CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns coach Hue Jackson wasted no time declaring DeShone Kizer the starting quarterback for the rest of the season despite his four turnovers in a 19-7 loss to the Jaguars that dropped the Browns to 0-10.
"DeShone is going to start at quarterback next week,'' Jackson said after the first question about Kizer. "There's no question about that. We just have to continue to get better and continue to work at it. Just have to make those plays when they are there. He knows that. Have to take care of the ball better. Just have to keep working at it."
Jackson then took it a step further and vowed to ride it out with Kizer for the final six games, beginning Sunday in Cincinnati. No more midgame benchings or sitting down for a game to watch someone else throw picks.
Of course, if he had AJ McCarron on the roster, it might be a different story. But short of that, it's Kizer all the way.
But the Browns, who currently have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, must know by season's end if they have to draft a QB with their top pick. At this point, it's almost a foregone conclusion based on the strength of the class.
"Where we are right now, I need to continue to see him,'' said Jackson. "Let's let him play. Let's let him play this thing out. As long as he's healthy, let's keep putting him out there. I want to walk away from this season knowing exactly what DeShone Kizer is top to bottom. He deserves that. I know this is all tough for him. Week in and week out, it's the consistency he has to keep chasing. He just has to keep working at it."
Despite Kizer's two interceptions and two fumbles -- including three fourth-quarter turnovers with the game on the line -- Jackson still believes he can be the guy.
"Oh, no question,'' he said. "After the first interception ... it takes heart to keep coming back in there and throw a huge touchdown to Duke (Johnson) a drive after that. That's what it is. He'll will only get better if he'll keep taking that mindset and playing.
"The guy did not blink at the end, and he was getting knocked around pretty good at the end. That's something to build on for him."
Kizer (16-of-32, 179 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 51.4 rating), who looked as down after a game as he has all season, didn't want to hear anything about proving he can be the Browns' QB of the future.
"Right now, it's not about proving to be a guy,'' he said. "It's not about trying to become some franchise [quarterback] or any of that stuff. It's about winning a football game. I'm going to do whatever I can this week with this opportunity in front of me to make myself better, not miss the balls that I missed and do whatever we can to get this city and this club a win."
Jackson acknowledged that Kizer got some help from receiver Corey Coleman (6 for 80 yards) and provided a glimpse of what this offense could look like with a good receiving corps.
"Oh, absolutely,'' said Jackson. "He walked back in there and made plays. In the first quarter, we could not get the ball over there to him based on some things we were doing, and I just said forget it; let's flip it. We did it. It ignited us a little bit and started making some plays. We just have to continue to do that as we go out through the rest of the season."
Kizer might also have receiver Josh Gordon back for the final five games, beginning Dec. 3 in Los Angeles against the Chargers, and the two former Baylor stars might help the rookie QB look good.
"There's going to be hopefully an uptick there,'' said Jackson. "Corey showed that he came back and did some good things today. We have to keep growing as an offensive football team."
Kizer squandered great field position on his first two drives, coming away with no points. Matthew Dayes set him up at the Jaguars 48 with a 53-yard kickoff return, but Kizer took a sack on the third down and the chance was wasted. His next drive started at the Browns' 45, but he threw a pick on his first play, on a pass intended for Coleman.
"Great field position,'' said Jackson. "I was at the game, too. Yeah, it was very frustrating because I think we had some plays that were there and we did not make them. I thought we dropped some balls in some key situations where it could have kept some drives going. That is frustrating. We were not able to make it happen.
"The first third down, I could see DeShone is about to take off and the guy grabs him by his jersey and he is going to run for 20 yards. That is going to lead to a score in my opinion, but it does not. They make the play. We do not. That's football."
Jackson said that on Kizer's first interception, he saw "the other linebacker that was first going past Corey, which that guy did. But you have to make sure you have wide vision and see the next linebacker. That linebacker normally you would think would buy the fake and then work to the strong (side). He went weak, so he's got to see that guy."
His second interception in the fourth quarter with the Browns trailing only 10-7 was an overthrown out route to Rashard Higgins that was swiped by A.J. Bouye.
"The ball just kind of took off on him,'' Jackson said.
Despite a shaky start, Kizer still had two chances to tie the game at 13 with 3:28 left, and was stripped-sacked on both of his opportunities, including the second one on which Spencer Drango was beat by defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Johnson tried to recover in the end zone, but the ball dribbled away from him and the Jaguars' Dante Fowler recover it instead for a TD.
"Turnovers have been our Achilles' heel all year," Jackson said. "In these kinds of games, you have to find a way to not turn it over. That is what gives you a chance to win."
Kizer, who threw against icy winds and snow showers, also had four of his passes dropped, had no running game to rely on, and saw the offensive tackles struggle against the Jaguars' formidable pass-rushers. They came into the game leading the NFL with 35 sacks and tacked on five more.
"(The pass protection) wasn't as good as I thought it could be,'' said Jackson. "They're as good as advertised. They have some good rushers. There are some things we can do better to help. It's not easy but we have to find a way."
One thing's for certain: Kizer will be the one leading the charge.