CARSON, Calif. _ Josh Gordon made two big plays in his return to regular-season action, but the former All-Pro wide receiver didn't produce nearly enough to prevent Browns coach Hue Jackson from making dubious history in his hometown.
Playing in a real NFL game for the first time in 1,077 days, Gordon finished with four receptions for 85 yards on 11 targets as the Browns suffered a 19-10 defeat Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers at the StubHub Center.
Falling to 1-27, Jackson, a Los Angeles native, set a record for the worst start with a team by any head coach in NFL history. Last week, Jackson tied coach John McKay for the previous record. McKay went 0-26 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976-77 before winning two games in a row.
The Browns also became just the second team in NFL history to begin consecutive seasons 0-12. McKay's Buccaneers also did it. The Browns also stumbled to 4-45 dating to late in the 2014 season. It's the worst 49-game stretch in NFL history.
Now they have just four games left to avoid finishing the season with a record of 0-16. Only the 2008 Detroit Lions have experienced such humiliation.
They'll likely need a stronger connection between Gordon and rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer to prevail. Kizer either underthrew or overthrew Gordon a handful of times.
Kizer completed 15-of-32 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown with an interception for a rating of 66.5.
Gordon hadn't played in the regular season since Dec. 21, 2014. He missed 44 consecutive games and 54 of 59 because of recurring violations of the NFL's substance-abuse policy.
For a moment, Gordon looked like the player who led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards in 2013. On third-and-1 at the Browns' 44-yard line, Gordon ran a go route along the sideline and jumped to haul in a 28-yard pass over Pro Bowl cornerback Casey Hayward, the AFC's defensive player of the month for November.
Two plays later, the Browns captured a 7-0 lead and finished a five-play, 65-yard drive when rookie tight end David Njoku beat cornerback Trevor Williams to haul in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Kizer with 1:55 left in the second quarter.
But the Browns didn't reach the end zone again, and the Chargers avenged last season's 20-17 Christmas Eve loss to the Cleveland, which failed to defeat anyone else and finished 1-15.
The Browns trailed 19-10 after rookie kicker Zane Gonzalez made a 35-yard field goal at the end of an 11-play, 58-yard drive with 12:03 left in the fourth quarter. After their defense got a stop, they advanced to the Chargers' 3-yard line on a 17-yard run by Kizer. But a holding penalty on receiver Corey Coleman pushed the Browns back to the 15. On third-and-goal from there, defensive end Joey Bosa strip-sacked Kizer, and the Chargers recovered at their 20 with 4:48 left in the fourth quarter.
Another defensive stop allowed the Browns, still trailing by nine points, to regain possession at their 33 with 2:08 remaining. During the first play of the series, Gordon had a 39-yard catch-and-run against Hayward. Two plays later, Kizer threw an interception to safety Adrian Phillips with 1:14 left.
The Chargers reached the end zone for the first time and captured a 16-7 lead when they opened the second half with a 10-play, 78-yard scoring drive. On third-and-goal, quarterback Philip Rivers threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keenan Allen, who got behind cornerback Jason McCourty in the end zone, with 10:35 left in the third quarter.
After the Browns failed to counter, the Chargers got the ball back and extended their lead to 19-7 with 1:02 left in the third quarter via Travis Coons' 27-yard field goal, which went through the uprights despite defensive end Carl Nassib getting a hand on the ball.
The Browns played bend-but-don't-break defense through the first two quarters and trailed the Chargers 9-7 at halftime.
The Chargers reached the Browns' 20-yard line four times in the first half but were held to four field goals with Coons making three.
After the Browns took a 7-6 lead, the Chargers got the ball back at their 21 with 1:49 left in the second quarter and marched to Cleveland's 4. On first-and-goal and with nine seconds left, Rivers' pass intended for tight end and Kent State product Antonio Gates in the back left corner of the end zone fell incomplete with linebacker Christian Kirksey covering him.
The Chargers wanted a pass interference penalty called on Kirksey, but they didn't get one. They settled for Coons' successful 22-yard field goal with time expired in the second quarter and a two-point halftime advantage.
The Browns gained 38 rushing yards during a promising opening drive, but it stalled when Kizer ran for 5 yards on a zone-read play on third-and-11 at the Chargers' 44. Britton Colquitt's ensuing punt was downed at the 4.
The Chargers then marched all the way to the Browns 20, where Rivers' pass intended for Allen in the front right corner of the end zone fell incomplete with McCourty in coverage.
The Chargers settled for a 38-yard field goal, but Coons hit the right upright and missed with 2:16 left in the opening quarter. The Chargers signed Coons, who played for the Browns in 2015, to their practice squad last week and promoted him to the active roster Saturday because they placed Nick Novak (back) injured reserve.
The Browns avoided a three-and-out during the next series when Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa was penalized for roughing the passer on third-and-11 at Los Angeles' 26. The Browns advanced to the 35, where they passed on a 53-yard field goal and instead went for it on fourth-and-1, only to see running back Duke Johnson stuffed for a 2-yard loss with 13:28 left in the second quarter. Linebacker Jatavis Brown, a University of Akron product, surged into the backfield to disrupt the play, and defensive end Melvin Ingram tackled Johnson for a 2-yard loss.
The Chargers seized a 3-0 lead on the next possession, but it could have been worse for the Browns. McCourty knocked a would-be touchdown catch out of Allen's hands on third-and-goal from the 3, forcing the Chargers to resort to Coons' successful 21-yard field for a 3-0 lead with 9:03 left in the second quarter.
Desmond King ensured the Browns would go three-and-out during the next series by sacking Kizer on third-and-8 at Cleveland's 27 on a cornerback blitz. The Chargers took control at their 40 after a 38-yard punt by Colquitt.
The Browns' defense responded, though. Coons made a 40-yard field goal at the end of seven-play, 38-yard drive, which stalled with Rivers' incomplete pass to wide receiver Tyrell Williams with cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun in coverage on third-and-3 from the 22.
The next series, the Browns finally put points on the scoreboard, but they left enough time on the clock for the Chargers to counter with a field goal heading into halftime.
