CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Even by Cleveland Browns standards, this is getting to be very, very painful for the fans.

Not the result of Sunday's game, a 35-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Cowboys are 7-1.

Rookie Ezekiel Elliott is sensational and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott is an excellent prospect.

So this story is not about who won or lost.

But the Browns defense is an embarrassment. It's the worst in the NFL, allowing 30 points per game.

Coach Hue Jackson needs to deal with that fact.

The Cowboys scored three touchdowns on complete mental breakdowns by the defense.

Here's what happened:

1. The Cowboys first touchdown was a 26-yard pass to Jason Witten. New Browns linebacker Jamie Collins covered the tight end for a few steps, then let Witten run past him. Collins was expecting a safety to pick up Witten. No one did. It didn't take Collins long to realize he's not in New England any more.

2. Dallas scored another touchdown on a 6-yard pass to Cole Bailey. Veteran defensive backs Joe Haden and Tramon Williams were in coverage on stacked receivers, Beasley and Dez Bryant. When Bryant broke to the inside, so did both defenders. Beasley was outrageously open to the outside in the end zone.

3. Another Dallas tight end -- Gavin Escobar -- caught a 2-yard touchdown pass. No one was within 10 yards of him.

It's so aggravating to watch stuff like this, where the defense is so confused.

After the game, Jackson didn't address the breakdowns directly.

"We just didn't cover," he said.

Jackson mentioned he talked about "miscommuncation" and "misalignment."

My guess is it was both that led to the defense seeming so dazed and dumbfounded.

PROBLEMS AND BIG PROBLEMS

It's understandable when Elliott runs past defenders for touchdowns. The former Ohio State star had touchdown runs of 8 and 10 yards. He is leading the league in rushing.

Witten is a Pro Bowl tight end, so he will make big-time catches.

But so often he was left so open...

Talent is a major problem, and I'm not holding Ray Horton and his defensive coaching staff responsible for that.

But some of the mistakes are just maddening.

On back-to-back plays, defensive linemen Tyrone Holmes and Xavier Cooper lined up offsides.

I'm not talking about jumping offsides to try and get to the quarterback.

They bent down, put their hands in the turf ... and they were lined up offsides.

Later in the game, Cooper did it again.

Guys, look where you put your hands down!

Most of this falls on Cooper, but the overwhelming number of mental errors on defense should not be excused.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

This is not about putting the defense against the offense -- but the offense is not making these type of unforced, mental errors, such as lining up in the wrong spots.

I'm sure blocking assignments are being botched. Others things are going wrong on offense.

But the offense is better organized, better prepared. That is where Jackson has spent most of his time. He calls the plays, works with the quarterbacks.

That's a fact, despite the offense having had four different starting quarterbacks in the first nine games -- and three different starting centers.

"It's not just about the defense," said Jackson. "I'm not going to go there. It's the offense. It's the special teams. It's everything."

The Browns are off to the worst start in franchise history. The 0-9 start is truly a team effort.

But what's happening right now is alarming. Rather than improving, things are getting worse -- especially on defense.

Jamie Collins will help. The import from the New England Patriots had eight tackles -- a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit. He wasn't a star, but it's clear he has some talent.

But he joins a defense that is befuddled and bewildered, along with being generally beaten down.

And not all of that can be blamed on the lack of talent. Coaches also have to look at how they are preparing the defense each week.