The Browns failed to make any decisive plays in the fourth quarter and overtime in Sunday ‘s 27-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium.

One such time — it’s what a lot of people are focusing on, and understandably so, since it was one of the biggest plays in the game – occurred at the start of OT when quarterback DeShone Kizer’s pass on third-and-two was intercepted at the Cleveland 42, setting up Green Bay for the winning touchdown.

As with most interceptions that rookie quarterbacks throw, the pass was ill-advised. Kizer was hit as he threw and the ball went straight up into the air like a baseball pop-up, making it an easy theft.

Browns head coach Hue Jackson was asked Monday in a conference call with the Cleveland media if Kizer should have thrown the ball away, or if he liked that the quarterback was trying to make a play.

“Oh no, I think you have to throw that ball away, Jackson said. “We are in overtime. You are not trying to make a play. The one thing I have always told our quarterbacks is tipped balls don’t find the ground. They normally find the other team. That is a time to be team-protecting, see if we can throw it away and live for another play, another opportunity.”

I get all that. It makes sense. But what I hope doesn’t get lost in all this was … well, that Kizer was indeed trying to make a play in that situation. While that’s a bad thing, certainly, in one regard, it’s also a good thing in another regard.

You see, Kizer understands that the quarterback is the leader of the team, and he is a good leader. He knows it’s the quarterback’s job to win the game, especially when the team hasn’t won a game yet this year. He took a chance – a shot – and tried to win the game. His was an error of commission, not of omission. He stepped up to the challenge, but it just didn’t work out.

I’ll take that any day over a quarterback always taking the safe way out and never making a play. That’s being complacent, afraid. You’ve got to be a risk-taker at quarterback. The only way to learn how to make a play is to try. That’s what Kizer did. Let’s not forget that.