This wasn't how DeShone Kizer envisioned his fourth NFL start going.
The rookie quarterback just didn't see any sense in dwelling in doldrums after a frustrating performance that left the Browns on the wrong side of a lopsided, 31-7 result against the Bengals.
"There is no sense of me shaking my confidence at all," Kizer said. "You learn from your mistakes. You learn from the good things. You build on them. You do whatever you can to execute the next week."
There were ups and downs through Kizer's first three starts, and Sunday featured only a handful of positives for the second-round rookie. His most promising drive, which came in the second quarter as Cleveland trailed by just a touchdown, featured his best pass of the game, a 28-yarder to Kenny Britt on third-and-long, but was ultimately derailed by his eighth interception of the season.
The pass, which came on a third down inside the red zone, bounced of Britt's chest and hands before it was nabbed by the Bengals. The Browns didn't crack the red zone with Kizer under center the rest of the game.
"You put countless amount of hours into this sport to be able to execute things that we do regularly do throughout practice, training camp and OTAs," Kizer said. "All the time you spend not to feel that same success that you feel in practice does become a little frustrating."
Both Britt and Hue Jackson agreed they haven't seen Kizer's confidence shaken by the 0-4 start. Jackson's move to replace Kizer with Kevin Hogan in the fourth quarter was done out of precaution, and he reiterated Kizer is the Browns' quarterback moving forward through thick and thin.
Kizer exited with 16-of-34 completions for 118 yards and the interception. On the season, he has a 51.4 percent completion percentage, 764 yards, five total touchdowns and eight interceptions.
"I didn't want him to get hit anymore. I don't think he is close. I don't think his spirit is broken or anything. He wanted to stay in there, trust me," Jackson said. "I just knew it was the right thing to do at that time. I have been through these enough to know we have to make sure we protect our quarterback that way. I took him out, and I think he will be fine."
Kizer said the level of urgency he and the rest of Cleveland's offense has carried has remained the same because the Browns' 0-4 record is just as much of a "wakeup call" as 0-1 was following the season-opening loss to the Steelers. There were far more encouraging moments to embrace in the first loss, but Kizer isn't changing his approach after a start he doesn't want to see replicated anytime soon.
"Each week that you lose is a wakeup call," Kizer said. "I think we have responded properly each week with pretty good weeks of practice, but once again, that only gives you an opportunity. It is on us to make sure that we are executing the things that we do in practice on Sundays to maximize those opportunities."
