Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR.

As the coaches embraced after another bad day at the office for Hue Jackson, Marvin Lewis offered some advice to his friend about professional survival.

“Don’t let them quit on you,” Lewis said.

The Browns are 0-4 this year and 1-19 overall under Jackson after an appalling 31-7 home loss to the previously winless Cincinnati Bengals, a division foe in name only.

Only a hyperactive Cincinnati secondary at the end prevented Jackson from posting his first offensive goose egg in his tenure. The Bengals committed two pass interference penalties in the end zone, enabling the Browns to finally cross the goal line after the two-minute warning.

By then, Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer was mercifully lifted to avoid further damage to a seemingly indestructible body taking more shots each game. Kizer took one shot squarely in the gut by onrushing linebacker Vontaze Burfict that may draw the habitual rules-violator another fine or suspension.

“Absolutely [they hurt],” Kizer said. “Those guys are big. You are going to feel every hit you take. Once again, [I’m] completely healthy. Got out of there with no bumps or bruises.”

But after adding his eighth interception – more on that later – and his fourth loss in four games, Kizer’s overall completion percentage dropped to 51.4 percent and his passer rating to 50.9 – both league lows.

If Kizer’s development is considered 1A next to winning on Jackson’s list of priorities, then it’s hard to find evidence of much progress on either front.

“I am not going to let this team go backwards,” Jackson said. “We did today. There is no question about that. I think to a man in there, we will go back to work. We will put our heads down and get better.”

Defensive performances like this were supposed to have passed with the hiring of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. But Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had a stress-free day, passing for four touchdowns and lighting up the passer rating meter to the tune of 146.0, after suffering a strip-sack on his second play from scrimmage.

End Emmanuel Ogbah notched the strip and recovery at the Bengals’ 30. But the drive went nowhere as quarterback-killer Kenny Britt slipped making his break and failed to handle Kizer’s pass. Zane Gonzalez’s missed field goal from 48 yards prevented the Browns from taking their first lead of the season.

Total deflation.

The defense never really made another play.

“We would like for the offense to go out and score once we take the ball away, but at the end of the day, it’s football. It happens,” said linebacker Christian Kirksey. “I can’t really pinpoint the exact play to say this was the cause of the game or this was the switch in momentum.”

Britt’s overall play, however, is stretching the boundaries of human patience.

He had a false start on the first series and the aforementioned drop on the second. On the fourth series, after drawing a pass interference penalty and then making a catch for 26 yards, Britt turned a catchable Kizer throw into an interception in the red zone. Kizer’s pass inside the Bengals’ 10 went through his hands, off his chest and was intercepted by safety Clayton Fejedelem.

Dalton then took his offense 88 yards for a killer touchdown and 14-0 lead. Ballgame.

“It’s a drive-killer, a momentum-killer for our team,” Britt said. “That was clearly on me. Ball came on me faster than I thought it would.”

Britt’s stat line in this one: Eight targets, three receptions for 52 yards, two balls off his hands, one intercepted.

Why did Jackson keep Britt in?

“Obviously, we had two guys get hurt today [Jordan Leslie went down early with a hamstring and Sammie Coates was inactive with the same injury], so we had to put him back out there,” Jackson said. “It is tough because we need those plays when we have an opportunity to make them.”

Even Kizer appears to be losing his patience with the lack of offensive support.

“You put countless amount of hours into this sport to be able to execute things that we do regularly throughout practice, training camp and OTAs,” he said. “All the time you spend not to feel that same success that you feel in practice does become a little frustrating.

“You have to execute all 11 guys out there doing their job every snap. In order to do well in this league, it has to be every rep. It can’t be in spurts.”

The first quarter again told the tale of the Browns’ offensive ineptitude. There was the obligatory punt and false start on the first possession, the missed scoring opportunity on the second, and an errant shotgun snap that went off Kizer’s hands on the third possession, resulting in a 14-yard loss and eventual punt.

The brave souls who keep coming to FirstEnergy Stadium booed lustily as the histrionics played out, until they departed in droves early in the fourth quarter.

“It pains me. It does. I see it all,” Jackson said. “I understand our fans leaving. I probably would have, too. We weren’t playing good enough. Hopefully, they will be back next week.”

The fans are quitting on Jackson and his team. His new priority now is to keep the team from quitting on him.