Raiders 26, Browns 24
It came down to a kick.

Yes, the Browns' defense was atrocious (for the third week in a row), Derek Anderson threw a pair of interceptions, receivers dropped passes and the team was called for six first quarter penalties.

No pass rush. No way to stop Lamont Jordan. Way too many mistakes.

And it all came down to a kick.

Phil Dawson's 40-yard field goal was blocked as time expired. He had made the same kick seconds earlier, but Oakland coach Lane Kiffin called a timeout just before that one was kicked.

Dawson's second kick never had a chance. It wasn't all his fault. The kick appeared low, but Oakland got a tremendous push on the Browns' line.

Yes, the Browns didn't play well. But if Dawson makes the kick, as he has done so many times before, we're all happy.

If that kick goes through, the Browns have won two straight. Anderson has a fourth-quarter comeback and the Browns will leave week 5's sure loss against New England with no worse than a 2-3 record.

But the kick was blocked, and so the whole discussion changes. People will complain about the coaching. But it wasn't coaching today. It was execution. The Browns executed very well for the last four minutes. The last play of the game was much like the first 56 minutes -- poor execution.

- Josh Cribbs is the best returner in the NFL. Period.

- If CBS analyst Steve Beurlein might be the worst NFL commentator I have ever heard. He just repeats the same phrases over and over again. After a while, the audience should be able to pick up that some player is doing a "great job" or that a quarterback would like to "have that one back."

- I know unloading on an announcer is cheap, but Cleveland fans have had to listen to this guy for two straight games.

- Third and 21 should never be converted. Some Browns players need to learn how to tackle.

- In the interest of ending on a positive note, how many Browns' offenses since 1999 would have been able to drive from their own 9 to an opponents 23 in less than a minute with no timeouts? This offense is developing, but it's not good enough to survive two turnovers and a pathetic defensive showing.