The Cleveland Browns suffered their second straight gut-wrenching loss last week. They also lost another quarterback to an ankle injury.
Rookie Colt McCoy will miss Sunday’s game with an injured left ankle when the Browns host the Carolina Panthers. Jake Delhomme will get the start in his place.
The Browns appeared headed for their fourth win of the season last week against Jacksonville after the Jaguars turned the ball over six times, including five straight possessions in the second half.
But Cleveland (3-7) sealed its own fate when it could only turn the mistakes into 10 points despite taking over in Jacksonville territory several times. The Jags eventually hung onto the ball and took the lead for good with a minute left to play on a 1-yard run by Maurice Jones-Drew in the 24-20 win.
McCoy, Cleveland’s rookie quarterback, injured his left ankle after getting sacked six times on Sunday at Jacksonville. He finished the game with a noticeable limp.
McCoy underwent an MRI exam on Monday and Browns coach Eric Mangini ruled him out Wednesday. Mangini said it may take as much as six weeks for McCoy to return.
Delhomme will get the call against his former team. Both Delhomme, who was the Browns’ No. 1 quarterback at the beginning of the season, and Seneca Wallace suffered high ankle sprains earlier in the season. Wallace served as McCoy’s backup last week, but Delhomme is close to 100 percent recovered, according to Mangini.
McCoy injected some life into the Browns’ offense in his short tenure. He went 2-3 as a starter, including a shocking rout of New England. Since that game Cleveland lost an overtime decision against the New York Jets and last week’s heartbreaker to AFC South co-leaders Jacksonville.
Delhomme signed with the Browns as a free agent in March after spending seven seasons in Carolina and took the Panthers to their only Super Bowl appearance in the 2003 season.
While the quarterback situation at Cleveland is in constant flux it’s a mess in Carolina.
The Panthers (1-9) went with unknown Brian St. Pierre in last week’s 37-13 loss to Baltimore. St. Pierre had thrown just five passes in eight years in the NFL and wasn’t even in a training camp in the preseason.
A week ago, St. Pierre was taking care of his kids at home when he got the call to take over the Panthers’ offense. It was both memorable and forgettable at the same time.
St. Pierre had one highlight, connecting with emerging wideout David Gettis on an 88-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter that cut the Baltimore lead to 20-13.
But St. Pierre’s next two passes were both intercepted and returned for touchdowns.
Carolina coach John Fox elected to give St. Pierre, who finished 13 for 28 for 173 yards, the start over rookie Tony Pike. Whether he gets another chance is unclear and depends upon several factors.
Starter Jimmy Clausen (concussion) was given clearance to return to practice and St. Pierre said he had a sore shoulder after the game.
Barring any setbacks, Clausen is expected to start. Otherwise, the Panthers may be forced to go with Keith Null, who was signed to the practice squad earlier this week.