Home crowd goes without win this season
CLEVELAND — Home sweet home? When it comes to the Browns, forget it.
They fell 27-10 to the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s home finale at FirstEnergy Stadium. As a result, the Browns failed to win a home game all season for the second time in franchise history.
It also happened when they were an expansion team in 1999. This year, they went 0-7 in Cleveland and lost as the home team when they played in London.
The Browns became the first team in NFL history go 0-14 in consecutive seasons. They have two chances left — at the Chicago Bears on Dec. 24 and at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 31 — to avoid finishing 0-16, which only the 2008 Detroit Lions have done. Last season, the Browns won in Game 15, a 20-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve in Cleveland — and finished 1-15.
Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer entered the game with a leaguehigh 17 interceptions and five lost fumbles. He added to both of those totals as his turnover problems continued to plague the Browns.
Kizer completed 20 of 37 passes for 146 yards with two interceptions. He also lost a fumble on a strip-sack in the end zone, and the Ravens scored a touchdown on the play to go up 24-10.
“Those are the things that he has to really fight against,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “That is one of the areas of the field where there have been some struggles, but there has also been some improvement. You want to keep it going that way. Today we took a step back.”
With the Browns attempting to rally from a 17-point deficit, Kizer made his most headscratching decision of the game by forcing a throw intended for running back Isaiah Crowell into triple coverage in the back of the end zone. Cornerback Brandon Carr easily picked him off with 11:07 left in the fourth quarter, ensuring the Ravens (8-6) would prevail and keep themselves in the playoff hunt. It was Kizer’s sixth interception in the red zone this season.
The Browns have lost their past 16 AFC North matchups and haven’t won a division game since they defeated the Ravens 33-30 in overtime on Oct. 11, 2015, in Baltimore.
At 1-29, Jackson is off to the worst start that any NFL coach has had with a team.
“I’m not running from this,” he said. “I have never gone anyplace and left it worse than when I found it. I’m not going to run from this.”