Jacoby Brissett fell apart against the New England Patriots. He’s one of the duds from Week 6 but who else stood out as the Cleveland Browns fell to 2-4?
Things just went from bad to worse for the Cleveland Browns.
On Sunday, they were un need of a win and had the New England Patriots come to town with a rookie quarterback under center. They started out playing them tightly, but then things completely fell apart. Bailey Zappe had his way with the Browns defense and Cleveland’s offense never figured out how to consistently move the ball on the Pats’defense.
Now at 2-4, Cleveland could quickly see this season get away from them. But before looking at that, let’s take a look back at their Week 6 loss and highlight who stood out as both studs and duds.
Browns studs and duds Week 6
Stud: David Njoku, TE
As bad as the offense was for Cleveland, a couple of players had solid outings. David Njoku falls into this category as he continued his stellar campaign. Njoku had just three receptions but was good for 58 yards.
David Njoku continues his breakout campaign 😤 pic.twitter.com/NBtf6jdamj
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) October 16, 2022
He could have had much more if Jacoby Brissett was more accurate. His 33-yard reception early in the game was a perfect example.
Njoku got deep on the New England defense and it should have been a touchdown if the pass was on target. Since it was underthrown, Njoku had to slow down and turn around. In the end, they were held to three but the touchdown could have been huge for some early momentum.
Dud: Jacob Phillips, LB
When Anthony Walker was injured, Jacob Phillips was thrown into the fire as the starting middle linebacker. So far, he’s been unable to live up to the expectations.
Sunday was one of his worst performances as he missed several tackles, took a few bad angles, and wasn’t great in coverage. Cleveland added Deion Jones a week ago and when he’s ready to go, we’ll probably see very little of Phillips.
Stud: Amari Cooper, WR
Much like David Njoku, Amari Cooper had a solid game for the Browns but it could have been better. He finished with four receptions for 44 yards and the only touchdown of the game but there were 12 passes thrown his way.
When the ball was delivered accurately, Cooper was hauling it in. He even made a couple of third-down plays and an impressive sideline catch on third-and-12.
Another week, another ridiculous Amari Cooper catch 😴 pic.twitter.com/CeA2mr7Tcc
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) October 16, 2022
Cooper even drew a flag on Sunday as he was held while trying to run a route, and probably would have been wide open had that not happened.
The only thing stopping Cooper in Week 6 was his quarterback. Off-target passes limited him and while he should be unstoppable when Deshaun Watson returns, he can be limited with Brissett.
Dud: Grant Delpit, S
All day, players were running free in the secondary for the Patriots and Grant Delpit was a major reason for that. The former second-round pick from LSU has struggled throughout the year and this game was no exception.
Delpit did finish with seven tackles but wasn’t much of a factor in slowing down the New England passing attack. He was also the one who let Hunter Henry get past him for the 31-yard touchdown that broke the game open at 24-6.
Stud: Myles Garrett, EDGE
Early in the game, Cleveland had a shot at taking a lead thanks to defensive end Myles Garrett. The former No. 1 overall pick beat his blocker and was able to hit the ball out of Bailey Zappe’s hand, causing a fumble.
The play was reviewed and in the end, it was determined to be a strip-sack for Garrett, which was recovered by John Johnson III. More importantly, it put him ahead of Clay Matthews, Jr. for the most sacks in team history.
Cleveland was unable to capitalize as they turned it over on downs when Jacoby Brissett was stopped on fourth-and-one, but that doesn’t take away from what Garrett did.
Dud: Jacoby Brissett, QB
When the Browns signed Jacoby Brissett, they were hopeful he could keep the offense afloat during Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension. Early on, it appeared he was doing this as the Browns might not have been winning consistently but their offense was doing well. That’s changed in recent weeks as Brissett is suddenly struggling to control the ball and had a day to forget on Sunday.
Brissett was inaccurate all day as he completed just 21-of-45 passes for 266 yards with a touchdown and two picks. New England sold out on the run daring Brissett to throw and he was unable to make them pay.
It was a stark reminder of why he’s a journeyman reserve and why the Browns are awaiting Watson’s return to the field.
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