The Cleveland Browns are 3–11 after 15 weeks, and that record all but confirms it: this is another lost season in Cleveland. At this point, there are really only two ways to look at it. Either Kevin Stefanski hasn’t learned much from last year’s 3–14 collapse, or he’s been trapped in an impossible situation despite being a capable NFL head coach. Either way, the conclusion lands in the same place: Stefanski is officially on the hot seat.

The reasons have been stacking up for a while, but Week 15 against the Chicago Bears added another layer to the conversation. It’s why The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd believes the Browns have just three games left, and those could very well be the final three games of Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland. To understand how it got here, you can’t just look at the Bears’ loss in isolation. You have to zoom out.

Because when you connect the dots, the current 3–11 disaster didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of decisions made over several seasons. Or, as the saying goes: as you sow, so shall you reap. For many around the league, the downward spiral begins with the Deshaun Watson trade. Stefanski played a meaningful role in that decision, and it backfired badly.

Watson collected a fully guaranteed contract and managed just 19 games across three seasons, derailed by injuries. Since then, the Browns have been scrambling unsuccessfully to find a valuable successor. That scramble turned into a four-quarterback disaster in 2025, and everyone knows how that unfolded. But what really caught attention wasn’t just the chaos. It was how Stefanski handled the rookies.

Questions about quarterback management only grew louder after reports surfaced that Dillon Gabriel’s fiancée publicly exposed locker-room dynamics, with some interpreting it as favoritism toward Gabriel over Shedeur Sanders. Whether fair or not, the optics were bad, and optics matter when you’re losing.

And even if you ignore the long view, the last few weeks alone have been damaging.

Against the Tennessee Titans, Shedeur Sanders threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns, going 23-of-42 and leading back-to-back touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter. Cleveland had a real chance to force overtime. Instead, Stefanski pulled Sanders back in the biggest moment, the Browns missed the two-point conversion, and Tennessee escaped with a 31–29 win. Another opportunity slipped away.

Then came Week 15 against Chicago, and that game felt like everything unraveling at once. Cleveland gave up a 52-yard kick return on the opening kickoff. That was followed by a false start. And then came the moment that perfectly summed up the season: the Browns lined up with 12 men on offense, as receiver Harold Fannin awkwardly jogged toward the sideline in a failed attempt to avoid the penalty.

It was disorganized. It was sloppy. And it was unmistakably coaching-related. As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com put it, “If they are looking for reasons to let go of Kevin Stefanski, they are finding them.”

That’s the reality right now. And it’s important to be clear, any decision on Stefanski won’t be based solely on this season’s mistakes. The past decisions are very much part of the evaluation. Once again, the pattern holds: as you sow, so shall you reap.

To Stefanski’s credit, one thing he has continued to do well is stand at the podium and explain what went wrong.

Kevin Stefanski explains what went wrong with Shedeur Sanders’ wristband

When the Browns lose, and Kevin Stefanski steps up to the podium, the script is usually familiar. You’ll hear some version of “Put it on me” or “We have to coach and play better.” Most weeks, that’s enough. But Week 15 against the Bears came with too many visible mistakes to gloss over. Especially the bizarre moment when Shedeur lost the play sheet from his wristband. Naturally, Stefanski was asked to explain it:

“There was a miscommunication early. The wristband got something on it or whatever it was…we got that fixed pretty quickly.” Sanders backed that up, stating, “The card just fell out. It just fell out on the sideline. That was it.”

Simple explanation. Big consequences.

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That odd moment involving the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback had a ripple effect on the Browns’ offense right from the opening drive. Without a proper play-calling wristband, communication in the huddle became messy almost immediately. It showed up fast. Sanders struggled to relay plays in the first quarter, had to sprint to the sideline to get calls directly from Stefanski, and picked up a delay-of-game penalty in the process.

Not long after, he ditched the wristband altogether. Which is why Sanders being sent onto the field without the full play sheet in his wristband is being viewed by many as the final straw. After all, the disconnect between QB and HC was hard to miss, and the numbers tell the same story. Sanders opened the game 4-of-10 for 54 yards and finished 18-of-25 for 177 yards, with no touchdowns, three interceptions, and five sacks.

Cleveland never found rhythm, never found momentum, and eventually walked off with a 31–3 loss. That defeat dropped the Browns to 3–11, officially eliminating them from playoff contention. And now, the focus shifts away from the field and toward the future. The only real question left is whether ownership decides to pull the plug on Stefanski, or, once again, trusts him to mentor another rookie quarterback next season, should Cleveland go back to the draft for answers under center.