Browns studs and duds Week 10: Kareem Hunt, offensive line ineffective in loss to Miami

The Cleveland Browns fell to 3-6 with a loss to the Miami Dolphins. The biggest surprise in the defeat was the ineffectiveness of Kareem Hunt and the offensive line.

There was some hope after their win over Cincinnati but that now feels like a lifetime ago as the Cleveland Browns were bullied by the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Miami won 39-17 and somehow, it felt as though it was an even larger deficit than that. The Dolphins were dominant on both sides of the ball, as Cleveland was simply pushed around.

Now at 3-6, they’re surely going to be focused on what needs to be changed to compete in 2023. As for us, we’ll look back at their latest loss and identify who stood out as both studs and duds.

Browns studs and duds Week 10

Stud: Grant Delpit, S

One of the many defensive players that has taken heat this season for Cleveland is safety Grant Delpit. Much of the criticism has been unfair since he’s been asked to play deep at times, which isn’t his strength.

This weekend, he wasn’t asked to do as much of this and his talent showed. Delpit was playing closer to the line of scrimmage and was delivering some impressive hits. One that stood out was their fourth-down stop in the red zone as Miami was trying to extend their 10-7 lead.

While the defense overall struggled, Delpit was one of the few bright spots, finishing with 10 tackles including one for a loss. Hopefully he can build upon this performance and get things headed in the right direction.

Dud: The Browns entire OL

Throughout the season, the Cleveland offensive line has been dominant but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. Throughout the day, the Miami defensive line was bullying them as Bradley Chubb, Christian Wilkins, and Melvin Ingram were camped in the backfield.

The biggest mistake came right after the two-minute warning in the first half. Both Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin were beaten off the edge and Brissett was sacked on third down.

Miami scored to take a 17-7 lead into the break and they got the ball to start the third quarter as well. There was also no chance of breaking a big run in the final 27 seconds to consider going for a field goal as Wills and Conklin were each called for holding to close out the first half.

It never got easier as the run game was non-existent — outside of one 33-yarder from Nick Chubb — and Brissett never looked comfortable due to the pressure.

Stud: Jacoby Brissett, QB

On Cleveland’s opening drive, Jacoby Brissett was dealing. He started the game with a 38-yard pass down to the Miami 15, hitting Donovan Peoples-Jones on the big play. He then capped the drive off with a touchdown pass to Harrison Bryant, giving his team an early 7-0 lead.

Brissett continued to play well, throwing an impressive 22-yarder to DPJ on their second drive while facing a third-and-13. That made up for an eight-yard loss on the previous play where he held the ball too long and was sacked by Christian Wilkins and Bradley Chubb.

Overall, it was an ugly game and Brissett had just 212 yards but he was playing well. He likely would have been even better had the offensive line done a better job giving him time.

Dud: Greg Newsome, CB

It’s hard to be upset with the struggles the Cleveland secondary had on Sunday because they were facing one of the best wide receiver corps in the NFL. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill have been amazing but Newsome was drafted in the first round a season ago to help slow down such players.

That didn’t happen this weekend as Waddle had his way with Newsome. On Miami’s second drive, Newsome allowed Waddle to have his way and the Miami wideout pulled in a 29-yard reception.

He then caught a seven-yarder on third-and-seven just before the half that set Miami up for their second touchdown. While it was an amazing pass and catch, Newsome has to find a way to make those stops in such games should Cleveland ever hope to contend.

It wasn’t only Waddle either, as Newsome was in man coverage on Tyreek Hill late in the third quarter when he hauled in a touchdown pass to make it 30-10.

Stud: Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR

Amari Cooper continues to be the No. 1 target but when defenses focus on him the way Miami did on Sunday, Donovan Peoples-Jones has made them pay. Once again, he had a strong outing, starting with a 38-yarder on the first play of the game.

Heading into this one, DPJ had been on quite a run as he topped 70-yards in four of the past five games with at least 50 in each of those.

He continued that trend as he had five receptions for 99 yards. He was the top receiver in this game and has made some huge strides as a player.

Dud: Kareem Hunt, RB

Back in Week 1, Kareem Hunt scored two touchdowns and it looked as though he was ready for another huge season as the No. 2 back. Since then, he’s had just two more touchdowns total and was a non-factor in their losses to the Patriots and Ravens.

This past weekend, however, might have been his worst outing. Hunt was stopped for a loss several times, including once on third-and-two which led to a turnover on downs.

He finished with nine yards on six carries. Cleveland needed some kind of spark and Hunt has often provided that. He was unable to do so in Week 10, when it could have really helped.

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