3 Studs (and 2 duds) from Cleveland Browns frustrating loss to Seahawks

This one sliped through their fingers. The Cleveland Browns fought back from 14-0 down and took a 20-17 lead into the two-minute warning.

Sadly, they ended up allowing a nine-yard touchdown with under one minute to play and that means they're now heading into Week 9 with a record of 4-3.

Cleveland will now be preparing for their next game, which will be against the one-win Arizona Cardinals, but we're still going to spend some time with this one. Here, we dive in with three studs and two duds from the heartbreaking loss.

Browns Stud: Pierre Strong, Running Back

It's probably time to start getting Pierre Strong more touches.

The second-year player from South Dakota State averaged 10 yards per attempt on 10 carries for the New England Patriots in 2022. They didn't have room for him this year despite that output and traded him to Cleveland just ahead of the regular season.

Strong continued to put up decent numbers for the Browns with 102 yards on 21 attempts — while also scoring a touchdown earlier in the year. What he hadn't done so far in 2023 was catch a pass. That changed in the first quarter and it helped Cleveland stop the bleeding (for a minute anyway).

Down 14-0, the Browns dialed up several screen passes and Strong broke one for 41 yards. He advanced the ball to Seattle's 18 and set up David Njoku for a touchdown from 18 yards out.

Strong ended up with 82 total yards on 11 touches. He's explosive and a threat to flip the field every time he touches the ball. Considering how well he was playing, and how hard everything was on offense, he probably should have seen the ball more.

Dud: Donovan Peoples-Jones, Wide Receiver

Last year, Donovan Peoples-Jones was a very solid WR2 for the Browns. A former sixth-round pick, he showed growth in each of his first three seasons including a breakout campaign in 2022.

The Michigan product had 839 yards and three touchdowns on 61 receptions. Even with the addition of Elijah Moore this year, Cleveland still thought there was a role for DPJ. After seven games, however, he's been a complete non-factor.

Peoples-Jones came into this one with just 97 yards on eight receptions and then put up all zeros against Seattle. He was on the field often but never saw a pass come his way.

The only time Peoples-Jones touched the ball in Week 8 was on a punt return but even that wasn't great. He gained seven yards which came after Elijah Moore had 13 and 10 on his two returns.

It's hard to say if DPJ is failing to deliver due to ineffective routes or if P.J. Walker just isn't looking his way. He did have 49 yards in Week 3 when Deshaun Watson was out there, but was also pretty quiet in Weeks 1 and 2.

Cleveland is rumored to be looking for a wideout at the trade deadline and that's likely an indictment of Peoples-Jones.

Browns Stud: Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver

Cleveland allowed the Seahawks to move right down the field and score a touchdown after they had a three-and-out to open the game. They then found themselves facing a third-and-two for the second time in as many drives but Cooper gave them a fresh set of downs this time.

P.J. Walker floated one to him down the sideline and Cooper made an amazing catch. Not only did he pull it in despite the ball initially looking out of reach, but he somehow got his knee down before going out of bounds. This made up for him not being able to pull in a wobbling pass from Walker a couple of plays earlier.

The offense didn't get to keep the ball long with Walker throwing it away to avoid pressure on first down. He was then sacked by Jordyn Brooks and fumbled the ball away.

Cooper continued to deliver for the Browns and did it again on the left sideline later in the opening quarter. Facing a third-and-long, Walker targeted Cooper and he brought in a contested pass for 23 yards before going out of bounds again. That drive also ended in a turnover, but Cooper kept doing what he could to help the offense out.

While those drives didn't end well, they finally did score late in the second thanks in large part to No. 2. On fourth-and-two, Cooper drew a penalty on Riq Woolen to keep the drive alive. He then caught a 24-yard pass that moved the ball to the two and set up Kareem Hunt's touchdown, making it a 17-14 game.

Cooper again led the way with 89 yards on six receptions. He continues to deliver despite the decline in quarterback play. Which isn't as easy as he makes it look.

Browns Dud: P.J. Walker, Quarterback

Cleveland continues to lean on P.J. Walker while Deshaun Watson recovers from his shoulder injury and Walker continues to give them inconsistent play. There will be times he makes impressive throws and it seems as though he's about to turn a corner. But then, he makes too many mistakes and can be careless with the ball.

Against Seattle, he was bailed out early by Amari Cooper on a third-down pass as the wideout chased down a pass that floated in the air forever. Cooper got his knee down before going out of bounds but just two plays later, Walker turned it over.

A backside blitz wasn't picked up and Walker was completely unaware of Jordyn Brooks flying in untouched. Brooks wound up forcing a fumble when he sacked Walker and recovered it for good measure.

Walker then had a terrible interception early in the second quarter when he overthrew Njoku by a mile and the ball landed in the arms of Riq Woolen.

From there, Walker settled down and deserves a ton of credit for that. He took several hard hits and kept going. He also didn't give up despite the early 14-point deficit.

Having said that, he didn't see Elijah Moore open for a touchdown on the second field goal of the third quarter and missed a layup to Jerome Ford on third-and-four in the fourth quarter. He then threw an interception right at the two minute warning.

Jamal Adams tipped it in the air and Julian Love took it away but Walker never looked away from his primary target, basically telling Adams where he was going with it.

Browns Stud: David Njoku, Tight End

David Njoku was a first-round pick out of Miami back in 2017 and was billed as an athletic freak and a matchup nightmare. He was also called raw and it took some time for him to truly develop. There was even a time when the Browns signed Austin Hooper and it appeared Njoku might not be in the plans long-term.

Instead of sulking, he worked hard and became one of the top blocking tight ends in the NFL. He then earned a massive extension and has been TE1 for the past couple of seasons.

As good as he's been, there seems to be an issue getting him into the end zone. Njoku has never scored more than four touchdowns in a season and entered Week 8 without any in 2023.

That changed in the first quarter when Njoku was on the receiving end of one of the better-designed plays we've seen this season. Kevin Stefanski dialed one up where both Elijah Moore and Pierre Strong appeared to be potential targets on a screen but then P.J. Walker flipped it to Njoku who broke one tackle and then slid across a second defender into the end zone for six.

Njoku nearly broke a long touchdown in the third quarter when he took another short pass from Walker and found plenty of space to run. He wound up gaining 41 yards before being caught from behind by Devon Witherspoon. That led to Dustin Hopkins hitting a field goal to tie it up at 17.

He ended with 77 yards on four receptions and while the Browns fell just short, he was one of the studs who kept them in it.

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