Week 2 instant reactions: Cleveland Browns score unimpressive win over Houston
By Greg Newland
![Cleveland Browns linebacker Sione Takitaki (44) celebrates after recovering a fumbled punt during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Browns 4](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fdawgpounddaily-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F16786992-850x560-14e69b7f1f48ded2c68afb853574fb0998f74c8ff0b9687efdb640e276c656ee.jpg "Cleveland Browns linebacker Sione Takitaki (44) celebrates after recovering a fumbled punt during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Browns 4")
The Cleveland Browns gave up a lot of yards on defense and turned it over on offense, but they ended up with a win and are ready to move on to Chicago.
The day started slow for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as the defense allowed Tyrod Taylor and the Houston Texans to march up and down the field, and the Browns offense had two costly turnovers.
Donovan Peoples-Jones fumbled after a reception on the first drive of the game, and then Baker Mayfield threw an interception after Anthony Schwartz gave up on a ball.
The biggest dodge of the first half was Mayfield returning to the game after an apparent shoulder injury after making a tackle following his interception. When it first happened, it didn’t look good, but he didn’t miss any snaps and will likely just be sore on Monday morning.
The bad news from Sunday was the loss of Jarvis Landry. Speculation reported by Adam Schefter is Landry suffered an MCL sprain, but he was injured on the first series. Depending on the severity of the sprain, there is a good chance that Landry will return in the 2021 season.
The defense caught a huge break in the second half as Taylor was unable to play the second half because of a hamstring issue. Davis Mills, the Stanford product, replaced Taylor and showed he was not quite ready for the NFL.
After a 14-14 tie at the half, the Browns outscored the Texans 10-0 in the third and the defense really made things tough for Mills, but the Texans would respond. This game ended up way tighter than anyone expected, and the defense still has a ton of question marks heading into week three, but they made plays when they had to.
Next. Baker Mayfield first touchdown pass in 2021 is a beauty. dark
It wasn’t pretty (especially on defense), but in the NFL a win is a win, and the Browns are now 1-1 after a 31-21 victory on Sunday and will now get ready to take on the Chicago Bears to go above .500 for the first time in the 2021 season.