7 quick thoughts following Browns win in Week 12

The Cleveland Browns knocked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12. Here are seven quick thoughts following their fourth win of the year.

All hope is not lost as the Cleveland Browns finally pulled off a late win.

For much of the season, they’ve been able to hang with teams but then fall apart when the clutch moments arise. That didn’t happen in Week 12 as they not only forced overtime against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they even pulled off the win.

Here we look back at the game with seven quick thoughts from Week 12.

7. Joe Woods needs consistency more than anything

The most criticized person in Berea — player, executive, or coach — has been Joe Woods this season. While much of it is deserved, he showed on Sunday that he knows how to put a gameplan together, he just needs to find a way to be more consistent. He could also use more of that from his players.

Throughout his tenure, injuries have forced him to move players around but with key pieces such as Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the lineup, we saw that he can make it hard on opponents — even when that opponent is Tom Brady.

By no means does this mean his job is safe but he could do a lot of good for himself down the stretch if this doesn’t prove to be a one-and-done performance.

6. Mike Priefer is still a problem

While Woods has gotten a lot of the heat, Mike Priefer has been more of an issue. The special teams’ coordinator has had problems that began way before this season and it’s continued in 2022.

On Sunday, we saw Cade York hit a 51-yarder but he then whiffed on a 39-yarder. That one was missed by a mile but he also seemed to rush his kick, likely due to the fact that he had three of his last six blocked heading into the game.

Cleveland did finally have some decent kick returns but overall, Priefer has been a problem.

5. Anthony Schwartz had a memorable game

Anthony Schwartz has taken a lot of heat since being drafted in Round 3 last season and it’s been deserved. He hasn’t done much to justify how high he was selected and seemed to regress in a major way this offseason.

Having said that, this was easily the best game of the year for him. First, he took a reverse 31 yards to the house to score the first points of the game.

Later, he caught a 17-yard pass. Even when he made a mistake, it was a good one. Schwartz was flagged for offensive pass interference but he actually saved an interception on an overthrown ball.

This was a great sign for a young player who needed something to build on.

4. Jacoby Brissett deserved this win

Facing his old teammate and mentor meant something to Jacoby Brissett. He wanted to go against Tom Brady and he was able to hold his own.

The numbers weren’t elite but he made the throws he needed to. Now, barring injury, he will head to the bench in favor of Deshaun Watson. Thankfully, the potential last memory of him as a starter in Cleveland will be a win over Brady.

3. Chief and Cooper make up for earlier drops

Amari Cooper had a huge drop on fourth-and-nine and David Njoku also dropped one that was in his hands — although his wasn’t nearly as bad as the drop from Cooper.

Each got a shot at redemption and they both delivered.

First, it was Njoku who made an insane one-handed catch on fourth-and-10. Chief pulled the pass down for a 12-yard touchdown, setting up overtime.

Once in the extra period, Cooper got his chance. He hauled in a pass from Brissett and ran it down to the three-yard line, gaining 45 yards in the process. This set up Nick Chubb for the winning touchdown and gave him a much better taste in his mouth than he would have had if the game ended differently.

2. JOK was missed

The Browns defense was much better today than we have seen in weeks and one of the reasons was the presence of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He was out due to an injury the past two games but made a huge impact in this one.

He was flying all over the field, had eight tackles, and a huge stop for a loss on a running play. He’s a heat-seeking missile in the middle of the defense and makes things much easier on everyone around him.

1. Nick Chubb makes Cleveland Browns history

It should have been five seasons in a row, but we can’t worry about what happened in his rookie campaign. Nick Chubb made history for the Browns on Sunday as he crossed the 1,000-yard plateau for the fourth year in a row.

That’s no easy task, which is evident by the fact that Cleveland has not had a player do this since Jim Brown — who also accomplished the feat in his second through fifth seasons.

Chubb continues to climb up the franchise leaderboards for rushing statistics and as long as he stays healthy, he has a real shot at finishing No. 1 in all the major categories.

Browns Week 12 instant reactions: Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Amari Cooper fuel overtime win

Amari Cooper made a clutch reception and Nick Chubb ran in a short touchdown in overtime as the Cleveland Browns defeated the Bucs 23-17