Kevin Stefanski has firmly placed himself on the hot seat with a rough start

Kevin Stefanski had the Cleveland Browns all set for a 2-0 start. His team took a late 30-17 lead over the New York Jets and fans started to file out of the stadium, gleeful over the victory.

That was until Joe Flacco led two quick scoring drives, thanks to some horrific defense by the Browns secondary and an onside kick recovery. Everything that could go wrong did and the entire team and fanbase is still shell-shocked.

So who is to blame? The head coach is always looked at when things go wrong. As such, Stefanski has placed himself firmly on the hot seat far too prematurely in his Browns tenure.

Why Kevin Stefanski could be in trouble

Week 1 was nearly a disaster for the Browns as well. Rookie kicker Cade York saved the day with a nearly 60-yard, game-winning field goal. This helped take down Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers at the very last second.

Speaking of Mayfield, he was essentially the scapegoat for the entire 2021 season. While he did play injured, the public blame was cast his way, including for why things never worked out with Odell Beckham Jr. in Cleveland.

But Mayfield is long gone now and nothing has changed. A good, or even average, head coach ensures his team plays for a full 60 minutes, not 58. Yes, Stefanski is managing the offense while defensive coordinator Joe Woods handles the defense. But the head coach is still the one in charge of the entire team.

Last year, the head coach could argue that the front office gave him a dud at quarterback. But the Browns allowed Joe Flacco to carve through them at home, overcoming a double-digit lead after the two-minute warning.

Stefanski is a first-time head coach who burst onto the scene as the league's Coach of the Year in 2020. He helped end a playoff drought that dated back decades. It is important to point out that the win came with the coach at home with COVID.

This is now his third year and the Browns are coming off a losing season in 2021. They are supposed to be contenders, and losing a game to the Jets in general is inexcusable. Losing in the fashion they did was so bad it could lead to jobs being lost.

The head coach can't use Deshaun Watson's absence as an excuse because the Browns scored 30 points with Jacoby Brissett under center. The issue is allowing total communication breakdowns on defense at the NFL level. That is something the leader needs to fix right away.

Stefanski is not going to be fired this week, but he did make his seat warm. An embarrassing performance Thursday night at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers could turn the temperature up to high.