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DeShone Kizer focuses on finishing off a win for Cleveland Browns

Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer is focused on finishing off a win for the Cleveland Browns.
Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer is focused on finishing off a win for the Cleveland Browns.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns were close to pulling out their first win of the season in last Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium, but an inability make plays in the second half and overtime led to their 13th straight loss of the season.

Heading into Sunday’s AFC North Division matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in the final game of the year at FirstEnergy Stadium, rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer and the Browns are focused on one thing: finishing strong.

“It is just making sure that when we get into the fourth quarter now that we are finishing games the right way and executing our jobs at the high level that we were in the first half,” Kizer said.

Despite consistent windy conditions throughout the first two quarters, it was the passing game that put the Browns in front of the Packers, as 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.

However, Kizer completed just five of his final 10 throws, including a game-changing interception in overtime.

After winning the coin toss to start the extra session, the Browns faced a third-and-two from their own 33-yard line when 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.

“You just have to understand that as a quarterback, it is about just keeping the ball out of harm’s way,” Kizer said. “That is something that we have preached over and over and over again. Obviously, in that first game, that is the reason that we were preaching it.”

One thing weighing well in Kizer’s favor is that he went through a game against the Ravens in Week 2.

Kizer went six of 11 with an interception before being pulled from the game because of migraines, and in relief, Kevin Hogan completed five of his 11 attempts for 118 yards with one touchdown and an interception.

After returning to the game on the second drive of the third quarter, Kizer completed nine of his 20 throws, but had two interceptions. He finished his second NFL start 15 of 31 for 182 yards and one touchdown against three interceptions.

“It is the challenge of executing,” Kizer said. “It is the challenge of taking the first half of Green Bay, the majority of the game of Detroit and all of those times where you have seen us at our highest level. We have to make sure that’s a full game. As a team, we have been looking all year to have a complete game, and we have yet to do that.

“This is a prime example of a team where if you don’t go out there and play at the highest level and execute every time you step out there rep by rep, they are going to find a way of trying to exploit that. It is on us to make sure that we are executing at a high level, preparing as much as we have ever prepared before and go out there and try to get our first win.”

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