A difficult season for the Miami Dolphins got even worse Sunday, as Miami failed to mount any significant threats in a 31-6 loss to the Browns on a rainy, blustery day in Cleveland.

It was the third straight defeat for Miami, which fell to 1-6 and suffered its worst loss since a 33-8 defeat to Indianapolis in Week 1. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed just 12 of 23 passes for 100 yards and three interceptions, and was benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers in the fourth quarter. It is unclear who will be the starter moving forward.

“Before watching the tape, I don’t want to over-conclude anything. But, you turn the ball over, it’s the No. 1 indicator of wins and losses, and it negatively affects the team,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after the game. “There are multiple factors in those turnovers, but I know at least one to two of them were extremely preventable from Tua, and he knows that.

“He just wasn’t good enough, so we’ll watch the tape and change our style of play if we have to. Everything’s on the table when you go to a game, you fully know that you have the capability to win and get handed a very, very humbling loss.”

Meanwhile, the flat performance brings more attention to the status of McDaniel. McDaniel has been on the hot seat for much of the season as the Dolphins have been largely uncompetitive. The Athletic’s Mike Jones recently wondered if Miami had to go on a postseason run to save McDaniel’s job, and CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz pondered during the Chiefs-Raiders game whether there would soon be news out of Miami.

“The way I look at this job is I find it very offensive to all parties involved if I’m thinking about having a job. I need to be doing my job,” McDaniel said when asked about his job security. “For as long as I coach for the Miami Dolphins and this organization, they’ll get everything from me. … You have a job, you do your job, and you do it to the best of your ability. That’s where my concern lies.”

Cleveland, which won despite gaining only 206 yards of total offense, improved to 2-5. Quinshon Judkins rushed for 84 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Browns.

Dolphins fail to fight for McDaniel

The Dolphins didn’t play like a team trying to make any kind of case to keep its head coach. Tagovailoa threw three interceptions, and the Dolphins racked up 94 penalty yards in the first three quarters. The game was competitive for a half despite multiple Miami miscues, but it got away quickly in the second, and the Miami offense never seemed to be a threat to mount a rally.

The weather was bad, but the Dolphins’ discipline was worse as the Browns’ opening scoring drive was aided by two Miami defensive penalties, and Cleveland’s first touchdown was followed by Miami’s Dee Eskridge losing a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. The Dolphins couldn’t get off the field or create enough consistent offense to make a bad Browns team sweat. The Cleveland offense is awful, but Miami’s is worse. Ewers replaced Tagovailoa for the final eight minutes, and his first pass should have been intercepted. — Zac Jackson, Browns beat writer

Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins dropped to 1-6 after Sunday’s loss to the Browns. (Nick Cammett / Getty Images)

Judkins impresses for Cleveland

The Browns’ path to winning was always going to have to include a big day from rookie running back Judkins, and he delivered with three rushing touchdowns. Miami turnovers consistently set the Browns up with good field position, and two of Judkins’ touchdown runs came on direct snap plays from inside the Miami 5-yard line.

The weather was less than ideal, and the Dolphins came into the game with the league’s worst run defense. So, a struggling Browns offense kept it simple. Judkins shook a tackle and showed impressive acceleration on his 46-yard run for the game’s first touchdown, but otherwise the Browns just took what was available and followed the lead of their defense.

It was an especially big day for safety Grant Delpit, who forced the fumble on the kickoff return, recorded a sack, and then had the pressure that led to Tagovailoa’s second interception. — Jackson

A big day for the Browns’ defense

Tyson Campbell, who made his Browns debut last week just four days after being acquired in a trade with Jacksonville, intercepted Tagovailoa on the first play of the second half and returned it 34 yards to the end zone. The game was pretty much over then, and the Browns’ defense continued its domination the rest of the way. Myles Garrett snapped his streak of three straight games without a sack, and both Rayshawn Jenkins and Ronnie Hickman had fourth-quarter interceptions.

The Browns didn’t go over 150 yards of offense until the fourth quarter, but it didn’t matter. The Dolphins were horrible, and the Browns knew they didn’t need to do much besides run the ball and milk the clock. — Jackson