INDIANAPOLIS -- Cleveland Browns scribbles after their 31-28 loss Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts:

1. It seems to be the same story every week for the Browns. Not just losing. I'm talking about receivers not catching the ball. Or not getting open. Or something ... like being flagged for offensive pass interference FOUR TIMES!

2. Not sure I've ever seen a game where a team had four pass interference plays on offense. Some of the calls may have been iffy, but it's still a lot. Rashard Higgins had as many pass interference calls (2) as receptions. The others were called on Seth DeValve and Ricardo Louis.

3. It was really hard to watch Louis. I counted three dropped passes, along with that penalty. He only caught one pass for 10 yards. Early in training camp, the Browns were upbeat about Louis making real progress this season. Hasn't happened.

4. Higgins had two catches for a total of 10 yards. This comes after he caught seven balls in last week's loss to Baltimore. The Ravens paid little attention to Higgins when he lined up in the slot, and he surprised them. This time, the Colts covered him and he struggled.

5. DeShone Kizer threw 10 passes to Kenny Britt. Most were off target. He dropped one. He made an excellent catch with a defender on his back for an 18-yard TD. Often, the timing between Kizer and Britt was off, the ball thrown too early or too late.

6. Kizer wisely didn't want to talk about the drops by his receivers. He kept saying, "I need to put the ball where it's supposed to be." He took full blame for the interceptions.

7. Duke Johnson had six catches coming out of the backfield. A few were terrific. Jordan Leslie made a great one-handed leaping catch. So the receivers made some good catches, but no one has emerged as a favorite target for Kizer. With Corey Coleman (broken hand) out at least for five more games, the receiver position continues to be a land of opportunity for anyone who can consistently produce.

8. The Browns had at least seven dropped passes. Louis had three. Britt had two. Higgins and Seth DeValve each had one. This is so hard to watch. Kizer has his problems in terms of becoming fixated on primary receivers and missing options where others are wide open. But all the drops make life really difficult.

9. Hue Jackson on the drops: "We have to make plays for him (Kizer). Sometimes, you just have to make those catches."

10. More Jackson on drops: "I wish I could explain the drops. I can't."

11. Britt on the receivers: "We can be elite. I don't believe any defense in the NFL can stop us. These young wide receivers going to get better and better..."

12. Britt tried to say all the right things. He is correct about the receivers being young and some will improve. But right now, they have been making so many damaging plays ... and Britt also has to play a lot better.

13. The Browns are getting some production from tight ends catching the ball. DeValve has eight receptions this season. He should be targeted more often with the receivers struggling. He had two catches wiped out by those pesky offensive pass interference penalties.

14. I wrote a lot about the defense in my game column. Giving up 28 points in the first half pretty much killed any chance the Browns had of winning this game. In the second half, they held the Colts to 75 yards offense and three points. So they made some adjustments. The Colts also were more conservative. But 28 points in the first half from a team that had scored only 22 points in the first two games of the season is discouraging.

15. The Browns were flagged for 10 penalties covering 113 yards. One of them was 34 yards on Peppers (pass interference). But the penalties (like the drops) are how the Browns keep beating themselves.