzes didn’t get home and wound up exposing the coverage more than it bothered Rivers and the Chargers protection. Yet it was the run defense where the line truly struggled.

Los Angeles linemen had no issues opening big holes on the perimeter or getting out to the second level and locking up the LBs to give Melvin Gordon room to roam. Ogbah couldn’t anchor on the edge, and Garrett couldn’t get across on backside pursuit as expected. Larry Ogunjobi and Trevon Coley were invisible against the run. That cannot happen again.

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