One year after clinching playoff berth, Browns drop to new low as ugly season reaches final days

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns celebrated the anniversary of clinching a playoff berth by scoring three points, losing their home finale in front of a half-filled stadium and improving their 2025 draft position.

A season of colossal failure plunged to a new low Sunday.

And there's still one game left.

Where have you gone, Joe Flacco?

Exactly one year after Flacco capped his incredible late-season comeback by leading them into the postseason with a win over the New York Jets, the Browns (3-13) looked mostly hopeless in a 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

With whipping wind and rain providing an appropriate backdrop during the second half, another stormy season in Cleveland moved mercifully closer to its conclusion.

Riding a five-game losing streak, the Browns will close things out on Saturday in Baltimore — a matchup that in the preseason figured to have major AFC North title ramifications.

It will. But only for the Ravens, who will clinch the division with a win.

Once it's over, the Browns will spend the postseason — and longer — assessing what went wrong in 2024 and how to fix it. The list is lengthy.

There are no impending signs that coach Kevin Stefanski will be fired, but owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have to consider what led to their team falling from 11-6 and a wild-card berth to the franchise's worst season since 0-16 in 2017.

Someone is going to lose their job.

While Stefanski, a two-time AP Coach of the Year, appears to be safe, the same may not be true of general manager Andrew Berry. His spotty track record in recent drafts might make the Haslams wonder if they have the right person making roster decisions.

Of course, so many of Cleveland's problems are connected to quarterback Deshaun Watson and his five-year, $230 million contract, which has put a financial squeeze on the team's ability to address needs.

Last week, Watson, who is recovering from a season-ending Achilles tendon injury, agreed to restructure his deal, a move that will give the Browns some future salary cap-space flexibility and maybe an exit ramp from the QB.

Watson has played just 19 games over three seasons, and the 29-year-old has suffered season-ending injuries the past two years.

It's possible that Watson's restructuring is a sign that the Haslams intend to practice patience and give extra time to Berry, whom they signed to a contract extension last summer.

Only months ago, hopes and expectations were on an equal plane for the Browns.

Instead, they're back where they were three years ago: looking for a franchise quarterback.

Nothing really. Cleveland's offense failed to score a touchdown for the first time all season, and the defense couldn't stop Miami backup QB Tyler Huntley, who was on the Browns' roster this summer before being released.

How much time do you have? There isn't a position group without major questions, concerns or needs.

Myles Garrett's star continues to rise. Trouble is, the Browns don't have anyone else ascending with him.

With two more sacks on his 29th birthday, the All-Pro defensive end and reigning Defensive Player of the Year became the first player in NFL history to record 14 sacks in four straight seasons. The league made the stat official in 1982.

If he hadn't already, Garrett, who has 102 1/2 career sacks, has cemented himself as the best defensive player in team history.

“He's given us everything he's got,” Stefanski said.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson viewed his opportunity to finish the season as an audition to be Cleveland's full-time starting QB in ‘25. It hasn’t gone well.

Making his second straight start, the fifth-round pick in 2023 went 24 of 47 for 170 yards — with 46 coming on a garbage-time drive in the final minutes. He also had an interception and fumble and was flagged for intentional grounding three times as the Dolphins never let him get comfortable in the pocket.

He has six picks and no touchdowns this season. In two years, he has 10 picks and one TD.

The Browns provided no updates on Monday for CB Denzel Ward (shoulder), LB Jordan Hicks (concussion) and RB Pierre Strong Jr. (concussion). ... RB Jerome Ford (ankle) limped to the locker room in the first half and returned for only one play. ... TE David Njoku (knee) and DE Ogbo Okoronkwo (knee) didn't play.

Minus-2 — Yards on interception returns for the Browns, who could break the NFL record of 5 yards held by the 1959 Los Angeles Rams. Cleveland has only four interceptions this season, the fewest since Detroit had that many in 2008.

A likely beating at the hands of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, who opened as 17 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson reacts during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) passes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) runs during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) runs as Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland (8) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) runs past Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) hands the football to running back Jerome Ford (34) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) is pressured by Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) is pressured by Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Patrick Paul, right, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person inside the Tesla Cybertruck that burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel suffered a gunshot to the head before the explosion, officials said Thursday.

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that a handgun was found at the feet of the man who's been identified as Matthew Livelsberger. Officials believe the shot was self-inflicted.

Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said.

He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.

The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday's explosion but provided no other details.

The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said Thursday that they believe Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others.

Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. However, one of the officials who spoke to the AP said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.

Chris Raia, FBI deputy assistant director, said Thursday that officials have found ‘no definitive link’ between the New Orleans attack and the truck explosion in Las Vegas.

Seven people nearby suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded. Video showed a tumble of charred fireworks mortars, canisters and other explosive devices crowded into the back of the pickup. The truck bed walls were still intact because the blast shot straight up rather than to the sides.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."

"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.

Musk has recently become a member of Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk was in Las Vegas early Wednesday. Both had attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his South Florida estate.

Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, Kevin McMahill, the elected sheriff of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, said Wednesday. He did not release the person’s ID, however.

Copp, Richer and Long contributed from Washington.

Investigators enter a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Investigators stand outside a townhouse complex in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)