CLEVELAND – Penalties and miscues across all three phases loomed large in the waning moments of the Packers' 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Green Bay finished with 14 accepted penalties for 75 yards, with half of those coming in the fourth quarter alone. The Packers also had a costly turnover when Browns safety Grant Delpit intercepted Jordan Love late in the fourth quarter and returned it to the Packers' 4-yard line.
Despite all that, the Packers still had a chance to walk out of Huntington Bank Field with a gritty road win.
With the game tied at 10, Romeo Doubs drew a 20-yard defensive pass interference penalty and Tucker Kraft picked up 18 yards to the Cleveland 22 with a little more than two minutes remaining.
Green Bay didn't get any closer after a fumble and false start pushed the attempt back. Brandon McManus felt good about his 43-yard attempt, but Cleveland special-teams ace Shelby Harris busted through for his sixth-career blocked field goal.
"He's a really elite field-goal rusher," long snapper Matt Orzech said. "So, you've got to look out for him, know where he is and know they're going to try to get him free if they can."
The Browns recovered the blocked field goal at the 47. After an offsides call on Micah Parsons and quick pass to David Njoku, Browns quarterback Joe Flacco clocked the ball with two seconds left.
It was enough time for kicker Andre Smzyt to drill the game-winning 55-yard field goal.
The Packers had 10 accepted penalties for 50 yards in the second half. In the fourth quarter alone, Green Bay was flagged for two defensive pass interference calls, two offsides, a defensive holding, a false start and two infractions on special teams.
"There's a lot of things leading up to that field goal that could've kept us out of that situation," guard Sean Rhyan said. "But we were in it, and we've got to be able to execute."
Living up to the billing: The Browns' defense lived up to its No. 1-ranked moniker, holding Green Bay's high-powered offense to 10 points and 230 yards.
The Packers had some success against Cleveland, converting on 10-of-18 third downs (55.6%) and possessing the ball for more than 34 minutes.
However, Love was sacked five times while pre-snap penalties also set Green Bay back on several occasions. The Packers ran 31 times but managed just 81 yards (2.6 yards per carry).
"We knew they had a No. 1 defense in the NFL right now and one of the best defensive lines in the NFL," said running back Josh Jacobs. "We had some guys get banged up in the game. We had the next-man-up mentality but it's always going to be a little rough when you got guys going against guys like that on maybe limited snaps. We try to do what we could with what we had. They just had a good game plan for us."
O-line injuries: Starting right tackle Zach Tom tried to play through a lingering oblique injury but exited after the first offensive snap and didn't return.
Green Bay also finished without left guard Aaron Banks, who's been working through a groin injury.
Jordan Morgan initially replaced Tom at right tackle before kicking over to left guard for Banks. Rookie second-round pick Anthony Belton mostly played right tackle but briefly stood in for left tackle Rasheed Walker when he went to the sideline for four snaps in the third quarter due to a helmet issue.
"It's stuff we do in practice to get reps at both," Belton said. "Prepare all week to be able to step in. We were aware of what was going on with him so just have to be ready."
Golden's opportunity: Rookie receiver Matthew Golden was a popular target for Love, catching four passes for 52 yards and also gaining nine yards on the ground.
His biggest catch nearly helped seal a win for Green Bay, beating Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward for a 34-yard completion down the right sideline when the Packers were backed up at their own 4 early in the fourth quarter.
"It felt good (but) really don't matter," Golden said. "We didn't come out with the win. It's just about going back to the drawing board and getting ready for Dallas."
Looking for a bounce back: The Packers will look to bounce back next week when they travel to face the Dallas Cowboys.
Jacobs expects a good response.
"I think we're going to come out hungry," Jacobs said. "I really feel bad for whoever see this team next. I can tell this bothered a lot of the guys in this room. I know we're gonna come out hungry this next week."
