Tag: Jerome Ford

Every NFL team’s rushing leader from the 2023 regular season

Here is every team’s leading rusher from the 2023 campaign

A Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!

Oh, wait . . . our apologies . . .

A former Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!  So, congratulations to Christian McCaffrey, who is also just days away from playing on the game’s biggest stage.

Now, as we continue to put a bow on the year, let’s look back at each team’s leading rusher from the 2023 regular season.

Studs and Duds: Which Browns players put on a show in primetime vs. the Jets

Joe Flacco and Ronnie Hickman Jr. led the Browns to a win over the Jets. Who else stood out?

The Cleveland Browns secured a playoff berth in a 37-20 thrashing of the New York Jets. The game was a story of two halves. The team was laser-focused heading into the prime-time game.  

The Browns dominated the Jets across the board in the first half. In the second half, the team tried to secure their lead and protect their players from future injuries ahead of the playoffs.

Overall, the Browns played some of their best football on Thursday night. The offense was [anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]more explosive than ever, generating a lot of big plays for the unit. The defense continued its domination by shutting down the Jets for most of the game. The team is playing its best football of the season right before the playoffs. 

The Browns need to carry this momentum into the playoffs. The teams that win Super Bowls aren’t always the most talented. Sometimes, they’re the teams that play their best at the end of the season. Hopefully, the Browns can find themselves in that latter group as injuries have decimated a talented roster, but haven’t robbed the team of their fighting spirit.

Here are the Studs and Duds in the Browns’ win over the Jets.

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Joe Flacco stays red-hot, finds Jerome Ford again to put Browns up 34-14 vs. Jets in the first half

The Browns are throttling the Jets, thanks to Joe Flacco and Jerome Ford

The rout is on for the second straight week for the Cleveland Browns. Dismantling the New York Jets on primetime television, quarterback Joe Flacco has stayed hot against his former team, again finding running back Jerome Ford for their second connection through the air in the first half.

Heading into halftime, Flacco has already racked up 296 yards and three touchdowns through the air against his former team. He does have an interception that turned into a touchdown the other way, however. Other than that singular mistake though, Flacco is playing a spotless football game.

Ford is having his best game of the season as well, as he already sits with 116 total yards (59 on the ground, 57 as a receiver) and two touchdowns in the first half of this game.

With the chance to clinch a spot in the playoffs and the fifth seed in the AFC with a win, the Browns look energized and dominant in this one. They hold a 34-17 lead at halftime over the 6-9 Jets.

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Browns jump out in front as Joe Flacco connects with Jerome Ford for 6 vs. Jets

The Browns are out to a motivated start as Joe Flacco finds Jerome Ford for a touchdown on the opening drive against the Jets.

The Cleveland Browns strike first against the New York Jets! As running back Nick Chubb got the stadium ignited, quarterback Joe Flacco then led a touchdown drive on the opening drive of the game, capping it off with a toss to running back Jerome Ford.

On the drive, Flacco stayed hot as he connected on three-of-four through the air for 71 yards. He found tight end David Njoku twice, who the Browns will need to step up with Amari Cooper out, for 64 yards on the opening drive.

Ford had a nice opening drive as well, rushing for 14 yards on three carries, then capping his drive off with that touchdown catch. Without Cooper, the Browns will need their running game, which has been non-existent over recent weeks, to kick it up a notch.

Ford seems up to the challenge in this one.

Looking to clinch their first playoff berth in three years, the Browns appear ready in this one.

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Jingle Bells ring: Jerome Ford finds the endzone to put Browns up early vs. Texans

The Browns have an early lead on the Texans as Jerome Ford finds the endzone on the opening drive of the game.

Fresh off of a deep ball from quarterback Joe Flacco to wide receiver Amari Cooper for a massive 53-yard gain, the Cleveland Browns wasted no time taking a 7-0 start over the Houston Texans. Just three plays later, running back Jerome Ford was able to take a direct snap out wide behind right tackle James Hudson III for a touchdown.

The Browns have found success pitching the ball back to their quarterback out of these wildcat looks this season, and this time they faked the pitch, leaving Ford a clear path to the endzone. The Browns ran the ball twice on the drive, both times coming out of wildcat looks as they looked to jumpstart a subpar run game.

The defense forced a Houston punt, so Flacco and company will look to continue to drive the ball down the throat of the Texans. Can the Browns all but punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win today?

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Fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em: Week 15

Check out these starts and sits for fantasy football in Week 15.

The fantasy football playoffs commenced Thursday night in the majority of leagues. Hopefully, you didn’t have to play against the Las Vegas Raiders defense.

The Week 15 slate offers some intriguing matchups with a handful of games bringing some worry as the playoffs begin. Finding the sweet spot between trusting the process and avoiding overreaction is the key over the next three weeks.

Now, it’s time to take a look at how we can help you get the fantasy playoffs started on the right foot.

Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.

Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.

Feel free to ask any specific start/sit questions via X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11), or check out our start/bench list for Week 15:

Browns RB Jerome Ford has been both explosive and inconsistent at the same time

Ford has had several big plays and several negative plays

It is crazy to think about how long ago running back Nick Chubb was lost to the season for the Cleveland Browns. Second-year running back Jerome Ford has been thrust into the starting role and at times has shown some major promise. He also seems to have gotten better as the year went down and you can not question rather Ford runs hard. And the analytics community has backed that up.

According to running back efficiency data from SumerSports Ford has one of the best explosive play rates but also one of the highest negative run rates as well. That has been the story of the Browns’ running game since Nick Chubb went down.

It seems like with Ford it’s routinely a 10-yard or more run or a run of two yards or less, it’s something you just don’t see very often. Ford lacks the vision to see cutback lanes consistently but if he can get that fixed he can be a solid running back starter.

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PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns’ offensive players vs. Jaguars

The Browns came to life on Sunday vs. the Jaguars. behind Joe Flacco, but it was Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt who had the best grades.

The Cleveland Browns offense finally crossed the 300-yard passing mark for the first time this year behind another nice game from veteran Joe Flacco. The team also scored the most points it had since Deshaun Watson led them to a victory over the Ravens before season-ending shoulder surgery. Can Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt match with an efficient run game the rest of the way out?

Head coach Kevin Stefanski continues to do a great job having his team prepared and leading them to another victory with his fourth different quarterback. Flacco looked more comfortable on the field this week as he and Stefanski continue to figure out what works best for the quarterback and his supporting cast.

The offense continues to struggle to run the ball as another injury hits the offensive line that has had its depth tested lately. It is a testament to the roster built by this front office as the team continues to laugh at adversity. Here are the top 10 performances from the win according to PFF.

RB Jerome Ford gets wrist X-rays following Browns win vs. Jaguars

Cleveland Browns RB Jerome Ford gets X-rays on his arm and wrist following the victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford got X-rays on his wrist after the victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jerome Ford briefly exited the game with a wrist injury. The starting running back was injured when he was tackled for a loss during the fourth quarter. The trainers immediately began testing Ford’s arm and wrist area after he walked to the sideline with pain visible on his face. Ford continued to play through whatever pain or injury he suffered as the Browns went on to beat the Jaguars.

Ford had for 42 yards on nine carries, and he caught four passes for 26 yards before his injury. He finished the game with three more carries for nine yards and a reception for seven yards. The toughness Ford displayed today will win fans and the admiration of his teammates.

The season’s theme for the Cleveland Browns is resiliency. The team has battled their way through injuries all season, and at 8-5 on the season, they’re winning a majority of those battles. Ford will have a week to heal before the Browns take on the Chicago Bears next Sunday.

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Fantasy football sleepers to play in Week 14

Check out these sleepers to play in fantasy football for Week 14.

In most leagues, Week 14 is the final week of the regular season for fantasy football managers. This is their final time to either make that last push for a playoff spot, secure a first-round bye or play spoiler for a team trying to make it.

Fortunately, the majority of teams have now had their bye weeks. The only two teams on a bye in Week 14 include the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders.

Some managers will opt to go for the safer bet this week, but it’s always a good idea to reach for a ceiling in a must-win game. That’s where the sleepers come in.

Don’t forget to check out The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings to get a better idea of how we feel about the upcoming week as a whole.