4:19 p.m.-BROWNS FALL TO PACKERS IN OVERTIME
CLEVELAND -- So close, and yet, so far away.
The Cleveland Browns scored 21 straight points, but it was not enough, as the Green Bay Packers made plays down the stretch of regulation and in overtime and fought their way to a 27-21 victory at FirstEnergy Stadium Sunday.
The Browns won the coin toss in overtime and took the ball, but on third-and-two from his own 33-yard line, rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer scrambled to his right, reversed course back left, and threw a pass as he was hit by Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews III.
Matthews got enough of Kizer’s arm to affect the pass, and the jump ball was intercepted by Packers safety Josh Jones at the Cleveland 42-yard line.
Then, quarterback Brett Hundley engineered a six-play drive and punctuated it with a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Davante Adams with 5:05 left in the overtime period.
With their 13th consecutive loss during the 2017 season, the Browns dropped to 1-28 since the opening game of 2016.
The Browns have not won on a Sunday afternoon since December 13, 2015. The 30 straight Sunday losses are an NFL record, and their 4-46 mark in the last 50 outings is the worst in the league in that four-year span.
4:02 p.m.-PACKERS DRAW EVEN WITH LAST-MINUTE TD
CLEVELAND -- The Green Bay Packers turned a short field into a game-tying touchdown with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium.
On first-and-goal from inside the Cleveland one-yard line, quarterback Brett Hundley fired a touchdown pass to wide receiver Davante Adams along the left side of the end zone. Mason Crosby’s extra point knotted the score at 21 all.
One play earlier, it was ruled that Hundley scored a touchdown after being flushed out of the pocket on third-and-two from the Cleveland six-yard line, but a replay review showed he was down short of the goal line before the ball crossed the plane of the end zone.
The Packers’ 25-yard scoring drive was set up by a 65-yard punt return from second-year wide receiver Trevor Davis, who escaped several tackle attempts before getting to the left sideline and sprinting free for the big gain.
3:19 p.m.-PACKERS MAKE IT A ONE-SCORE GAME
CLEVELAND -- When the Green Bay Packers needed a score early in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium, they went back to their rookie running back Jamaal Williams.
On third-and-goal from the Browns’ one-yard line, Williams took a handoff from quarterback Brett Hundley, hustled around right end and fought his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day, which cut the Browns’ lead down to one score, 21-14, with 12:50 to play in the fourth quarter.
After being stopped on first and second downs by running inside between the tackles, Williams bounced the handoff outside for the touchdown.
The Packers’ second scoring drive of the game covered 75 yards in 13 plays and took less than five minutes off of the clock.
3:01 p.m.-BROWNS EXTEND LEAD OVER PACKERS ON KIZER TD PASS
CLEVELAND -- Quarterback DeShone Kizer threw a two-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Coleman, and his third scoring throw of the game gave the Cleveland Browns a 21-7 lead over the Green Bay Packers with 2:49 to play in the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium.
On third-and-goal, Kizer took the shotgun snap and fired a pass over the middle of the field to Coleman, who secured the catch just over the goal line and held on for the touchdown despite absorbing a crushing hit from a Packers defender.
Earlier in the drive, Kizer completed a 15-yard pass to running back Duke Johnson, and then, three plays later, on third-and-one from Green Bay’s 43-yard line, fellow rusher Isaiah Crowell broke off a 37-yard run up the middle of the field that gave the Browns a first-and-goal at the Packers’ 6.
Crowell took a handoff behind left guard Joel Bitonio, used a burst of speed to get to the right hash marks and hustled down the field before being tripped up short of the goal line.
2:23 p.m.-BROWNS LEAD PACKERS, 14-7, AT HALFTIME
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns held a 14-7 lead over the Green Bay Packers at halftime of their inter-divisional game at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
It was only the second time this season that the Browns held a halftime lead, with the other coming in their game against the Minnesota Vikings at Twickenham Stadium in London on October 29.
Despite consistent windy conditions throughout the first two quarters, it was the passing game that put the Browns in front of the Packers, as rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer completed 15 of his 18 throws for 174 yards and two touchdowns against one interception, which came on his last attempt of the half.
Wide receiver Josh Gordon was on the receiving end of three of Kizer’s passes, and turned those completions into a game-high 69 yards. Gordon’s 18-yard touchdown catch, his first since 2013, drew the Browns even in the first quarter.
Additionally, wide receiver Corey Coleman accounted for 60 yards on his four catches.
Kizer’s counterpart for the Packers, Brett Hundley, completed eight of his 13 throws for 80 yards with one touchdown.
2:00 p.m.-BROWNS TAKE 14-7 LEAD OVER PACKERS
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns took a 14-7 lead over the Green Bay Packers on a misdirection play with 5:12 remaining in the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium.
On first-and-goal from Green Bay’s seven-yard line, rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer took the shotgun snap and faked a handoff to running back Isaiah Crowell.
While Crowell attracted the attention of the defense, fellow running back Duke Johnson ran behind the line of scrimmage from the left slot and caught a quick shovel pass from Kizer. After securing the catch, Johnson turned the corner and got into the end zone untouched for his third receiving touchdown of the season.
Kizer’s eighth touchdown pass of the year capped off a 12-play, 70-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off of the second-quarter clock.
1:19 p.m.-JOSH GORDON CATCHES TD PASS
CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon expected an emotional return to FirstEnergy Stadium after missing nearly three straight seasons because of multiple suspensions, but he controlled those feelings long enough to make two big plays on the team’s opening drive against the Green Bay Packers.
Gordon caught two passes for 56 yards, and the second reception was a touchdown that drew the Browns even with the Packers, 7-7, with 4:45 to play in the first quarter.
On second-and-seven from Green Bay’s 18-yard line, quarterback DeShone Kizer rifled a spiral over the middle of the field, and Gordon lunged to make a finger-tip catch before falling to the turf.
Following the touchdown, Gordon celebrated with his teammates in the end zone, sprinted over the sideline and wrapped up coach Hue Jackson in a bear hug, and jumped up on the bench to urge Browns fans to cheer louder.
On the first play of the drive, Kizer took a snap under center, surveyed the field and found Gordon sprinting open down the left sideline for a gain of 38 yards.
1:11 p.m.-PACKERS TAKE LEAD ON HUNDLEY TD PASS
CLEVELAND -- The Green Bay Packers got the opening kickoff and built a sustained drive that quarterback Brett Hundley punctuated with a 30-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back Jamaal Williams at the 8:50 mark of the first quarter of their game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium.
On second-and-10 from the Cleveland 30-yard line, Hundley took the shotgun snap and was flushed out of the pocket toward Green Bay’s sideline. Originally looking to throw the ball away, Hundley found Williams well behind the Browns’ secondary for the go-ahead touchdown.
Williams ran a simple go route, and by the time he got to the 15-yard line, he was well behind the Browns’ defense. Williams hauled in the pass just short of the goal line and walked into the end zone for his second receiving and fifth overall touchdown of the season.
The Packers’ 11-play, 74-yard scoring drive lasted 6:10, and was extended twice by fourth-down conversions, the first of which came on a fake punt, and the second, on a screen pass from Hundley to wide receiver Randall Cobb.
12:15 p.m.-GAME INFORMATION
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns are back in front of the home fans at FirstEnergy Stadium for the first time in three weeks, and they are hosting a team still very much in the thick of the playoff chase in the Green Bay Packers.
Despite losing starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers for two months because of surgery to repair a broken collarbone, the Packers are 6-6 overall and tied with teams like the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys on the outside looking in at the NFC Wildcard spots.
With last week’s 19-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center, which was their 12th consecutive setback to start the 2017 season, the Browns dropped to 1-27 since the season opener of 2016.
The Browns have not won on a Sunday afternoon since December 13, 2015. The 29 straight Sunday losses are an NFL record, and their 4-45 mark in the last 49 outings is the worst in the league in that four-year span.
The Browns’ 1-27 record is the worst in league history over a 28-game stretch, beating the previous mark of 2-26 set by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1976-1977 seasons.
In five full seasons under the majority ownership of Dee and Jimmy Haslam, the Browns have posted an NFL-worst 15-61 record. Factoring in the remaining games of the 2012 season after the sale was approved at an NFL Owners Meeting in Chicago, the Browns have gone 19-66 on the Haslams’ watch.
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