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Cleveland Browns went to finishing school against Green Bay Packers

The Cleveland Browns got another lesson on the importance of finishing games against the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) runs the ball past Cleveland Browns cornerback Jason McCourty (30) into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown in overtime at FirstEnergy Stadium.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns held a 14-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but missed plays at the end of regulation and in overtime led to a 27-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium Sunday.

Following the Browns’ 13th straight loss this season, Coach Hue Jackson said the lack of success is due to an inability to finish games, something he hopes to change over the last three weeks of the year.

“At critical times, as I have said before, our team, it is understanding in the fourth quarter what you have to do to win,” Jackson said. “I give Green Bay all of the credit. They made the plays that got them an opportunity to get back in the game and win the game. Credit to them.”

Green Bay’s comeback began in earnest because of a special-teams play.

The Packers’ 25-yard game-tying 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.

Then, 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 with 17 seconds left in regulation.

“I don’t think we made the quarterback as uncomfortable as we needed to in order to get him off the spot,” Jackson said. “Obviously, the young kid made some plays with his legs and with his arm. We have to go back and take a look at that.”

The Browns (0-13) 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 alter the flight of the pass, and the jump ball was intercepted by Packers safety Josh Jones at the Cleveland 42-yard line.

“Obviously, he was trying to make play,” Jackson said. “Just understanding who you are playing against -- that was Matthews coming off that edge. He is a crafty guy. He is going to find a way to get a hand on you to make a play for their football team, and that is my point about players making plays in critical moments. He was able to make the play and we weren’t.”

Following Kizer’s interception, Hundley engineered a game-winning six-play drive for the Packers (7-6) and punctuated it with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Adams with 5:05 left in the overtime period.

“It is still the same old if you turn the ball over, you are going to lose,” Jackson said. “You can’t turn the football over. We had one at the end of the half, and we had one, obviously, late here in the game in overtime. As I talk to our quarterback all of the time, you have to always be team-protecting of the ball. It is unfortunate that they got that opportunity there in the end.”

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