How sweet it is, the Browns are playoff bound. This one feels great because of everything this team has been through this year. I won’t go down the list of players injured, because I have other things to do this weekend. It’s unbelievable to me, that players who are tied to the success of the Browns, weren’t on the team when they traveled to West Virginia. Cleveland GM Andrew Berry started this process in the off-season by signing and drafting the right players. Then continued his NFL Executive of the Year path by finding players to replace the injured players. Raise your hand if prior to the season you had heard of Geron Christain, James Proche and Duron Harmon. Anybody…..I didn’t think so.
The Browns offense in the first half was surprisingly good considering WR Amari Cooper wasn’t playing. I hope everyone sees how valuable WR Elijah Moore really is, because after he left the game no one could get separation against a very good Jets secondary. He’s top five in the league in separation. I hope he can return for the playoffs. Alert the media, the Browns ran the ball and were surprising good considering the Jets are pretty good against the run. Again, forget about the second half, at that point the Browns had no capable wide receivers, and the Jets defense were determined to stop the run. How important is Joe Flacco to the Browns offense? Thanks for asking. Prior to Flacco, the Browns were 31st in offensive yards per play and 28th in passing offense. After Flacco, they’re eighth in offensive yards per play and first in passing offense. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has designed an offense for four different style quarterbacks this year. Give him an extension and Coach Of The Year.
After the first Jets drive, which was scripted, the defense again showed why they are the best. I know New York’s offense stinks and you saw why last night. Myles Garrett is odds on favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. Finally got a sack, plus nine more pressures and a quarterback hit. Jets left tackle Mehki Becton had no answer for Garrett, two false starts. Then they put Za’Darius Smith opposite him and again another false start. JOK again showed up, as did Sione Takitaki. You could tell he was getting tired of Jets players running out of tackles. This could be the best secondary I’ve seen in Browns uniforms. Just a reminder, Ronnie Hickman is an undrafted player. Since the Denver game, Greg Newsome has become a completely different player. Duron Harmon was a genius late season pick up and Shelby Harris was a genius pre-season pick up.
Pro Football Focus Grades. Offense, TE David Njoku, 85.3, RB Jerome Ford, 77.3, LG Joel Bitonio, 75.4, TE Harrison Bryant, 75.3 and RG Wyatt Teller, 72.3. Defense, S Ronnie Hickman, 92.5, Sione Takitaki, 88.5, Greg Newsome, 83.7, S Duron Harmon, 83.4 and DE Myles Garrett, 77.8.
Rooting Guide. It’s simple this weekend, Miami over Baltimore. Both these teams are trying to get the number one seed in the playoffs. But so are the Browns. The Dolphins beating Baltimore would help but isn’t the final answer. If the Browns beat Cincinnati, Baltimore loses to Miami and Pittsburg and Miami then loses to Buffalo, the Browns are the number one seed. Raise your hand if you had that scenario at the beginning of the season. Anybody……I didn’t think so.
Enjoy all the college and pro football this weekend. Have a great New Years, stay safe and Go Browns.