Cleveland Browns MNF first half pluses and minuses
The Cleveland Browns have had a terrible first half on Monday Night Football. Here are the plus and minuses from the first 30 minutes.
The Cleveland Browns are playing the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, and the first half began disastrously. This article was supposed to be about the good and the bad about the first half. However, let us start with the bad, because that is easy.
There is very little positive that can be written. The Browns could not contain speedsters Tevin Coleman, and especially Matt Breida who scored on his first carry, a mind-blowing 83 yard touchdown run. Breida saw daylight to the inside of Olivier Vernon, and popped through the hole.
Safety Damarious Randall hesitated for a split second, and Breida made his move and was long gone. Later Breida added a second touchdown through the air. He was a complete mismatch for rookie linebacker Mack Wilson, who bought Breida’s fake and allowed him to cut back inside for six more points. Breida was a mismatch for everyone who tried to cover him. Tevin Coleman had success running to the outside also.
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On the possession that ensured after Breida’s first score, quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t help matters by not finding an open receiver and finally flinging it where Richard Sherman could make an outstanding play on the ball. Jarvis Landry appeared to think that Sherman was down, but he gained his feet and gained 13 extra yards while the rest of the Browns seemed to stagger in shock.
Baker’s second interception was not his fault, as he hit Antonio Callaway, who bobbled the ball for former Brown K’Waun Williams to pick it off and rumble 49 yards in the opposite direction. Williams, incidentally, is one of those players who was cut by Hue Jackson for being naughty (he had a temper tantrum at being demoted to second string).
In-between INTs, Baker also added a fumble while running for his life on third down.
But there were positives as well. As bad as Mayfield played, he still had more yards than Jimmy Garoppolo, who was held in check by the Browns defense.
The Browns move the ball well on the ground, with Pharoah Brown helping to clear a path forward for Nick Chubb. OBJ had a nice reverse. Myles Garrett still provided a huge pass rush, including nailing Garoppolo for a sack midway through the second quarter.
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Watching the game with the Beavercreek Browns Backers at Tuty’s Bar and Grill, the largest cheers came from missed 49er field goals.