Browns vs. Packers: 4 takeaways from an overtime loss

The Cleveland Browns fell to 0-13 on the season following an overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers. Here are four takeaways from the game.

Another Sunday, another loss for the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland took it into overtime before falling to the Green Bay Packers, 27-21, to fall to 0-13 on the season and 1-28 under head coach Hue Jackson.

The final touchdown may have come in overtime, but the Browns gradually lost this game throughout the fourth quarter as everything started to fall apart after they took a 21-7 lead in the third quarter.

Here are four takeaways from today’s game.

The offense looked good for almost three quarters

Things were going well for the Browns through the first three quarters of the game.

Cleveland scored a touchdown on their opening drive when quarterback DeShone Kizer hit wide receiver Josh Gordon for an 18-yard touchdown pass. It was the first scoring reception for Gordon since late in the 2013 season.

The Browns added a touchdown reception from running back Duke Johnson on a nice shovel pass in the second quarter, and wide receiver Corey “Just a Guy” Coleman added a touchdown reception in the third quarter to give the Browns a 21-7 lead.

Everything went downhill from there as the Browns next four possessions ended in two punts, the end of regulation, and an interception, and totaled all of 48 yards.

Gordon (three receptions for 69 yards and a TD) and Coleman (four receptions for 60 yards) had a good time of it in the first half, but Gordon would finish the game with that same stat line (and only have one catch after the opening drive) and Coleman had just one catch in the second half.

Still, they combined for eight catches, 131 yards and two touchdowns, which the Browns will take every week.

DeShone Kizer is not the answer

It was yet another up-and-down game for Kizer, with the bad being just enough to outweigh the good.

The first came at the end of the first half when the Browns were hoping to, at best, put some points on the board and, at worst, avoid giving the ball back to the Packers. So, naturally, Kizer badly underthrew Coleman on a third-down pass that was intercepted by Green Bay’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

It was even worse in overtime when Kizer held onto the ball too long, panicked, and threw up something resembling a pass while falling down, said pass being intercepted by Green Bay’s Josh Jones. The Packers turned that mistake into the game-winning touchdown drive.

Kizer finished the day 20-of-28, by far his best day from a completion percentage standpoint, and threw a franchise rookie-record three touchdown passes. But he only passed for 214 yards, threw those two interceptions and took two sacks.

Kizer looked about as good as you could want in the first half by completing 15-of-18 for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but bottomed out in the second half by going just five-0f-1o for 42 yards.

That’s not going to cut it, folks.

A big day for Sashi Brown’s guys

Hue Jackson won’t say it, and a large swath of the media will never admit it, but the guys that former executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown put on the roster had a heck of a day on Sunday.

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Defensive end Carl Nassib was active in harassing Green Bay quarterback Brett Hundley as well as a pass batted down. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi continued to make life difficult for opposing running backs, Coleman had that touchdown reception, and the offensive line, consisting of four players (Spencer Drango, JC Tretter, Kevin Zeitler and Shon Coleman) were having their way with the Packers defensive front seven in overtime before Kizer’s Jameis Winston impersonation.

The 2018 NFL Draft continues to fall into place

The loss keeps the Browns in total control of the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Cleveland still holds a two-game lead over the New York Giants, who could not take down the Dallas Cowboys despite the heroic return of quarterback Eli Manning to the lineup.

Meanwhile, in Houston, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garappolo lead his team to two touchdown drives (giving him three in 32 career drives as a starting quarterback) to not only push the 49ers to their third win of the season, but drop the Houston Texans to 4-9.

The Chicago Bears also picked up their fourth win of the season, helping to increase the possibility that they will pass up the Texans before the season is over.

The only blemish is that the Indianapolis Colts could not overcome the elements and the Buffalo Bills to pull out their fourth win of the year.

Next: Browns fall to Packers in overtime

As it stands, the Texans are currently tied with three other teams at 4-9, meaning their first-round pick, which is the property of the Browns, is looking more like a lock to be in the top 10 and possibly in the top five.

And who do the Browns and their fans have to thank for that? Nah, you already know.