Browns Win and Play Spoiler
The Cleveland Browns were victorious in Charlotte, with a 26-24 win over Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers. The Browns defense played well, and Myles Garrett welcomed rookie left tackle Ikem Ekwonu to the NFL. Mayfield’s revenge game may have been spoiled but the game became close in the second half. Baker rallied the Panthers in the fourth quarter by scoring 17 points and taking the lead. Brissett was able to get the Browns in field goal range on their last drive which set up the Browns rookie kicker Cade York for a 58-yard game winning field goal. Cade York is now the king of Cleveland!
Mayfield was 16 out of 27 in pass attempts, with 235 yards, one interception and one touchdown. The Carolina running game never established itself and star running back Christian McCaffrey was held to 33 yards rushing with one touchdown. The Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett had an anemic 147 yards total in passing with a touchdown pass to Kareem Hunt. Browns running back Nick Chubb seemed unstoppable, racking up 141 yards on 22 carries and Kareem Hunt had 70 yards from scrimmage with a pair of scores.
Phil Dawson Void Filled
What did we learn? The Browns defense is solid, and Myles Garrett is a beast. Garrett racked up six pressures, including two sacks, and earned a 94.4 pass-rushing grade. The running backs are one of the best groups in the NFL. Chubb and Hunt are unrelenting, and they clearly are carrying the load this year with such a poor passing offense. Cade York was the hero of the day! He was drafted in the fourth round out of LSU by the Browns with the 124th overall pick. It is early but this feels like the Browns have filled the Phil Dawson kicker void!
Another observation is Jacoby Brissett looked overwhelmed, nervous, and afraid to make a mistake. It seems that he is either not sure of himself or the coaching staff is really limiting him, making him more of a game manager. I think it would be interesting to give Josh Dobbs some plays at quarterback and see if it helps or maybe even turns into something more special. Jacoby Brissett seems so lackluster and if they need a game winning touchdown to go ahead or tie, he will wilt under the pressure. Luckily the Browns found a real gem in Cade York and have great running backs!
The Browns got the win on the road and the monkey off their back. Cade York showed guts for a 21-year-old rookie kicker with the game on the line. Chubb and Hunt are still an elite duo in the backfield! Jacoby Brissett seemed good enough to keep the Browns in it to win it. Now the Browns are headed back to Cleveland for their home opener! The Dawg Pound will be rockin’ when the New York Jets come into town!