3 Cleveland Browns to blame for Week 12 loss to Denver

A frustrating loss in Week 12 ended the Cleveland Browns three-game winning streak. On the road against the Denver Broncos, they went out and found a way to fight back from a 14-0 deficit but then, things fell apart. Cleveland started to suffer injuries and then the turnovers followed.

In the end, they were looking up at the scoreboard and saw a 29-12 defeat — and watched as the Broncos celebrated their fifth win in a row. Cleveland is still in a great spot with a record of 7-4 but the loss could have lasting effects if the injuries to Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Amari Cooper wind up being long-term.

As they try and answer that and prepare for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13, we'll take another look back at their rough outing in the Mile High City. Here, we look at three players who deserve the majority of the blame for the team's fourth loss of the season.

3. Pierre Strong, Running Back

Looking at the box score, it would seem as though Pierre Strong didn't even make an appearance in this one. Cleveland's kick returner, and RB3, didn't run any kicks back and he would up without an official carry on the day. He did, however, have his number dialed up for one play.

Shortly after Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered a concussion, Cleveland was facing a second-and-seven. They knew the defense would be focused on the run, so Kevin Stefanski dialed up some trickery. He had P.J. Walker hand the ball to Elijah Moore, who then flipped it to Strong.

Unfortunately, Strong was unable to handle the toss and ended up fumbling it away. Denver recovered the ball and were able to extend the lead thanks to an Adam Trautman touchdown. Suddenly, the 17-12 contest was blown open at 24-12 and the offense looked deflated from this point on.