3 winners & 4 losers as Browns fall apart against Giants in Week 3

Week 3 didn't go the way the Cleveland Browns hoped it would.

Hosting the 0-2 New York Giants, they were expecting to improve to 2-1. A turnover on the opening kickoff followed by a touchdown on the first offensive snap strengthened that belief. From there, however, things fell apart.

Cleveland is now 1-2 after an aggravating 21-15 loss. With this one in the book, let's look at who stood out as both winners and losers.

Loser: Cedric Tillman, WR

Throughout the offseason, Cedric Tillman was being hyped as a breakout candidate. The second-year receiver hasn't lived up to that with just five yards on two receptions in the first two games. On Sunday, he added one more catch for four yards and then had one of the worst plays on the day.

After Amari Cooper had to exit following an awkward landing, Tillman was targeted on fourth-and-four. Deshaun Watson hit him in the hands but Tillman dropped the pass. It wasn't Tillman's fault that so much was riding on that play but he had a chance to keep their game alive, but instead, he dropped the ball and secured the win — for the other team.

Winner: Tony Brown II, CB

Cleveland started on a positive note thanks to their special teams play. Tony Brown II was signed this offseason for his skill on coverage units and he made his presence known on the opening kickoff. Brown forced a fumble on kick returner Eric Gray, and Grant Delpit recovered the loose ball.

Cleveland scored on the next snap, taking an early 7-0 lead thanks to Brown. He had two tackles on the day after being elevated from the practice squad prior to the game.

Loser: Browns OL

Cleveland's offensive line was once considered an elite unit — and they're still paid like an elite one. The problem is that they weren't even playing well enough on Sunday to be classified as decent.

After scoring on their opening drive, Cleveland had to punt following a third-down sack on the next two series. First, it appeared Joel Bitonio passed his man off too early, leaving Jedrick Wills to block Dexter Lawrence and a free blitzer. That led to Lawrence taking down Deshaun Watson. On the next series, Elijah Chatman broke through the interior to sack Watson for a 10-yard loss.

The issues continued from there as Watson was sacked eight times on the day. He was guilty of holding the ball too long but they didn't help. They also didn't open holes in the ground game, with the team finishing with 69 yards on 18 carries.

Winner: Amari Cooper, WR

Amari Cooper had a couple of games to forget to start the season. He entered Week 3 with five receptions for 27 yards and had three drops. He nearly topped his yardage total on the first offensive snap and scored his first touchdown. After the special teams' turnover, Cooper caught a 24-yard touchdown.

That was the first time since 2005 that the Browns scored on the first offensive snap, and it gave Cooper a confidence boost. He wasn't done there either, as he hauled in a touchdown in the fourth quarter as Cleveland fought back into the game.

Cooper had 86 yards on seven receptions, proving he's still a WR1.

Loser: Greg Newsome II, CB

With a 7-0 start, the Browns were ready to add to their lead with another turnover. Martin Emerson, Jr. picked off a pass from Daniel Jones at the New York 24 — which is where they started with the ball on the opening touchdown. That play was overturned though thanks to a roughing the passer call on Greg Newsome II.

There were complaints that his hit wasn't much, but Newsome II deserved to be flagged since he led with his helmet. He made contact, and even though it wasn't much, it gave the Giants a fresh set of downs. They responded by going 81 yards for a touchdown to tie it up 7-7.

Winner: Shelby Harris, DT

Cleveland's defense struggled throughout the day but that doesn't mean there weren't some standouts. One such example is defensive tackle Shelby Harris.

The veteran defensive tackle was a bright spot in this one, with six tackles, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. Harris forced a turnover when he tackled Devin Singletary, causing him to cough up the ball. Safety Ronnie Hickman recovered the loose ball, giving it to the offense at the New York 43. They managed to gain just 10 yards before missing a field goal but Harris did his part.

He almost set them up again in the fourth quarter when he put pressure on Daniel Jones, forcing an ugly pass. Denzel Ward nearly came up with the interception on the wobbling throw, but Malik Nabers found a way to break it up.

Loser: Deshaun Watson, QB

We can be as mad as we want at Cedric Tillman for his fourth-down drop — and social media is big-time mad — but the offense was bad all day. They never should have been in that situation, especially with how often their wideouts created separation.

The problem was that Deshaun Watson was once again inaccurate and held onto the ball too long. He had a huge hand in getting sacked eight times and missed wide-open players throughout the game — including on their final third down when he overthrew Cooper.

Watson again failed to hit 200 yards, going for 196 on 21-of-37 passing. He had two touchdowns but lost two fumbles. It's past the point of being defensible at this point, but don't worry, there will still be plenty of excuses.

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