The Cleveland Browns played in one of their most horrific games in their history on Monday night in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. They lost the game 26-22 but the bigger loss was to their running back Nick Chubb, who suffered a devastating knee injury that will put his career on hold.
There was no one on the Browns team who came to the rescue on this sad evening. Some tried, like the entire defense and a couple of offensive players. But in the end, the catastrophic loss of Chubb doomed this team.
Here are a few players that made attempts at keeping the team afloat and their stock is up this week. The other group of players are those that ruined a golden opportunity to beat the AFC North rival and their stock is falling fast.
Stock up: Jerome Ford, RB
After Chubb went down with the knee injury, the Browns second-year back came in and did a good job. He almost rumbled for a 70-yard touchdown but got stopped a yard short near the goal line. He carried the ball 16 times for 106 yards. Considering the magnitude of the moment, Ford did an admiral job.
There will be more pressure on the young player to fill the shoes of Chubb and that might be too much. However, if he can keep the Browns run game moving forward then that’s a step in the right direction.
There has been chatter today of a reunion with former Cleveland runner Kareem Hunt and that might help to patch up a very thin running back room. Hunt wasn't picked up by the team after his contract ran out and he became a free agent.
Stock up: Amari Cooper, WR
Amari Cooper was a game-time decision as he was recovering from a groin injury suffered in practice earlier in the week. He did his best to catch everything thrown to him despite his quarterback being off the mark all evening. He finished with seven receptions for 90 yards.
The Browns are going to need Cooper to do more for this team as the season rolls on if they're going to have any chance at a playoff berth — which feels very slim after the loss of Chubb and the stagnant offense display so far this season.
Stock up: Grant Delpit, Safety
Grant Delpit seemed to be everywhere in the game making great tackles and even getting an interception at the start of the game as he snatched a poor pass from Kenny Pickett. Delpit finished with six tackles on the night and is playing with great effort. If he and his defense teammates can keep playing tough like they have so far this season, the team should be able to win more.
Stock down: Deshaun Watson, QB
Browns fans across the globe were hoping Deshaun Watson would turn on the jets and help save the game after the loss of Nick Chubb but that never happened.
Watson started the game in the worst way possible by throwing an off-target throw to Harrison Bryant that couldn’t be corralled and was instead intercepted by the Steelers. It was then run back for a pick-six. Why did the game plan start with a four-yard out pattern for the third-string tight end? Besides the poor play call, the execution was even worse.
Throughout the game, Watson continued to struggle with his accuracy. He threw multiple passes behind receivers and missed them wildly on long pass attempts. He continued to look indecisive all night and didn't seem to trust his teammates or his own talents. He's now played in eight games for the Browns going back to last season and has a 4-4 record, with a 57 percent completion rate, and has thrown seven interceptions.
He tried making a few run attempts in the game Monday when he was forced out of the pocket but he ended up grabbing Steelers helmets instead and had two personal fouls called against him. The nail in the coffin on the night was when Watson didn’t feel the pressure from the backside of the defense and he was strip-sacked and the Steelers took the fumble and raced into the end zone. For the game, Watson went 22-40 for 235 yards with one touchdown and one costly interception that put the team behind the eight ball from the start.
You have to wonder how costly the move for Watson in a trade two offseasons ago is going to affect this team now and into the future. Right now, things don't look good long-term, and if they're counting on Watson to break out at some point and become that game-changer, they may have made a colossal mistake.
Stock down: Jedrick Wills
Jed Wills continues to be lost. He's constantly missing assignments, not blocking his opponents, and making his quarterback play under duress for most games. He’s now entered his fourth season and not much has changed in his play since his rookie campaign.
He was a first-round draft pick but seems like every game he is regressing. He seems to quit on plays all the time. On the strip sack and fumble by quarterback Deshaun Watson, he wasn't in a position to stop the pass rush by the Steelers and the man he was responsible for made the big play of the game.
Wills has an opportunity to help his team this season but the way it's started, he continues to be a liability to the group and his days in Cleveland are numbered.