3 huge Browns takeaways from Week 1 victory over the Panthers
Nothing is more valuable in the NFL than wins and the Browns went out and found a way to win. Here are three huge takeaways from the Week 1 victory.
For the first time since the 2004 season, there will be a Week 1 victory Monday celebration for the Cleveland Browns and the fans. The game was seemingly well in hand until it wasn’t, but the team did not give up and found a way to leave Charlotte with a win.
All three phases helped lead the Browns to the 26-24 victory. Not only did Cleveland end an 18-year opening week skid, but they also won a season opener on the road for the first time since 1994.
Here are the three huge takeaways from the Week 1 victory over the Panthers.
3 huge takeaways from Browns Week 1 victory over the Panthers
3. The Wide Receivers Were Open All Day
Over the past couple of seasons, the Browns have had issues with the wide receivers being able to get open and create separation. On Sunday afternoon, that was far from the case as the receivers were getting open at will.
Donovan Peoples-Jones led the way with six catches for 60 yards. He made a handful of tough, diving catches to help keep the offense rolling. Year three will need to be a big one for DPJ as he’s the No. 2 wideout in Cleveland.
Amari Cooper, who the Browns stole from the Cowboys (Thanks, Jerry!) in the offseason, was making Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn look silly a lot of the game. He finished with just 17 yards on three catches, but he was open a lot.
Even Anthony Schwartz was schemed open and made a huge third-down catch to extend a drive. That was a big-time moment for him that hopefully he can build off of and get his confidence back.
There were some good passes thrown from Jacoby Brissett that were dropped and there were also just bad throws, one of which would’ve been a Cooper touchdown. One thing is for certain, you cannot watch that game and come away with the take that the offense stalled at times due to head coach Kevin Stefanski. He schemed guys open all day long, which will be even better the more comfortable Brissett is until Deshaun Watson makes his season debut in Week 13.