3 Cleveland Browns who shined on offense in loss to Buffalo
For each game, Dawg Pound Daily strives to identify three Cleveland Browns who starred on the offensive unit. After a defeat, it’s harder to see, but there were some good performances.
The Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills came into the unfamiliar confines of Ford Field in Detroit to escape the deadly snowstorm that has gripped western New York state. The Browns’ offense had the almost equally deadly task of facing the No. 2 defense in the NFL in the Buffalo Bills, who were giving up only 16.8 points per game coming into the contest.
Looking at it that way, the Browns’ offense was okay overall, though a case could be made that they played just well enough to not come home with a win. Believe it or not, they put up 396 yards of total offense, compared to only 357 for the Bills. But the Bills’ drives extended into the end zone more often than the Browns.’
By far the brightest spot in a dismal team performance was the individual effort by Amari Cooper, who has shown himself to be a true competitor all season long.
3 Cleveland Browns who shined on offense
3. Amari Cooper came up big
The Bills, as expected, sold out and played eight in the box to stop Nick Chubb. Well and good for them. However, that meant they did not have safety help to use against Amari Cooper, and Cooper made them pay.
Cooper shredded the Buffalo defense in the first half and scored the game’s first touchdown on a 25-yard hookup from Jacoby Brissett, a skidding catch in the right corner of the end zone.
Cooper added another 24 yards on a sideline pattern later in the second quarter. In the first half, Cooper had 91 yards by himself compared to 84 receiving yards for the entire Buffalo Bills team. That is a dominant No. 1 receiver, folks.
In the second half, Brissett continued to target Cooper, but many of his passes were out of bounds and there was no opportunity for Cooper to make the catch. Finally, however, Cooper came down with a ball in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
He almost had a two-point conversion, though the officials ruled that he had stepped out of bounds and then came back in. From the TV replays, it was difficult to see whether his heels were actually touching the ground, or whether he had avoided contact with the turf by stepping on tip-toes.
The announcers didn’t call attention to this possibility either, so perhaps this was just a figment of the imagination of a disgruntled Browns fan. It does not matter, ultimately, because they weren’t really in the game, but you like to see an athlete’s efforts rewarded.
On the day, Cooper caught eight balls in 12 targets for 113 yards and two TDs. Unofficially, he now has 698 yards for the season and seven TDs. He looks every bit like the Pro Bowl player he was for the Dallas Cowboys.
Next up for praise was the man who fed Cooper the football, starting quarterback, Jacoby Brissett. JB will probably keep his job for one more game, and then the Deshaun Watson era will begin.