The Cleveland Browns showed much more life than in most of their other losses, but the team’s Week 10 matchup against the Detroit Lions was, once again, a loss. While it was one of the best days of the season offensively for the Browns, it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Lions in a 38-24 loss.
How the Lions held off the winless Browns for a 38-24 win
DeShone Kizer played pretty well, but the Browns are still winless.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
With the loss, Cleveland is now 0-9 — the same record as the San Francisco 49ers — and still atop the hunt for the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. But this was a frustrating loss for a Browns team that had plenty of chances to win.
Here’s how it went down:
The Browns jumped out to an early lead
The first 10 points of the game were scored by the Browns, including a 19-yard touchdown to Kenny Britt — his second touchdown in a season that has featured just 12 receptions.
Cleveland ended the first quarter up 10-3.
Detroit roared back, and the Browns screwed up bad before halftime
After spotting Cleveland a 10-point lead, the Lions got a touchdown with a eight-play, 90-yard drive early in the second quarter and then got a lead when Nevin Lawson forced and scooped up a fumble and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.
But the real ‘blow it’ for the Browns came in the final minute of the second quarter. With 15 seconds and no timeouts, Cleveland had a chance to score a touchdown, or at the very least, try a field goal. Instead, DeShone Kizer tried to sneak in, and the Browns couldn’t run another play.
Instead of a 17-17 or 17-13 game, the Lions took a 17-10 lead to halftime.
So DeShone Kizer was bad again?
Not so much.
The rookie finished with 237 yards passing, one touchdown, and one interception, as well as a rushing touchdown in the third quarter that gave the Browns another lead. An important factor in the game actually was the moment he got drilled and suffered a rib injury.
Cody Kessler replaced him and threw just one completion on three attempts for 5 yards while the Lions extended their lead.
Kizer’s only interception was on a final drive as he was trying to bring the Browns out of a 14-point deficit.
So the Lions played poorly?
It definitely wasn’t the cleanest game for Detroit, but a win is a win. This was by two touchdowns, so the Lions will live with it. They ran the ball pretty well, and Matthew Stafford threw three touchdowns.
The Lions are 5-4 now and still in the hunt, although the Vikings improved to 7-2 on Sunday. Disaster averted.
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