When he gets to the podium to answer questions in his press conferences, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is usually on his heels. That’s common among coaches coming off a loss, so for a coach who has just two wins in nine tries, it’s something we’ve seen often. Stefanksi being defensive and evasive after a game is just a regular Sunday afternoon happening.
When he was asked about the Browns’ many areas of deficiency in the 27-20 Week 10 loss to the lowly Jets, a rebuilding team that just traded away two of its best players for draft picks, Stefanski dodged the questions as expected.
But there was one play that essentially summed up an afternoon of ineptitude and mental un-focus, and it came on what proved to be, essentially the final play. And it was after that play when Stefanski removed his headset and said three words that sum up the 2025 Browns.
With 58 seconds remaining and the Browns pushing the Jets to a fourth-and-5 situation at their own 49-yard line, all the Browns had to do was stand still and there would be little doubt that the Jets would punt the ball away and give Cleveland a fighting chance at a final-minute comeback.
Kevin Stefanski Reacted When Browns Were Offsides on a Play the Jets Were Not Going to Run
That was too much to ask, however. The Browns’ Cameron Thomas fell for the Jets’ obvious attempt to draw Cleveland offside–there was no chance the Jets were going to run a play, they were always going to punt.
Thomas was whistled for the offside, gifted the Jets a first down and allowed New York to end the game with two kneel-downs.
After the play, Stefanski was shown on the sideline saying, “Oh my God,” and removing his headset in frustration, a rare show of emotion from the normally stoic head coach.
Browns’ Kevin Stefanski: ‘It’s Never About 1 Play’
Stefanski was asked about the play after the game. He did not throw Thomas under any buses, but also offered little explanation for his team’s repeated mental errors. The Browns had significantly more yardage than the Jets in almost every category on Sunday, and that includes yards lost by penalty–they were whistled a whopping 10 times for 78 yards lost.
“Listen, like I said earlier, we’ll win as a team, we’ll lose as a team,” Stefanski said. “It’s never going to be about one play. But bottom line is, we have to play smart, that’s a key to this winning and losing.
“Again, it’s never about one play. We, we have to do our job all of us. In that moment, that’s you know, very disappointing.”
Myles Garrett Defends Cam Thomas
Browns team captain and defensive leader Myles Garrett was quick to defend Thomas on the play. He is hopeful that Thomas, who had a sack and two quarterback hits in the game, won’t see his confidence sapped by the mistake.
“It’s frustrating. There are plenty of frustrating things in a game, I just don’t know want my guy Cam to lose confidence or feel like he lost the game for us. That’s not the case,” Garrett said.
“There are so many plays in a game and you can’t let one hang on you and take away your confidence and who you are as a player. It was a learning moment for him and a chance to do better next time. Kind of like Andre (Szmyt) in the first game. You are going to have your opportunities. Just gotta make the most of it.”
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