Browns Studs and Duds: Who helped and who hurt in win vs. Bears?

Reviewing the studs and duds in the Cleveland Browns victory over the Chicago Bears.

The Cleveland Browns are reeling after a thrilling victory over the Chicago Bears. The dramatic ending of the Hail Mary nearly secured the Browns a playoff birth. It also sent players, coaches, and fans into shock. The Browns have developed a habit of late-game heroics that has revitalized the title of the Kardiac Kids as tight end David Njoku and cornerback Greg Newsome II posted monster games. 

The Browns’ defense played very well against a resurging Chicago Bears offense led by a former first-round pick. The unit limited his running ability while locking down his wide receivers. The defense harassed the offense all day as the Bears could not move the ball against the Browns. The Bears got a few explosive runs against the Browns, but that’s the only damage their offense could inflict.

The Browns’ offense inflicted a lot of damage to themselves on both sides of the ball. The offense could not string a drive together as the Bears were well-prepared for the unit. The Bears were sitting on any underneath throw or run play. They quickly triggered downfield and proved a tough matchup for the team. The Browns finally exploited the Bears’ defense in the fourth quarter when Flacco connected on a handful of deep shots. The offense dug themselves out of their hole. Reliable stars like Amari Cooper and David Njoku helped lead the Browns to their most recent victory.

Here are the Studs and Duds from Sunday’s performance. 

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Browns will start Geron Christian Sr. at left tackle vs. Steelers

Geron Christian Sr. was solid in his Browns debut last week and will start again on Sunday

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Friday that veteran Geron Christian Sr. will be the team’s left tackle Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Christian was solid in his debut for the team last week in Baltimore, stepping in for Jedrick Wills Jr.

The team has listed right tackle Dawand Jones as questionable so if James Hudson III isn’t starting at right tackle, he will be the first backup to both roles. Jones returned to practice this week and it seems like he is trending towards playing this week. Christian is a veteran with experience playing under Bill Callahan and he looked very comfortable when he played last week.

The Baltimore Ravens pass rush is pretty good but what Christian and the Browns face this weekend against the Steelers is on a whole other level. The team will need to keep rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson protected in his second start if they are to beat their rival for their seventh win this year.

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Veteran Geron Christian Sr. should remain Browns’ left tackle with Jedrick Wills Jr. out

Geron Christan Sr. should start over James Hudson III when Dawand Jones returns

One of the things that jumped out the most while watching the All-22 of the Browns’ win on Sunday was how well veteran left tackle Geron Christian Sr. played. With both Jedrick Wills Jr. out, as well as rookie right tackle Dawand Jones, it was up in the air who would start at the tackle position.

When Dawand Jones returns from injury the team should not put James Hudson III at left tackle and should keep Christian at the position until Wills returns. It was by no means perfect in Baltimore and Christian did allow a sack but he was by no means a liability against a pretty solid Ravens pass rush.

It will be a big test this week against the Steelers with Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt being on a whole other level than Baltimore’s rushers. Cleveland has shown that the next-man-up mentality is working for them as they haven’t allowed injuries to slow them down overall.

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