'We gotta find a way to finish': Browns once again falter in fourth, can't close out Chargers

CLEVELAND − Nick Chubb is a man of few words. So when the Browns running back speaks, especially with some length, it's best to listen.

Chubb didn't have much to say about a lot of things following the Browns' 30-28 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Except, that is, about how yet another loss went for he and his teammates.

"We gotta find a way to finish," Chubb said. "We're always in the position to finish and win the game. Just as a team we have to find a way to pull through and win the game. We were in a great position the last couple of games to win the game, we didn't do it."

The Browns find themselves staring at a 2-3 record. The amazing thing is, there's a world where that record isn't just turned around. but it's even more impressive.

There's a world where the Browns find themselves 4-1, maybe even 5-0. A play here, a play there, and things could be significantly different.

That's not the world in which the Browns currently reside. The world in which they reside right now is one where they owned a 14-0 first-quarter lead, a 21-17 halftime lead and a 28-27 fourth-quarter lead.

Even after all of those leads had been squandered and they looked at a two-point fourth-quarter deficit, the Browns still had opportunities to win. That is opportunities, plural.

Much like against the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons, though, they gave those opportunities away. That's why, with the New England Patriots coming to Cleveland next week, they're sitting at 2-3.

“It’s no mystery,” safety John Johnson III said. “We put ourselves in situations to win, we’ve just got to find a way to win. I’ve said it before, we could give up 600 yards in a game, if we win it don’t matter. I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating, but I’m not surprised. When you go out there, you’ve got to play winning football or you’re not going to win. It’s situations in the game you’ve got to control. We were in a situation to win, we had no turnovers. Certain situations on third and fourth down we’ve got to get off. Overall it’s just not winning football.”

The Chargers went ahead for good with 9:29 on Taylor Bertolet's third field goal of less than 30 yards, this one from 27 yards. The Browns then marched 73 yards in 12 plays, reaching the Los Angeles 9.

That's when the Browns, literally, threw away their first chance at success. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett rolled to his right and, instead of taking advantage of a running lane that existed, threw back across his body and into the hands of Chargers safety Alohi Gilman at the goal line.

It's the third interception Brissett has thrown this season. All three have come in the final three minutes of a game in which the Browns have been trailing.

“It sucks," Brissett said. "It really sucks. That is a pivotal moment in the game. Obviously, the ball was in my hands for a reason, and that was not the outcome obviously that I was intending to happen. I am just better than that. I truly am, and I know that. I will be better next time."

The Browns actually had a "next time" against the Chargers after the interception. The Chargers elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 45, and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. made a sensational play to break up a pass intended for Mike Williams − who had 10 catches for 134 yards in the game − with 1:10 remining.

Blessed with new life, the Browns found another way to snuff that life out. They managed to gain 10 yards, but stalled out with 16 seconds remaining.

Just enough time for Cade York to come on and, for the second time in his first five NFL games, be the hero the Browns needed. The rookie, who had missed a 45-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining in the first half, this time missed a 54-yarder with 11 seconds remaining in the game.

And the Browns were left to deal with yet another loss in which they were unable to finish the deal on a win.

"It’s tough in this situation when you lose, but when everything’s going your way and you don’t put it away, especially in our case when we’ve had a lot of these, it wears on you," defensive end Myles Garrett said. "But we’ve got to put it away. We’ve got to pack it up, watch the film, see how we can get better and move on. It’s one of those we’ve got to learn from it and use it as fuel, prepare for the next team."

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns once again falter in fourth, can't close out Chargers