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CLEVELAND Country-western singer Hank Williams Jr.'s theme song of Monday Night Football asks viewers if they're ready for some football.

Williams might not want to hear what Browns fan had to say about that question following a 16-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens here Monday. In another chapter in what might be the worst season in team history, the Browns were pathetic across the board.

For starters, the decision by coach Eric Mangini to put Brady Quinn back in the saddle at quarterback didn't work out well. Quinn, who was harassed by the Ravens defense, struggled through a performance to forget as the offense couldn't get beyond the Ravens' 45.

Quinn finished 13-of-31 for 98 yards and a passer rating of 23.4. He was sacked four times, hurried into numerous bad throws and showed his frustration with a low block on Terrell Suggs after an interception. Suggs suffered an injury on the play.

"I tried to make a tackle, and he came across at the last second," Quinn said. "I can never be more sorry for that. That wasn't the intent. I'll be praying for him.

Quinn was part of a bigger problem on offense. The ground game was awful, the offensive line broke down consistently in protection, and receivers dropped passes.

The Browns' record slipped to 1-8. The Ravens, fighting to remain alive in the AFC playoff chase, are 5-4.

"There are a lot of moving parts and we're trying different things," Quinn said. "As a team we're not executing the way we need to. Why that is, I don't know. It's hard to put a finger on it at this point."

It's hard to compare lows for the Browns this season, but what happened last night might have been it. Other than a decent showing by the defense in a scoreless first half, there was nothing that owner Randy Lerner could have seen to make him think the program is on the right track.

The quarterback situation remains a mess. Quinn looked exactly the way he did in the first game between the teams. Mangini benched Quinn at halftime of that game, which was won by the Ravens, 34-3.

Where Mangini goes from here in the search for stability at quarterback is hard to gauge. Critics have joked that third-string quarterback Brett Ratliff should be given an opportunity. That's no longer a laughing matter as Quinn and Derek Anderson continue to embarrass the position.

The Ravens didn't show much more on offense in the first half in generating 140 yards, compared to 97 for the Browns. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed 8-of-12 passes at halftime for 92 yards.

When the teams went to their locker rooms at halftime, it appeared as if the game might not be decided until the end. That was until Browns cornerback Brandon McDonald missed as tackle on receiver Derrick Mason, who caught a Flacco pass on a quick out early in the third quarter. Mason turned the McDonald miss into a 41-yard gain to the Browns' 13, which set up a 13-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice on the next play.

The issue was all but settled on the first play of the ensuing Browns' possession when an errant pass by Quinn bounced off the hands of tight end Robert Royal. Dawan Landry intercepted the pass at the Browns' 48 and returned it for a touchdown.

"I should have given them a better ball," Quinn said. "I'm going to be accountable for everything I do out there."

Considering the sorry state of the Browns offense and the talent on the Ravens defense, there was no reason for fans to remain in their seats. As the second half slipped into an embarrassment for the Browns, a national television audience saw a Cleveland Browns Stadium that was 80 percent empty by the final whistle.

Any chance the Browns had of staging a comeback ended with another missed chance by a receiver. Quinn threw an accurate pass to Mike Furrey on a slant route, but the ball bounced off Furrey's hands and was intercepted by cornerback Chris Carr at midfield. Carr returned the ball to the Browns' 39.

The Ravens reached the Browns' 24. The drive stalled, which set up a 44-yard field goal by Steve Hauschka to give Baltimore a 16-0 lead.

Flacco finished 13-of-18 for 155 yards.

The Browns gained 86 yards on the ground. Jamal Lewis led with 36 yards on 10 carries. Joshua Cribbs, who lined up several times at quarterback in the Wildcat formation, had six carries for 34 yards.

Joshua Cribbs was hurt on the final play of the game when he was leveled by Brandon McKinney after tossing a lateral to Robert Royal following a reception. He remained on the field for several minutes and was removed from the field on a cart.

The Browns return to action Sunday on the road against the Detroit Lions.

mmclain@tribtoday.com