Category: Game Breakdown

Highlight: Kareem Hunt scores his 1st TD for the Browns

Highlight: Kareem Hunt scores his 1st TD for the Browns to put Cleveland up 28-0

Kareem Hunt has scored his first touchdown as a member of the Cleveland Browns. The hometown running back raced in around right end from the Miami 6-yard line to push the Browns up over the Dolphins, 28-0 after the conversion.

Hunt scored on his fifth carry of the game. It’s his third game with the Browns since he returned from his 8-game suspension, and all of the games have been at home.

The Browns blocked this one well, but Hunt’s acceleration after opting to bounce the run outside is what leads to the touchdown.

Watch: Baker Mayfield to Jarvis Landry TD pass caps great opening drive

Watch: Baker Mayfield to Jarvis Landry TD pass caps great opening drive for the Browns vs. Dolphins

The Cleveland Browns came out firing on all cylinders on offense against the Miami Dolphins. Cleveland’s opening drive at home was an impressive display of balance and playmaking from Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense.

Mayfield capped off the drive with a red zone strike to Jarvis Landry for the touchdown. “Juice” squeezed out some revenge on his old team with a great slant route, and with the ball right on the money for Landry to get the ball into the end zone for the TD.

Eight plays covered 75 yards on the touchdown drive, aided by a couple of Dolphins’ defensive penalties. Austin Seibert nailed the extra point for the 7-0 lead.

Browns inactives for Week 12 show impact of injuries and suspensions

Browns inactives for Week 12 show impact of injuries and suspensions

Freshly promoted from the practice squad, Brandin Bryant and Porter Gustin are both active for Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

Because the defensive line is so depleted due to Larry Ogunjobi’s suspension and Olivier Vernon’s injury, the inactive list shifted several other positions into scramble mode. Depth is at a premium for the defensive front.

The full list from the Browns

Here’s who the Dolphins will leave inactive for today’s game:

Browns vs. Dolphins: How to watch, listen, stream the Week 12 matchup

Browns vs. Dolphins: How to watch, listen, stream the Week 12 matchup

 

Game info

Miami Dolphins (2-8) at Cleveland Browns (4-6)

Sunday, November 24, 1:00 p.m. ET

FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

The Browns are 10.5-point favorites

Watch

The game is part of the FOX broadcast package of games. Chris Myers and Daryl “Moose” Johnston will be in the booth.

If you live in the light orange areas in the map below (courtesy 506sports), the game will be televised in your market.

 

Listen

Jim Donovan and Doug Dieken man the booth for the Browns, with Nathan Zegura on the sidelines. Catch their call on the Cleveland Browns radio network and their affiliate stations for 2019:

AKRON
WAKR – 1590 AM
WONE – 97.5 FM

CANTON
WHBC – 94.1 FM/1480 AM

CELINA
WKKI – 94.3 FM

CLEVELAND
WKNR – 850 AM
WKRK – 92.3 FM
WNCX – 98.5 FM

COLUMBUS
WTOH – 98.9 FM

CORRY (PA)
WWCB – 1370 AM

DAYTON
WZLR – 95.3 FM/101.1 FM

DOVER
WJER – 1450 AM

ERIE (PA)
WPSE – 1450 AM/107.1 FM

FOSTORIA
WFOB – 1430 AM

GENEVA
WKKY – 104.7 FM

JAMESTOWN (NY)
WQFX – 103.1 FM

LIMA
WWSR – 93.1 FM

MANSFIELD
WRGM – 1440 AM
WVNO – 106.7 FM

MARIETTA
WJAW – 100.9 FM

NORMAN (OK)
KREF – 1400 AM

SANDUSKY
WMJK – 100.9 FM

TULSA (OK)
KAKC – 1300 AM

UHRICHSVILLE
WBTC – 1540 AM/101.9 FM

WHEELING (WV)
WKKX – 1600 AM/98.1 FM

WOOSTER
WQKT – 104.5 FM

YOUNGSTOWN
WKST 1200 AM

The game will also be available on Sirius XM satellite radio and the NFL Game Pass audio option on TuneIn Radio and other apps. The Browns will be on channel 118 on Sirius.

Live stream

fuboTV (try it free)

The game is available on NFL Game Pass. If you can watch the game locally you will not be able to legally stream it, however.

Behind Enemy Lines with Dolphins Wire to preview Week 12

Kyle Crabbs of Dolphins Wire helps break down the Week 12 game between the Browns and Dolphins

The 2-8 Miami Dolphins visit FirstEnergy Stadium this Sunday. It’s Miami’s first time playing in Cleveland since the 2013 season opener, a game the Dolphins won 20-13.

Both teams have hired and fired multiple coaches and GMs since that day six years ago. To help get caught up on all the transition with the visitors from Miami, I called upon Dolphins Wire managing editor Kyle Crabbs to answer a few questions about where that team is at.

You can follow Kyle on Twitter at @GrindingTheTape, and he’s a great resource for NFL draft info with his work at The Draft Network, too.

The Browns will be without as many as three starters on the DL. Can the Dolphins OL take advantage?

I don’t see Miami winning a lot of battles up front, regardless of Cleveland’s absences. The Dolphins have not been able to run the ball or reset the line of scrimmage with any consistency in recent weeks and unless something drastic changes (more carries for RB Patrick Laird), that should continue against Cleveland. I expect the Dolphins to spend most of this game chasing the scoreboard and from that front, missing Myles Garrett is helpful to the cause on 3rd downs.

How has the run game been working lately?

Miami’s best work this season on the ground game after the trade of Kenyan Drake and before the suspension of Mark Walton. Walton has since been released after accusations of a domestic violence incident arose earlier this week, leaving Kalen Ballage, Myles Gaskin and Patrick Laird as the backs. Ballage struggles greatly to create in the backfield and his high volume of carries and low output of yards has really hindered Miami’s ground game. The Dolphins just don’t have the studs up front to power open gaps for him to feel and see early.

Are there any rookies who are worthy of attention?

If you like rookie play, you’ve come to the right place. Two of Miami’s better rookies are UDFAs, WR Preston Williams and CB Nik Needham. Williams is shelved for the year with an ACL injury suffered a while back but Needham has transitioned from a preseason liability into a viable outside corner with stunning efficiency. I’d be remiss to mention DT Christian Wilkins, who started slow but has also seen the lightbulb come on over the past month. He’s playing stout and productive football on the line.

What is one thing about the Browns that scares you as a Dolphins fan?

The “Jarvis Landry” factor. Landry unceremoniously saw his tenure in Miami end with the trade to Cleveland and Landry has had several years to stew over the decision not to pay him. Landry isn’t a perfect player but he’s a red hot personality who plays the game hard — he doesn’t need any extra motivation to get up for Sundays. Yet he’s got it this week against Miami and the Dolphins don’t have anyone who can reliably cover him.

Who wins and why?

Give me Cleveland to win, 24-13. The Browns have plenty of raw talent and that will win out against a team that serves as their polar opposite: a non-talented team who plays disciplined. The Browns playoff push can’t afford a loss and I think they’ll play focused as a result.

Browns vs. Dolphins: Week 12 game primer

Everything you need to know about the Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins matchup in Week 12

Team Records

Cleveland Browns: 4-6 (3rd in the AFC North)
Miami Dolphin: 2-8 (4th in the AFC East)

All-Time Record: Miami leads the series 11-8

The Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns have played 19 times dating back to 1970. The Browns have been at home for eleven (11) of those match-ups and have a record of 7-4 at home against the Dolphins.

The last time these two teams squared off was in an overtime loss for the Browns in Miami. At that time, the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback was Cody Kessler with Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson, and Terrell Pryor as Kessler’s primary skill position players.

Headlines Of The Game

Browns

Coming off of “Helmetgate” in Week 11, the Browns are without multiple defensive players. The Browns may be distracted with so much going on around the team and not be focused on the playoff race ahead of them.

Dolphins

Winning two of their last three games, the Dolphins recently put safety Reshad Jones and safety Bobby McCain on injured reserve and waived running back Mark Walton (story here from Dolphins Wire). The Dolphins are a beat-up, but scrappy team. They do not just roll over to their opposition and are well-coached.

Key Personnel for the Dolphins

QB

Ryan Fitzpatrick, 160 for 253 attempts (63.2% completion percentage), 1,687 yards (26th), 8 TDs (30th), 8 INTs (13th)

RB

Kalen Ballage, 64 rush attempts for 122 yards, 3 TDs, 13 receptions on 22 targets, 50 receiving yards, 0 receiving TDs

WR

DeVante Parker, 40 receptions on 72 targets, 604 receiving yards, 4 receiving TDs

Albert Wilson, 14 receptions on 25 targets, 84 receiving yards, 1 receiving TDs

Allen Hurns, 17 receptions on 25 targets, 223 receiving yards, 1 receiving TDs

TE

Mike Gesicki, 28 receptions on 43 targets, 294 receiving yards, 0 receiving TDs

Keys To Victory

Don’t fall for the trap – it would be really easy for the Browns to look past Week 12 against the Dolphins and towards their Week 13 game in Pittsburgh. This is how you fall for a trap game and potentially create the worst Browns home loss of the season. The Browns need to show up big.

Lean on the rushing attack – the Miami Dolphins have allowed the third-most rushing yards in the NFL in 2019 and the Browns have the formidable duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield.

Learn how to create pressure – with Myles Garrett on the field, creating pressure was not too much of a challenge. With Myles Garrett suspended, Larry Ogunjobi suspended, and Olivier Vernon likely out, the Cleveland Browns can use this game as a learning experience. In this game, the Browns can work on creating pressure from different areas of the field and learn how to play without Myles Garrett on the field.

Stop Ryan Fitzpatrick – the Dolphins do not have a running game to lean on with Mark Walton released, Kalen Ballage struggling, and their best backfield asset being undrafted rookie, Patrick Laird.

Final Prediction

Browns win 31-20.

The Browns have some struggles discovering their post-Myles Garrett defense. The Browns offense comes together after understanding they must carry the team through these rough waters.

 

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By the Numbers: Breaking down the Browns 21-7 win over the Steelers

A look at the numbers behind the 21-7 score in the Browns win over the Steelers

The most important numbers from Cleveland’s Week 11 game are 21-7, the final score of the Browns’ convincing victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s how the two teams got to those final figures…by the numbers:

0 – turnovers by the Browns, for the third consecutive game

2 – third down conversions by the Steelers offense, in 11 attempts

3 – red zone TDs in three possessions for the Browns offense

3 – missed field goals, two by Cleveland’s Austin Seibert and one by Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell

4 – takeaways by the Browns defense, a season-high

7 – tackles for loss by the Browns defense, also a season-high

92 – rushing yards for Nick Chubb, putting him over the 1,000-yard mark on the season

92.3 – Mayfield’s QB Rating for the game

121 – penalty yards assessed. That does not include the offsetting personal fouls at the end of the game

178 – Steelers passing yards, the second time in three weeks the Browns pass defense held the opponent below 200 yards

Studs and Duds from the Browns’ Week 11 win over the Steelers

Which Browns players thrived and which ones struggled in the 21-7 win over the Steelers?

The Cleveland Browns beat back the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-7, behind several standout performances. There were some Browns players who had clunkers too.

Here’s who stood out, good and bad, in the Browns’ big win:

Stud: Joe Schobert

The linebacker had an amazing game, one of the best and most impactful the league will see from anyone all season. Schobert was everywhere.

Schobert forced an incompletion on a key 3rd down by hitting Mason Rudolph’s arm. Several of the veteran LB’s 10 tackles were of the downhill variety and at or near the line of scrimmage. He bagged a sack, had two other QB hurries (both on third downs to force fourth downs), and oh yeah picked off two Mason Rudolph passes. The first of those came here:

Stud: Morgan Burnett

The safety came up big against his old team. Burnett broke up a long pass in the first quarter. He then made a great tackle on 3rd-and-short to force a 4th down before halftime that the Steelers failed to convert. On the next drive Burnett picked off a pass tipped by Denzel Ward and returned it 43 yards, befitting his jersey number. He also made an impact with a blitz. Burnett had his best game as a Brown. Unfortunately, it might be his last; Burnett left the game with an Achilles injury.

Dud: Chris Hubbard

The Browns right tackle is an unfortunate fixture in the duds. Hubbard’s play against his former team was no exception. Hubbard once again struggled to handle the pass rush, this time from T.J. Watt and Jayrone Elliott (among others). It’s still way too common to see Browns run plays end with Hubbard not blocking anyone, too.

Stud: Juston Burris

Filling in admirably with injuries and ejections around him in the defensive backfield, Burris made a big impact on the game. He picked off a pass and also had a strip sack earlier in the game when he slammed into Rudolph on a beautifully executed blitz off the corner.

Stud: Jamie Gillan

The “Scottish Hammer” proved to be a huge weapon for the Browns. He punted eight times, averaging 45.8 yards per punt. Four of his efforts wound up pinning the Steelers inside their own 20-yard line. He could have had two more, but one bounced funny and another was misplayed by his coverage unit. Pittsburgh managed just 18 return yards. Gillan played a huge role in keeping field position in the Browns’ advantage.

Dud: Austin Seibert

The rookie kicker entered Thursday perfect on his field goal attempts on the season. It did not last. Seibert missed his first field goal wide right from 44 yards out. His second attempt was a banana ball slice to the right from 50 yards.

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Browns smoke sputtering Steelers 21-7 in an ugly game with an uglier ending

Joe Schobert starred in a game that will only be remembered for the ugly ending

The Cleveland Browns remained perfect in the AFC North with an impressive 21-7 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. The win improved the Browns to 4-6 and dropped Pittsburgh to 5-5, but the score and standings and game all take a back seat to the ugly brawl at the end of the game involving Myles Garrett, Mason Rudolph and others.

The multiple ejections will be widely disseminated over the next few days. There will be major fines and certainly a suspension for Garrett. But here, we’ll just focus on the game prior to the unthinkable ending.

Baker Mayfield and the Browns passing offense proved hit-and-miss all night. For every great throw, including a fantastic late TD to rookie TE Stephen Carlson to push the lead to 21-7, there were wild misfires in the general direction of Odell Beckham Jr. Mayfield completed 17 of his 32 pass attempts, netting 193 yards and tossing two TDs. He avoided pressure nicely and looked confident in making several throws, though the connections weren’t always there.

It was that kind of a game. The Browns played well in general but not quite well enough to bury what was left of the dilapidated Steelers. Joe Schobert turned in a masterful performance on defense, picking off two passes and smartly being used by defensive coordinator Steve Wilks as the playmaking piece on the chessboard. Schobert was everywhere and an easy choice for player of the game.

But as good as Schobert was, safety Damarious Randall struggled before he was (rightly) ejected for a vicious and unnecessary helmet-to-helmet hit that left Steelers WR Diontae Johnson bleeding from inside his ear. Denzel Ward continued his rollercoaster with a bad early pass interference call, but the second-year CB also made some nice plays.

The game was won largely on the back of the defense creating four takeaways. With the Browns protecting the ball well once again–zero giveaways for the third game in a row–the defense was more than effective enough to stymie the Steelers, who were missing RB James Conner, WR Juju Smith-Schuster and Johnson.

Even the Browns special teams were all over the map. Punter Jamie Gillan was fantastic, booming kicks and setting up his cover men nicely. But fellow rookie kicker Austin Seibert missed both of his field goal attempts.

The win revitalizes the Browns playoff chances, pending the disciplinary actions that are certainly coming.

3 Keys to a Browns victory over the Steelers

3 Keys to a Browns victory over the Steelers

The Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers are ready for some Thursday Night Football. The 3-6 Cleveland Browns will host the 5-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are currently riding a four game winning streak. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams last week 17-12 at home. Meanwhile the Browns are coming off a last minute win against the Buffalo Bills, 19-16.

For the Browns, their season remains on the line as they have to keep winning games from here on out. Here are three keys to a Browns victory:

HUNT AND CHUBB: It seems so simple sometimes. When Hunt was on the field with Chubb. There was an immediate impact. Hunt showed he can do it all with blocking, run, and make critical catches out of the slot or backfield. It didn’t impact Nick Chubb’s numbers on the ground either. Sure, you don’t want to take his numbers away but it’s nice to have a back-up that can keep Chubb fresh throughout the game.

FREDDIE KITCHENS: Freddie has been on the hot seat the past few weeks. A win over the Bills helped that for a week. Can he make it two in a row? Kitchens has shown he is clearly a rookie head coach. Maybe he is growing like this young. Can he make sure his guys keep the penalties down? Not make a bad challenge? Get the plays in on time? Keep the right players in at the right times? Last week, most would argue that the Browns despite Freddie. That might be true but it does seem like Freddie is starting to figure some things out.

Take away Conner or JuJu: The Steelers two studs on offense are clearly wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner. For the Browns the simple equation is just take one of those away. For quarterback Mason Rudolph to find different options when his two games are struggling during the game.

The Browns and Steelers kick off at 8:20 p.m. on FOX. Browns are 3-point favorites.