Tag: Amari Cooper

The Cleveland Browns could win the AFC’s one-seed in the playoffs

After their Thursday night win over the Jets, the Browns actually have a chance to become the AFC’s one-seed through the playoffs.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

After their 37-20 win over the New York Jets on Thursday night, the 11-5 Cleveland Browns not only clinched their second playoff berth since 2020 (the team had not made the playoffs before that since 2002), but they have an actual shot at the AFC’s one-seed.

Which means that the AFC playoffs might go through Cleveland.

Here’s how it needs to go.

So. If the Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, January 7, and the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Dolphins lose to the Buffalo Bills? Yeah. The Dawg Pound will be home base.

As Chase Daniel said, this is wild. The Browns currently have a league-high 26% of their salary cap on injured reserve, they’ve turned Joe Flacco into Kurt Warner, and the guys they were without due to injury against the Jets was… well, remarkable.

If Kevin Stefanski doesn’t win Coach of the Year, there should be an immediate recount.

WATCH: Browns WR and NVP Amari Cooper slimes Joe Flacco after historic performance

The duo celebrated their historic performance vs Texans

What a game in Houston for Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco and his number one target, wide receiver Amari Cooper.

The veteran in his second season with the team set the Browns’ all-time single-game receiving record-breaking Josh Gordon’s record as Cooper totaled 265 yards last week.

The performance earned Cooper Nickelodeon’s NVP award which usually earns that player a slime bath. But in true Amari Cooper fashion he gave all the credit to his quarterback Joe Flacco who took the sliming like a champion.

Now with Thursday Night Football imminent Cooper is questionable with a heel injury as Cleveland can earn their playoff berth with a win tonight. The Jets offense will not have a great matchup as the Browns defense has been so dominant at home this year.

It could end up being a good week to rest Cooper as the offense might not need to put up a ton of points to get the win. Either way, it is the biggest game of the year for the Browns as they look for win no. 11.

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Jets Week 17 inactives: Allen Lazard out with illness

Allen Lazard is out for the Jets with an illness while Amari Cooper will not play with a heel injury.

The Jets announced their Week 17 inactives against the Cleveland Browns. Three were already known earlier this week: quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson plus tight end Jeremy Ruckert. Rodgers is out with the Achilles injury while Wilson and Ruckert both have concussions. Trevor Siemian will start with Brett Rypien as the backup.

Wide receiver Allen Lazard was also ruled inactive. He was dealing with an illness.

The rest of the players inactive Thursday include cornerback Bruce Hall, offensive lineman Austin Deculus and defensive lineman Carl Lawson.

On the other side, big injury news for Cleveland as wide receiver Amari Cooper will not play with a heel injury. It seemed like he was going to play, but like Tyreek Hill two weeks ago, Cooper ends up being a late scratch. Former Jet Elijah Moore could see more targets as a result.

The Browns inactives:

WR Amari Cooper
LB Anthony Walker Jr.
K Dustin Hopkins
P Corey Bojorquez
DE Ogbo Okoronkwo
C Luke Wypler
DE Sam Kamara

Browns Inactives: Amari Cooper OUT, Juan Thornhill active vs. Jets

As the Browns take on the Jets, Amari Cooper will not play as Juan Thornhill returns to the field.

With the potential to clinch a playoff spot on the line tonight against the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns will get one questionable starter on the field. They will, however, be missing a massive contributor. While both wide receiver Amari Cooper and safety Juan Thornhill were iffy to go on a short week, Thornhill will suit up while Cooper will be unable to go in this Thursday Night Football showdown against the Jets.

The Browns will miss Cooper dearlyt in this game against Sauce Gardner and company in the New York secondary. Fresh off of a record-breaking performance against the Texans, quarterback Joe Flacco will turn to Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman in this one.

For Thornhill, this is his first game back in the lineup after missing three straight games with a calf injury that has been nagging him all season. He will be joined by rookie Ronnie Hickman Jr., D’Anthony Bell, and 10-year veteran Duron Harmon in the back end of the Cleveland secondary.

Here is the full list of inactives who will not play in this game, highlighted by injured starters Amari Cooper, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Anthony Walker Jr., Dustin Hopkins, and Corey Bojorquez.

How Joe Flacco brings out the best parts of Kevin Stefanski’s Browns offense

Joe Flacco has maximized every part of Kevin Stefanski’s playbook, and he’s become the franchise quarterback the Browns have been seeking for years.

Who would have thought that the Cleveland Browns, a franchise that has been searching for a definitive franchise quarterback since *checks notes* Bernie Kosar in the early 1990s, would finally find that guy in the person of Joe Flacco, who will turn 39 on January 16, and was sitting on his couch without an NFL team less than two months ago? That’s exactly what’s happened, and Flacco has become one of the league’s more improbable and satisfying stories in the league this season.

Since Flacco became the Browns’ starting quarterback in Week 13 — the fourth starting quarterback head coach and offensive shot-caller Kevin Stefanski has had this season — he leads the league in passing attempts (175), he’s second in completions behind Jake Browning of the Cincinnati Bengals with 104, he leads the NFL in passing yards with 1,321, and some of the throws he made against the Houston Texans last week in a 36-22 win were just ridiculous for any quarterback of any stripe. 

Let’s start with Flacco’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper with 12:16 left in the first half. Cooper set a franchise record in this game with 265 receiving yards, and this is where it all began. Cooper was the backside iso receiver, Houston’s defense went mostly with the passing strength to the right side, Cooper was one-on-one with cornerback D’Angelo Ross, and Flacco zinged the ball right where Cooper could come down with it.

Flacco’s 21-yard pass to Cooper with 1:37 left in the third quarter from a similar concept. This time, the Browns motioned to four-strong to the right, putting more emphasis on that side, and it was Cooper against cornerback Stephen Nelson for the win.

But the Flacco throw of the day was his 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Njoku. The Texans were in 2-Man to one side of the field and Quarters to the other, and Flacco had two defenders converging on his target when he made the throw. But Flacco also knew that he had Njoku on linebacker Denzel Perryman as the primary defender, and the middle of the field was open, and Flacco would have no problem making that throw.

Let’s go back a week to this 51-yard touchdown pass to Cooper against the Chicago Bears with 3:18 left in the game. This was a similarly preposterous throw — you don’t see many quarterbacks threading it deep into three defenders like this, and coming out with a positive result. Cooper ran a deep crosser between two verts in a reduced split, and Flacco somehow got it in there in a way that was more than medium rare.

“Yeah, that’s what he can do, and that’s a tough coverage to beat in that scheme for us,” offensive coordinator Bradley Van Pelt said. “There’s a Cover-2 corner on the backside [Terell Smith] that almost got underneath of that. In the quarterback room, we’ve always referred to that as the steak dinner throw. So if you throw an interception to that corner, you owe the whole room a steak dinner at the Marble Room. So I’m glad it didn’t happen for us, but that’s tough coverage, and his arm strength got that ball there.”

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into what Flacco brings to the Browns’ offense, and how he’s able to maximize every part of Stefanski’s playbook. A tough go for the New York Jets on Thursday night. For all of Gang Green’s defensive excellence, they struggle against deep passes out of play-action, which has been Flacco’s game. This season, the Jets have allowed four deep completions on 10 attempts of 20 or more air yards for 160 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 127.1 – sixth-worst in the league.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” featuring tape and advanced metric analysis of all Week 17’s biggest NFL matchups, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Previewing Week 17’s biggest NFL matchups

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into Week 17’s biggest NFL matchups with tape and advanced metrics.

It’s time for Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season, and Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, are here to get you ready for the most important games and interesting matchups:

Cleveland Browns-New York Jets: Joe Flacco is killing defenses with shot plays out of play-action, and as good as the Jets’ defense has been all season long, that’s a vulnerability on their side.

Detroit Lions-Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have played more man defense than any other team this season, but all 10 of Jared Goff’s interceptions this season have come against zone coverage. Dallas played more zone against the Miami Dolphins last week; that trend might continue.

Los Angeles Rams-New York Giants: It’s time to check in on Matthew Stafford and what he’s dialing up in Sean McVay’s shape-shifting offense.

Miami Dolphins-Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens just came off a great game in which they beat the San Francisco 49ers on both sides of the ball, and Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins present similar challenges.

Cincinnati Bengals-Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs’ offense is circling the drain, and it’s everybody’s fault. Can they turn it around in time for the playoffs?

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” featuring tape and advanced metric analysis of all Week 17’s biggest NFL matchups, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Browns WR Amari Cooper wins AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors

Was it ever in doubt?

Fresh off of setting a new franchise record for single-game receiving yards for the Cleveland Browns, Amari Cooper has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

On the day, Cooper racked up a massive 265 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 11 catches. Cooper joins kicker Dustin Hopkins to win an AFC Player of the Week honor, as Hopkins won the special teams award in back-to-back weeks this year for the Browns.

Since quarterback Joe Flacco took the reigns under center in Cleveland, Cooper has racked up 485 yards over the last four weeks. With two weeks left in the regular season, and then the playoffs, the Browns need this Flacco-to-Cooper connection to stay strong.

As the Browns take on the New York Jets today, Cooper is listed as questionable and will be a gametime decision. Looking to lock down their spot in the playoffs, the Browns will need Cooper as they go against Sauce Gardner and company in this one.

Report: Browns WR Amari Cooper ‘hopeful’ to play vs. Jets

The wide receiver is hopeful to play.

Fresh off of a record-setting day for the Cleveland Browns, wide receiver Amari Cooper has missed practice all week with a heel injury. He is listed as questionable to play in tonight’s game against the New York Jets.

However, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Pro Bowl wide receiver is “hopeful he can play tonight.” Turning around on a short week, and playing two games within four days, is a quick adjustment for the veteran wide receiver, but there is a reason to believe the Browns may have just been giving him time to rest over the past three days.

Going against a stout secondary that touts Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter II, the Browns will need their best receiver out there as they seek to clinch their first playoff berth in three years.

Pelissero went on to say that the Browns will get a better sense of Cooper’s status closer to kickoff. He is a true game-time decision.

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The Browns should extend wide receiver Amari Cooper immediately

The time is now to extend the veteran wide receiver

Since Joe Flacco took over the quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns, wide receiver Amari Cooper has been one of the most productive players in the entire league. Coming off a game where the veteran broke the Browns’ team record for most receiving yards in a single game with 265 yards on Sunday in Houston. He continues to show he is a true elite number-one wide receiver in the NFL.

Since Week 10, Cooper has led the NFL in receiving with 633 yards despite playing with multiple different quarterbacks with one that struggled mightily this year. The only constant for the Browns’ passing offense this year due to injuries has been Cooper and his ability to get open and attack at all three levels of the defense.

Cooper’s 2024 salary cap hit will be over $23 million and that has led many people to believe the team will cut him to save the cap. The Browns cannot at all think about moving past Cooper they must find a way to make it work. Andrew Berry has done this before with others and extending Cooper to spread the cap hit out and keep the best wide receiver they have had since 1999.

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Browns Injury Report: Amari Cooper, Juan Thornhill listed as questionable vs. Jets

The status of a handful of starters is up in the air tomorrow night.

The Cleveland Browns will enter their Thursday Night Football matchup against the New York Jets likely without both their kicker and their punter. They may also, however, be without starters Amari Cooper and Juan Thornhill, as both players are listed as questionable for this primetime game.

Being without Cooper, off of his record-setting outing against the Houston Texans, would be a massive loss for a wide receiver room that has not had anyone truly step up without him. However, given that it is a short week, the Browns are likely giving Cooper the time he needs so that he can play against the Jets.

If Thornhill cannot go again, which would be his fourth missed game in a row, rookie Ronnie Hickman Jr., D’Anthony Bell, and 10-year veteran Duron Harmon will have to step up once again.

As the Browns look to clinch their first playoff berth in three years, here is everyone who appeared on Wednesday’s injury report on the eve of this matchup against the Jets.