LANDOVER, Md.: The Browns gave Washington everything they had — including the ball.
After clawing back from an early 14-point deficit, the Browns committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions in the second half, squandered the three-point lead they held entering the fourth quarter and fell 31-20 to Washington on Sunday at FedExField.
One of those turnovers is enveloped in controversy because Browns running back Duke Johnson thought he recovered the ball after fumbling.
“What’s most upsetting is we’re knocking on the door,” Johnson said. “We’re handling adversity well, but we’re just not finishing.”
As a result, the Browns are 0-4 for the fourth time in the expansion era. The previous three 0-4 teams finished 2-14 (1999), 5-11 (2009) and 5-11 (2012).
They had an opponent right where they wanted them for the third consecutive week, yet failed to prevail. They’re the only winless team in the NFL.
“It’s kind of a bitter taste just because I felt like we had the W in our hands and we gave it away,” said running back Isaiah Crowell, who had 15 carries for 112 yards (7.5 average) and a touchdown.
Kicker Cody Parkey bounced back from his dismal debut with the Browns last week by making a 51-yard field goal to tie the score 17-17 with time expired in the first half, then a 45-yard attempt to give them a 20-17 edge with 9:25 left in the third quarter.
The turning point came during the Browns’ next possession. With Johnson being checked for a concussion he didn’t have because the officials sent him to the sideline, the Browns opted to hand off to second-year fullback Malcolm Johnson for the first time in his NFL career on first-and-10 at Washington’s 16-yard line. Inside linebacker Will Compton forced him to fumble, and cornerback Quinton Dunbar recovered the ball at Washington’s 9 with 1:07 left in the third quarter.
“I’m not going to question that decision,” coach Hue Jackson said of giving Malcolm Johnson his first carry at the college or professional level. “That’s just a part of football. Got to hold onto the ball.”
Washington (2-2) then drove to the Browns’ 5-yard line where it faced second-and-goal. Cornerback Jamar Taylor had just been sent to the sideline by an official because he had the wind knocked out of him. With the defense visibly confused by the personnel change, quarterback Kirk Cousins quickly snapped the ball and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide-open running back Chris Thompson, allowing Washington to take a 24-20 lead with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter.
“That’s nobody else’s fault but mine,” Jackson said of the confusion. “I’ve got to make sure I see that. I’ve got make sure I’m in tune with that, so we can fix that.”
During the Browns’ next possession, Duke Johnson fumbled at the end of a 5-yard run, and Compton was credited with the recovery at Washington’s 43 with 9:32 left in the fourth quarter. As the officials searched for the ball in a pile of bodies, Johnson stood nearby and held the ball in the air. Line judge Sarah Thomas awarded Washington the ball, though. An NFL spokesman said several angles were reviewed on replay but nothing definitive was shown regarding the recovery.
“I thought I recovered it,” Duke Johnson said. “But at the end of the day, I can’t fumble it. Long story short, I shouldn’t put the refs in position to make that call anyway.”
Washington didn’t turn Duke Johnson’s fumble into points.
The same can’t be said about rookie quarterback Cody Kessler’s turnover. Kessler had a solid second NFL start, completing 28-of-40 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown with a rating of 81.6. But on second-and-2 at the Browns’ 10, he was intercepted. Kessler threw behind Pryor as he ran a post route, and All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman picked off the pass at the Browns’ 25 with 6:28 remaining in the final quarter.
Pryor dominated Norman in the first half with four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. But Pryor had only one catch for 4 yards after halftime.
Four plays after Kessler’s interception, running back Matt Jones rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, allowing Washington to seize a 31-20 lead with 4:25 left and virtually seal the outcome.
“It’s something I have to learn from. It hurts,” Kessler said. “I put everything I have into this. I fight so hard. That situation there, it’s got to be better. That was on me. I’ve got to give him a better ball. You can’t turn the ball over in that situation.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.