The Browns defense was overmatched by the Cowboys' star-studded offense in a 35-10 loss at FirstEnergy Stadium.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Not even the addition of linebacker Jamie Collins was enough for the Browns to slow Dak Prescott, Zeke Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys' star-studded offense.
The overmatched Browns lost 35-10 Sunday to drop to 0-9. It marks their worst start to a season since 1975, when they started 0-9 and finished 3-11.
Their 12 straight losses dating back to last season also set the record for longest losing streak in the history of the franchise.
They surrendered 423 yards to the high-powered Cowboys.
Elliott, the former Ohio State running back, burned them for 92 yards on 18 carries and two TDs. He blasted through tackle attempts and left defenders grasping at air. Elliott runs behind arguably the best offensive line in the NFL, but he did plenty of damage on his own.
Prescott, a quarterback the Browns passed over eight times in the draft, completed 21-of-27 attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns for a 141.8 rating. He won his seventh straight game to improve the Cowboys to 7-1.
He said he wakes up every day motivated "to prove everyone wrong'' for passing on him until the fourth round.
He certainly made the Browns pay for not taking him seriously in the pre-draft process. Prescott is currently the best rookie quarterback in the NFL and the second Rookie of the Year candidate the Browns passed on this season. The first was Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, whom they passed on at No. 2 overall.
The Browns are in jeopardy of becoming the first team since the Lions in 2008 to go 0-16.
"My hat's off to the Cowboys," Browns coach Hue Jackson said after the game. "It starts with me. We have to coach better and get them to play better, put them in better situations.
"There are some things I know we can do better and will do better; but there are some things that keep rearing their ugly heads.
"It starts with me getting our players and everybody involved in this organization to do this right. We have to slow the run down, and we have to control the other team's better players. We just have to get better in some areas. . . We just keep working at it. There no other players that are going to walk in here."
Zeke's big day
Elliott had his way with the Browns and embarrassed the defense all afternoon. After his first TD, he signaled O-H-I-O and again walked off the field.
With 10:02 left in the half, he stretched the ball over the right pylon for a 10-yard TD that increased the Cowboys' lead to 14-3. Elliott ran through safety Tracy Howard for the score, his sixth of the season. With 11:30 left in the third quarter, Elliott rushed for an 8-yard TD that made it 28-10. On the run, he left Browns cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun grasping at air at the 11. By halftime, Elliott had 12 runs for 65 yard and the TD.
Collins' debut
Collins had an up-and-down day in his Browns debut. Tight end Jason Witten got behind him for a 26-yard touchdown catch that put the Cowboys up 7-3 with 6:47 left in the first quarter. He also missed a few tackles, including one on a 6-yard run by Elliott that converted a third and 1. But he made five tackles in the first half, including dropping Elliott for a 3-yard loss. Collins, who finished with eight tackles, hit Prescott once to force an incompletion, but he wasn't as impactful as the Browns had hoped.
"He's learning how we do things," Jackson said after the game. "I thought he went out there and fought. . . There will be some good tape to watch from Jamie."
Witten unstoppable
The Browns had no answer for Witten, the Cowboys' 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall-of-Fame tight end. He finished with eight catches for 134 yards and a TD. By halftime, Witten had five catches for 66 yards and the 26-yard TD catch. On the opening play of the third quarter, he caught a 35-yard pass that led to Elliott's 8-yard TD run.
Corey Coleman's return
Receiver Corey Coleman's return from his broken hand didn't make as big an impact as the Browns had hoped. He finished with three catches for 41 yards and was targeted seven times.
Terrelle Pryor's TD
Pryor caught a 12-yard TD pass with with 23 seconds left in the half to trim the Browns' deficit to to 21-10. It gave the Browns a bit of hope, but little did they know it would prove to be one of the only offensive highlights of the game. Pryor finished with five catches for 47 yards and a TD.
Cody Parkey's missed FG
As if things weren't bad enough for the Browns, kicker Cody Parkey hit the left upright early in the second quarter to prevent the Browns from closing the gap to 7-6.
Blown coverages
On two of the Cowboys' TDs, the receivers were so wide open that they could've re-tied their shoes before making the catch. With 1:50 left in the half, Cole Beasley caught a 6-yard TD after a miscommunication between Joe Haden and Tramon Williams.
With 1:41 left in the third quarter, tight Gavin Escobar was left wide open on the left side of the end zone for a 2-yard TD that made it 35-10.
Erving and Irving ejected
Cowboys defensive end David Irving and Browns center Cam Erving were both ejected with 12:44 left in the first quarter after they mixed it up after a third down incompletion. Irving tried to sit on Erving, and the center pulled off the defensive end's helmet and whipped it at him. Both were immediately penalized and ejected. With Erving gone, John Greco moved to center, Spencer Drango went to left guard and Alvin Bailey played right guard. The ejection was unfortunate, because the Browns are trying to determine if Erving is their center of the future.
"You can't throw the helmet," Jackson said after the game. "There's a chance Cam could stay out there if he doesn't throw the helmet. That's something I talked to Cam about when he came over there is, you can't retaliate. . . That's a lesson we have to learn and something we can't do."
Carl Nassib eye
Browns defensive end Carl Nassib left the game in the third quarter with an eye injury and didn't return.
Next up
The Browns have a tight turnaround. They travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens on Thursday night in the NFL Network game.
"One thing about this group: They're not giving up," Jackson said. "They're fighting. We're just not doing it as well as I think we can. . .Our guys will come in here and we'll move on and get ready for Baltimore."