CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Cody Kessler left Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Bengals with a concussion, and rookie Kevin Hogan replaced him.

But Josh McCown might be ready to start next week's game against the 2-5 Jets if he's cleared from his broken left collarbone.

"There's a chance,'' said coach Hue Jackson. "We'll see. Again, we'll evaluate everything on Monday and see where he is and go from there."

McCown will undergo X-rays, and if the bone is healed enough, he might get the nod to start, and pick up where he left off last year when he got knocked out of the opener against the Jets with a concussion of his own.

McCown was trying to run into the end zone for a touchdown when then-Jets linebacker Demario Davis sent him helicoptering in.

McCown has been throwing the ball well in practice the past two weeks, but hasn't gotten the green light.

With Kessler in the concussion protocol following a blow to the head by Domata Peko after his backhanded flip to Gary Barnidge to set up a TD, McCown or Hogan will likely start the game.

"Yes, it's disappointing,'' said Jackson. "It's a tough sport. He's trying to make plays and battling as hard as he can, and these hits -- these quarterbacks only have so many of these hits in their body, you know? Pretty soon, guys don't get up all the time, and that's what's been happening. It's unfortunate. It's just been happening way too much, so on we go."

Jackson indicated that Kessler must do everything possible to avoid being hit -- a tall task behind a reshuffled and injury-ravaged line.

"He was playing good, and like I said, part of this thing is availability -- you've got to be out there,'' said Jackson. "You have to find a way to stay out there, and that's tough because he's trying his tail off, and I think we all know that. You're taking these hits at risk of not being out there.

"He made a hell of a play on that particular play to Barnidge, and then 'bam!' It's unfortunate, but I know our guys are trying hard. It's not from a lack of effort. It's not from a lack of trying -- the luck's just not swinging our way. We're not getting those breaks right now."

John Greco, who took over for center Cam Erving (illness) in the second half, acknowledged it's tough to lose so many quarterbacks on one season. Kessler is the third starter to go down. Robert Griffin III fractured his left shoulder in Week 1 and is on injured reserve until at least Nov. 10; and McCown broke the collarbone in Week 2.

"It sucks, especially a guy that's taken shots recently and is fighting and playing hurt and playing banged up,'' said Greco. "It's an unfortunate thing. He was out there trying to make a play and took an unnecessary hit, but for us, we're going to look at it and if we can block for a couple seconds longer, but he's just trying to make a play.''

Did Greco mean the hit was dirty?

"No, I'm not saying that,'' he said. "He was trying to make a play. He was a guy trying to fight and make a play for his team, just kind of an unlucky break.''

Left tackle Joe Thomas acknowledged that losing Kessler is a blow. He was establishing himself as a possible QB of the future and played well again in Cincinnati, completing 9-of-11 attempts for 82 yards, with no TDs or INTs. He earned a 97.7 rating. He also led the Browns on a 70-yard TD march that put them up 10-7 one play after he left the game.

"It's real disappointing because everyone wants to see what type of player Cody Kessler can be, so they want to see as many reps as they can with him in there and he was playing very well,'' said Thomas. "It was tough to see him go down, but hopefully it's not too serious and he's able to come back quickly."

Hogan became the sixth quarterback to take a snap for the Browns this season. According to ESPN Stats and Info, they're the first team in a non-strike year to have six QBs throw a pass in the first seven weeks since 1976 Bucs, who went 0-14. If Hogan starts next week, he'll be the 27th quarterback to do so for the Browns since 1999.

"It's tough,'' said Thomas. "I've never been through a season that's gone through so many starting quarterbacks. Kevin did an awesome job coming in there. He was basically a practice-squad guy as of a week or so ago. To be able to come in and function as efficiently as he did and obviously run the ball as tough as he did was a big boost for the offense."

Hogan, called up from the practice squad last week, was supposed to come in and take some read-option snaps to change things up to ease the pressure on Kessler. It was an alternative to using Terrelle Pryor, who was limited with a hamstring injury.

The plan worked like clockwork. On Hogan's first three snaps before replacing Kessler, he gained 7, 15, and 15 yards. He went on to rush seven times for 104 yards, including a 28-yard TD - the longest by a Browns quarterback in team history. He had five runs of 15-plus yards, and his 104 were the second-most in Browns history to Johnny Manziel's 108 in December against Kansas City.

"I'm trying to find a way to win,'' said Jackson. "I'm trying to find a way to move the ball and score touchdowns on offense. We'll do whatever we have to do. He battled as hard as he could for a guy that, again, doesn't get a ton of reps, but enough to do what he did. I'm sure there's a few balls he wishes he had back, but he went in and battled like a quarterback should go battle."

Hogan, who takes very few reps during the week, completed 12 of 24 attempts for 100 yards, and was picked off twice. He earned a 26.4 rating.

"Obviously you want to protect the ball and put your team in the best position to keep the ball and go in and score,'' said Hogan. "There are some plays I'd like back, but overall I felt very comfortable out there, and confident."

Hogan, a fifth-round pick out of Stanford, had to overcome the adversity of a reshuffled line and a receiving corps with an injured Pryor, the team's best offensive weapon. He had a new center in Erving, a rookie left guard in Spencer Drango and at times, a rookie right tackle in Shon Coleman.

"Unbelievable for a guy that was on the practice squad that I never really took snaps with,'' said Greco. "For him to have the ability to come in and handle a hostile crowd and a talented defense and playing from behind the whole time he was in there, he was managing the offense well.

"He sounded like a guy that was a proven veteran and I compliment him on that, and we appreciate how hard he played and he was able to run our offense and we didn't have to get into safe mode. We just kind of continued with what we do and he was making plays.''

Hogan, who played for Pep Hamilton at Stanford, ran the zone-read a lot.

"The zone-read was working for us and Kevin was making the right reads, making the right throws and we've got to protect better,'' said Greco. "He was making plays with his legs, which was helping us a lot.''

By the the second half, Hogan was getting plays relayed to him by Hamilton, who took over the duties from Jackson when he became too frustrated with the defense to call the game. The switch didn't faze Hogan, who took everything in stride.

He also had a tough act to follow in his fellow rookie.

"(Kessler) was doing really well,'' said Hogan. "He had led us down a few times, and it was tough for him to take that shot down close to the goal line. It was a great scoring drive and that's really tough. He's tough as nails. I respect the heck out of him. For me it was just make sure I was ready if something happened to him.''

That mindset might really come in handy this week.