The Browns still haven’t won a game. But at least they’re getting close.
Cleveland managed to play competitively with a good Jacksonville team for most of the game today, but ultimately the Jaguars out-played the Browns late for a 19-7 win.
As expected, the 7-3 Jaguars’ excellent defense held the Browns’ lousy offense in check: DeShone Kizer had an ugly game, with two interceptions and two lost fumbles. Kizer simply isn’t getting the job done.
But the Browns’ defense had an unexpectedly solid performance. There’s some good young defensive talent in Cleveland, and that talent largely shut down Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles. Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, however, had 28 carries for 111 yards. It was the fourth 100-yard game of his rookie season, and his running allowed the Jaguars to run a lot of time off the clock in the second half.
Despite that big game from Fournette, Cleveland’s defense is showing signs of life. It remains to be seen whether Kizer can play well enough for them to avoid a winless season. They’ve got six more games.