Dawgs By Nature
This is the part of the season that NFL teams begin to come to a fork in the road. If you aren’t winning or about even, any franchise just might be in trouble for the entire season. It isn’t over, but as a club, you better begin a win streak or the schedule will keep moving the the next thing you know, double-digit of losses have accumulated.
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The Cleveland Browns hit the road in their first contest against division foe the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns defense is ranked #2, while the Steelers offense is ranked #31. That would be a huge clash all game long.
In the end, the Browns could not keep up with the division-leading Steelers without any sort of running back and a shoddy offensive line, as they were defeated 23-9. The loss placed Cleveland at 0-3 in the division.
So who played well for the Browns? Who didn’t?
WR Jerry Jeudy – There were a few bright spots on the offense, with Jeudy being one. He had 13 targets, of which he caught five for 43 yards. With about five minutes gone in the first stanza, QB Dillon Gabriel found Jeudy all alone as he gained 12 yards on a third-and-five situation. In the second quarter, the Browns had a second-and-seven, and Jeudy gained 11 yards. With 55 seconds remaining before halftime, Gabriel hit Jeudy for 10 yards to enter Pittsburgh territory, which led to Cleveland’s first points. But in the third quarter, Jeudy was targeted four times and came up empty.
K Andre Szmyt – Nailed all three field goal attempts as he accounted for all of Cleveland’s scoring. His kickoffs all landed inside the five-yard line like they should.
P Corey Bojorquez – If the offense cannot move the ball, a team must have a good kicker. Bojo hit a 67-yarder early in the third quarter that pinned Pittsburgh back. Another punt went to the Steelers six six-yard line. Four kicks for 198 yards and a 49.5 yards per punt average.
TE Harold Fannin – Had 10 targets, as three of those were almost interceptions. Fannin is really good once he catches the ball. But the first ball thrown his way wasn’t until 51 seconds left in the first half, yet he ended up leading all receivers with 81 yards. Why wasn’t he targeted earlier? Turned a short pass into 18 yards as the third quarter was winding down, and right out of the gate in the fourth quarter, he gained 16 yards.
Browns offensive line – All game, Gabriel was running for his life, or being sacked. Three sacks in each half, to be exact. If it wasn’t #90 T. J. Watt, then it was #51 Nick Herbig or #5 Jalen Ramsey. It was a jailbreak most passing downs. RT Jack Conklin could not contain Watt, which is the case with most offensive tackles. Conklin’s replacement, KT Leveston, did little to slow...
