Browns Bounce Back with Monday Night Win Over Jets
Browns Bounce Back with Monday Night Win Over Jets
The Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets squared off Monday night at MetLife Stadium. Both teams were looking for their first win of the season following disappointing losses in week one. The result was a shaky contest that saw both teams still trying to put all of their pieces together, but with Cleveland ultimately finding their stride against a scrambling Jets side.
Game Recap
Coming off of an underwhelming week one matchup against the Titans where Odell Beckham Jr. led his team with only 71 receiving yards, he quickly made a splash in his return to MetLife Stadium with a 33-yard, highlight-reel one-handed catch. The most impressive catch of the young NFL season set the Browns up with a first and goal from the Jets’ four-yard line, but they were unable to capitalize on the red-zone opportunity. Austin Seibert gave the Browns a 3-0 lead to finish off the opening drive of the game.
Both offenses looked unsteady out of the gate on Monday night. The Jets, playing with backup quarterback Trevor Siemian after it was announced that starter Sam Darnold was out indefinitely with mono, failed to get anything going through the air early on and instead relied heavily on running back Le’Veon Bell. They started the game with two consecutive three and outdrives. Baker Mayfield missed a wide-open Odell Beckham in the red zone on the Browns’ second drive to set up another Siebert field goal. The first quarter ended with the Browns up 6-0.
The Browns’ first drive of the second quarter was kick-started by a 21-yard reception by Beckham. A holding call by Jets cornerback Nate Hairston on a fourth down passing play extended the drive and moved the Browns into the red zone once again. The following play, Nick Chubb rumbled his way into the endzone for a 19-yard touchdown rush to put the Browns up 13-0. Disaster struck the Jets on the following drive as quarterback Trevor Siemian left the game with a leg injury on a late hit from Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. Despite what appeared to be a broken ankle, Siemian was miraculously able to walk off the field unaided but with a serious limp. Third-string quarterback Luke Falk took the remainder of the snaps for the Jets as Siemian would not return. Falk’s entrance breathed some life into the Jets running game as Le’Veon Bell and Ty Montgomery moved the ball to the Browns’ 28-yard line. Sam Ficken capped off the drive with a 46-yard field goal to pull the Jets within 10. The first half finished with a 43-yard field goal by Austin Seibert that was set up by a 25-yard reception from Jarvis Landry. The Browns entered halftime with a 16-3 lead.
The second half saw more of the same as the Jets failed to mount any serious offensive attack in hopes of a comeback. Both teams went three and out on their first two possessions to begin the third quarter, and it wasn’t until a 35-yard reception by Jets wide receiver Robbie Anderson that any sort of offensive progress was made for either team. Falk and Anderson began to develop some rhythm and chemistry as the two linked up for another ten-yard reception to advance the ball to Cleveland’s 20-yard line. The Jets were able to drive the ball down to the Browns’ twelve-yard line before the Browns defense made a stop on 4th and two. Baker Mayfield linked up with Beckham on the very next play for an 89-yard touchdown catch and run. The play was the longest touchdown reception of Beckham’s six-year career, and it sealed the fate of the game as the Browns’ now had an insurmountable 23-3 lead.
The remainder of the contest was largely uneventful. Le’Veon Bell had a few more rushes and receptions, including an impressive hurdle, in what was a very busy game for the 27-year-old star running back. Falk continued to find Robbie Anderson through the air, making it obvious that Anderson was the number one target for the young quarterback in his NFL debut. Baker Mayfield forced a ball downfield and into heavy coverage in the fourth quarter resulting in an interception by Jets cornerback Darryl Roberts. The game was put to rest following a flashy, 17-yard catch and run by Le’Veon Bell only to fumble the ball at the six-yard line and be recovered by the Browns. The play effectively summed up the type of night that the Jets had.
The Browns left MetLife with a step in the right direction, improving their record to 1-1. The game was a far cry from last week’s exciting Monday Night Football opener between the Saints and the Texans, but we still saw some compelling storylines play out in East Rutherford.
Injury Woes
The biggest injury story of the night was the continued depletion of the Jets quarterback unit. Sam Darnold was ruled out for Monday’s game last week after being diagnosed with mono. Due to the nature of the illness Darnold may miss up to a month as his spleen recovers. The situation was exacerbated on Monday night when backup quarterback, Trevor Siemian, left the game with an apparent ankle injury. Siemian will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury, but the Jets have little time to waste as they prepare for an incredibly difficult upcoming schedule featuring games at New England, at Philadelphia, home against Dallas, and then home against New England again. With Darnold not officially on the injured reserve list it remains to be seen what coach Adam Gase will do about the quarterback situation.
Browns tight end, David Njoku, left the game in the first quarter after suffering a concussion on a play where he was upended and landed on his neck. The young tight end caught four passes including one for a touchdown in the team’s week one matchup against Tennessee. Demetrius Harris and Pharaoh Brown entered in relief at the tight end position.
Odell Beckham Jr. left the game limping towards the end of the second half. The injury scare didn’t last long for the three-time Pro Bowler as he torched the Jets secondary in the second half and finished the game with six receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown.
Speaking of Odell...
Much of the media buzz during the week leading up to Monday night’s contest was dominated by Odell Beckham Jr. and Jets defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams. Beckham originally made headlines last Thursday when he accused Williams of instructing his players to purposefully attempt to injure the former Giants wide receiver in a preseason matchup in 2017.
“I had players on this team telling me that that’s what he was telling them to do: take me out of the game, and it’s preseason. You just know who he is,” Beckham said of Williams, who was the Browns’ defensive coordinator at the time.
“Odell who?” Williams responded when learning of the accusations. “We don’t do that. Never done it anywhere that I’ve been. We don’t do anything to hurt the team,” Williams continued. Williams was suspended for the 2012 season for his role in the “Bountygate” scandal in which New Orlean Saints defensive players were accused of intentionally injuring opposing players in exchange for bonuses or “bounties”. Williams was the defensive coordinator in New Orleans from 2009 to 2011.
Beckham also made headlines last week as he rocked a Richard Mille wristwatch with a value of at least $190,000 in the Browns’ loss to the Tennessee Titans. Following reports that the NFL had spoken to Beckham about wearing the watch in an NFL game, the wide receiver expressed that he felt targeted by the league.
“If anybody else would’ve worn the watch, or if it was a $20 watch it wouldn’t have been no problem,” Beckham said. “If it wasn’t the watch it would’ve been the way that I tie my shoes.”
While the NFL does not have any rules prohibiting jewelry, it does have a policy that prohibits “hard objects.”
Beckham wore the watch in pregame warmups but was not seen donning the pricey accessory at kickoff time.
The Jets will attempt to scrounge together a winning performance when they take on the 2-0 New England Patriots next week. The road ahead for the Browns is just as difficult, as the next five opponents they face are all currently 2-0. They host the Los Angeles Rams in next week’s Sunday night game.
-By: Jonny Hart