Preseason Week 1 instant reaction: Browns offense struggles against Packers

The Cleveland Browns hosted the Green Bay Packers on Saturday in the preseason debut. Their outing got off to a slow start as Dontayvion Wicks scored a 65-yard touchdown after running past Ronnie Hickman. They responded with an impressive 55-yard field goal from Cade York, then it was all Green Bay.

Cleveland's defense forced a turnover on downs on the second drive, then forced a punt on the third. The game then got away from them with the Packers scoring on their next three drives, making it a 20-3 game in the blink of an eye.

The Browns were able to score late to make it a 23-10 game. Initially, rookie Ahmarean Brown appeared to have an impressive touchdown reception but that was nullified by a penalty. They still punched it in as Aidan Robbins, another undrafted rookie, ran it in from one yard out.

Their defense again struggled as the Packers moved right back down the field, but took a knee to close it out.

Browns had some positive takeaways

Despite losing, there were some positive things to take away from this game. Both Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson showed flashes during their time on the field as the Browns have plenty of depth at quarterback.

There were also some standouts at wideout, including rookies Jamari Thrash and Ahmarean Brown. Thrash had 43 yards on three catches while Brown finished with 26 yards on two catches. Backup tight end Jordan Akins also looked much more comfortable in his second season with the team, catching two passes for 25 yards.

Cleveland suffered an unfortunate loss to injury as well with Luke Wypler being carted off the field. He's the second backup center to go down as they lost Brian Allen during camp.

Up next

Cleveland will head back to Berea to continue training camp. They will have the Minnesota Vikings visit for joint practices and the two teams will meet on Aug. 17 in Preseason Week 2.

Their final exhibition game will be on the road when they have a late-night game with the Seattle Seahawks.

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