Tag: Browns studs and duds

Studs and Duds from the Browns win over the Eagles

Olivier Vernon and Denzel Ward highlight the Browns studs

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Cleveland scored an impressive victory over a division-leading team on Sunday. The Browns vanquished the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, 22-17, in a rainy FirstEnergy Stadium setting, improving to 7-3 in the process.

The Browns received key performances from several players in the win. There were also some unsavory performances that need to get cleaned up, as is expected in a game where style points were optional.

Here’s who stood out as studs and duds from the Browns in the Week 11 win.

Studs and duds from the Browns Week 8 loss to the Raiders

Last week it was hard to find many duds in the win over Cincinnati. This week, the “studs” column is a dairy farm with no bull.

A 16-6 loss in a windy, wintry mix isn’t what anyone in Cleveland wanted from the Browns as they enter the bye week. But that’s the cold reality of what happened on Sunday in the lethargic loss to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders.

Last week it was hard to find many duds in the win over Cincinnati. This week, the “studs” column is a dairy farm with no bull.

Here are the duds and a couple of Browns who didn’t play poorly in the Week 8 loss to Las Vegas.

Browns’ Studs and Duds from the Week 4 win over Dallas

The Cleveland Browns are officially 3-1.

The Cleveland Browns are officially 3-1 and just defeated the NFC East favorite, Dallas Cowboys, by a score of 49-38. The game was fascinating and if you are like me your mouth is dry from watching that game with your jaw dropped the entire three hours. The offense was absolutely electric and the defense played very well despite the second-half breakdown. Below are a few players who shined extra hard and a couple who struggled.

Stud: Denzel Ward

The defense was definitely not the highlight especially not the passing defense as Dallas quarterback, Dak Prescott passed for over 500 yards. With that said, Denzel Ward had another outstanding outing showing he is elite when healthy. When a corner is facing a team that passes the ball as much as Dallas a few lapses are expected, but Ward bounced back and ended the game with four tackles and the game-sealing interception.

Dud: Andrew Sendejo

Andrew Sendejo has been a regular on this list and it is a bummer considering how inspiring his story is, but he is a complete liability in coverage. He is constantly providing offenses with highlight-reel opportunities. That sweet tight-window Prescott pass in the first quarter was due to Sendejo going for the kill shot and whiffing. This is a regular occurrence.

Stud: D’Ernest Johnson

The former Alliance of American Football League star has had a difficult path to the NFL, but he appears here to stay. With Nick Chubb going down, Johnson was splitting carries with Kareem Hunt and actually led the team in rushing yards with 95 on only 13 carries for a healthy 7.3-yard average.

Dud: Karl Joseph

Joseph was on the stud list a few weeks ago, but he had two gaffes that resulted in Dallas points today. That includes a missed tackle as the ferocious hitter — per his usual self  — refuses to wrap up ball carriers. Then there is the initial Dallas touchdown that Sendejo received most of the blame on. Joseph was likely supposed to be in the area but was in no-man’s-land covering nothing instead.

Stud: Odell Beckham

Beckham was unstoppable on Sunday. His athleticism was on constant display as he had two carries for 73 yards, including the dagger touchdown on the reverse. He had five receptions for 81 yards and the first two touchdowns for the Browns.

Stud: Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield might not have put up the fantasy points that Prescott did, but Mayfield made few mistakes if any, and accumulated 165 passing yards and two touchdowns with ZERO interceptions. People may call Mayfield a “game-manager” like its an insult, but as long as he isn’t throwing interceptions, there should be no complaints.

Studs and duds from the Browns’ 41-24 victory over the Dolphins

Jarvis Landry stood out as the biggest stud, while a familiar face once again was an obvious dud

The Cleveland Browns completely dismantled the Miami Dolphins and are now in the thick of the playoff hunt at 5-6. The 2019 season has largely been a disappointment for Cleveland, but they have now strung together three wins in a row and have looked extremely impressive the last couple weeks as the offense has come together.

Miami is one of the lesser teams in the league, but the Browns still exceeded expectations during their showing. Below are just a few players that set themselves apart.

Stud: Jarvis Landry

I will never understand how Landry goes underappreciated and borderline hated week after week after week by a huge chunk of fans, because all this guy does is compete and make plays for Cleveland. Landry just embarrassed a Dolphins defensive backfield with 10 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns. It should surprise no one that one of his best performances of the year was against his former team.

Dud: Chris Hubbard

It feels like Landry is on this list almost weekly, but it also feels like Hubbard is as well and not for good reasons. Even against a terrible Miami team, Hubbard looked atrocious and is practically guaranteed not to be the 2020 starter at right tackle. The offensive line is not as bad as some would lead you to believe, but with the right tackle getting destroyed on almost every down it definitely does not instill confidence.

Stud: Kareem Hunt

Hunt has had a confusing and controversial journey to get to his hometown team, but despite his past off the field, Hunt deserves a ton of credit for transforming this offense and found the end-zone for the very first time as a Brown on Sunday. The Toledo product did not have the most statistically pleasing game with only 37 rushing yards and nine receiving yards, but he still averaged 4.6 yards per carry.

Dud: Greedy Williams

Williams looked like a future All-Pro and potential Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate early in the season, but the last few games have been rough for the former LSU Tiger. Opposing offenses appear to be picking on the young rookie and he has struggled some. Williams has shown that he will give up the inside and a better offense will focus on that.

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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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Studs and duds from Browns’ 19-16 victory over Bills

Studs and duds from the Browns’ 19-16 victory over the Bills

The Cleveland Browns finally won a home game and despite the low offensive output, they even beat the spread. Much of the postgame discussion will be surrounding the poor play-calling in the red zone and even more specifically the goal line, but the Browns actually beat Buffalo in a fairly solid fashion. Cleveland won the time of possession and total yards battle. With that said, a few players really stood out, with some in a more positive light than others.

Stud: Jarvis Landry

Landry is one of the most polarizing Cleveland players, with a huge portion of the fan base screaming about how below average he is, but he plays hard and not just as a receiver. He has also proved to be an extremely valuable blocker, which was evident on Demetrius Harris’ fourth-and-1 conversion as Landry’s block secured the first down. Landry also finished as the leading receiver on the day with nine receptions for 97 yards and one touchdown.

Dud: Chris Hubbard

With all of the discussion surrounding Greg Robinson on the other side, Hubbard is the worst starting offensive lineman. His best play was a false start penalty that forced Freddie Kitchens to kick the field goal instead of going for it. That’s right, Hubbard’s best play was his penalty. It is one thing to get beaten or physically dominated, but Hubbard has plays where he fails to even place a hand on a defender.

Stud: Nick Chubb

Chubb is the centerpiece of this offense and breaks tackles at a stunning rate. Everyone knew what the game plan for Cleveland was going to be and it didn’t matter as Chubb still hammered out 116 rushing yards on 20 carries. Chubb failed to reach pay dirt, but it was not for a lack of trying. The plan appears to be to utilize Hunt in more of the receiving role, which should allow him to be fresher throughout the game.

Dud: Morgan Burnett

Burnett was the team leader in tackles with seven and had a statistically pleasant day, but the aging defensive back got worked over. He tallied almost all of his tackles by chasing down receivers who had beaten him. Burnett was the target on nearly every big play allowed through the air.

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