CLEVELAND: Browns rookie quarterback Cody Kessler threw on the sideline at FirstEnergy Stadium in an attempt to return to Sunday’s 33-13 loss to the New England Patriots, but he couldn’t push through the injury he suffered in his chest and rib area late in the first quarter.
“It was hurting and I hate it because very few games I’ve ever come out of, and I was trying really hard, really hard because I hate leaving those guys like that,” Kessler said. “I was telling Joe [Sheehan], our [head athletic] trainer, ‘It hurts, but it hurts me more as a person to come out and not be able to go back in.’ But it was pretty painful.”
The Browns lost their third starting quarterback this season and don’t know who’ll play Sunday on the road against the Tennessee Titans.
Meanwhile, the Patriots got their superstar quarterback back as Tom Brady dominated the Browns in his return from a four-game suspension for Deflategate.
“He was on,” cornerback Jamar Taylor said of Brady, who completed 28-of-40 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns with a rating of 127.7. “He got in his groove, and there was no turning back from there.”
The Browns are 0-5 for the third time during the expansion era. They’ve lost their past seven games and 14 of their last 15 dating back to the 2015 season.
“Every loss is a step back,” wide receiver Andrew Hawkins said. “We’re not going to cancel the season because we lost to the best program in football and the best quarterback.”
Still, the Patriots (4-1) added injury to insult.
On second-and-12 at the Browns’ 10-yard line, Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower rushed between center John Greco and right guard Alvin Bailey and into the backfield unblocked. He proceeded to blast Kessler with a bone-rattling hit. Kessler feared he hurt his throwing shoulder when he landed on his right side.
“When I landed, I heard something weird, and I thought it was my shoulder at first, so I didn’t want to move,” Kessler said. “But luckily nothing with my shoulder.”
The shoulder may be fine, but Kessler clearly isn’t. X-rays taken after the game were negative, but he’ll undergo additional medical tests Monday. Coach Hue Jackson described Kessler’s status as day-to-day.
Not only was Kessler injured on the screen to the right, but his backward pass intended for running back Duke Johnson also bounced through the end zone and out of bounds for a safety to give the Patriots a 16-7 lead with 1:20 left in the opening quarter. The rout was in full swing for the Patriots, who scored a touchdown on each of their first three possessions and never looked back.
Kessler, a third-round draft pick from the University of Southern California, never returned to the game. He came back to the sideline after being examined in the locker room, though his attempt to warm up didn’t go well.
“I tried to come back,” Kessler said, “but it was just not going to happen.”
Journeyman backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst filled in for Kessler but suffered a left knee injury with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter when rookie cornerback Jonathan Jones hit him as he scrambled. Whitehurst returned to the game to take a knee on the final snap. He’ll also undergo further medical testing. Jackson said he’s day-to-day, too.
“I hyper-extended it, and I was hoping it wasn’t too serious,” said Whitehurst, who completed 14-of-24 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown with an interception and a rating of 78.8. “ ... We’ll see. I guess there will be some tests, but I think I’ll be fine.
“I have no idea the health of the other guys. But I’ll be preparing to start.”
Quarterback-turned-wide receiver Terrelle Pryor took two snaps immediately after Kessler’s injury occurred and three after Whitehurst was hurt.
If Kessler cannot face the Titans, Whitehurst, provided his knee is healthy enough, or Pryor could become the 27th quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999.
“Whatever Coach Jackson needs me to do, I will definitely be there for him,” Pryor said.
The Browns also have rookie Kevin Hogan on their practice squad and may need to sign a QB depending on the injuries.
Kessler was forced to start in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins because quarterbacks Robert Griffin III (fractured coracoid bone in left shoulder Sept. 11) and Josh McCown (fractured left collarbone Sept. 18) suffered injuries in the first two games.
Griffin won’t be ready to return soon and could very well miss the rest of the season. It remains to be seen whether McCown can make it back in time to face the Titans. Jackson said McCown will undergo X-rays Monday to determine his status.
The Browns have started three quarterbacks in five games this season. Going back to last season, they’ve started five QBs in the past seven games.
“It’s adversity, and we’ve got to overcome it and we will,” tight end Gary Barnidge said. “We’ll be stronger for it.”
Kessler had solid performances in his first two starts and went 5-of-8 passing for 62 yards and a touchdown with a rating of 126 against the Patriots before being hurt.
“It’s unfortunate,” said Hawkins, who beat rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones and caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Kessler to allow the Browns to tie the score 7-7 with 6:09 left in the first quarter. “I really don’t have any words for it. It’s nothing like I’ve been a part of, but it’s football.
“I’ve been singing Cody’s praises since he’s been in there. I think we’ve consistently moved the football since Cody’s taken over, and that’s tough to do for a rookie third-round quarterback who was third on the depth chart three weeks ago.”
Including Whitehurst and Pryor, the Browns have used five quarterbacks this season. They’re the first team to have five players throw at least five passes through five games since the 1968 Denver Broncos, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“It’s just been bad luck,” Hawkins said. “In football, you need some good luck, and we just haven’t had it from that standpoint.”
Meanwhile, the Patriots have one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history back in the saddle. Brady threw touchdown passes of 7, 5 and 37 yards to tight end Martellus Bennett.
“It was just Tom Brady being Tom Brady,” cornerback Joe Haden said. “He’s been the best for a long time. I wasn’t expecting any rust from him.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.