Week 15 studs and duds: David Njoku, Amari Cooper help Cleveland Browns defy the odds

For much of the game, it appeared the Cleveland Browns were going to suffer a defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears. Their offense was struggling and had three turnovers, which put them behind 17-7 in the fourth quarter.

As they have done all season, the Browns ignored the odds that were against them and just kept fighting. In the end, they were able to secure their ninth win of the year after Dustin Hopkins hit a field goal from 34 yards out. A Hail Mary nearly ruined things but they still found a way to win and now we look back at the studs and duds from the victory.

Browns stud: Amari Cooper, WR

Despite all the quarterback issues, Amari Cooper continues to step up for the Browns this season. He entered Week 15 with 876 yards and two touchdowns on 57 receptions. He was also coming in off his best game since Deshaun Watson’s last start after picking up 77 yards on seven receptions against the Jaguars.

Again, in this one, he was the top wide receiver and made a couple of big plays on their first scoring drive. First, Cooper broke up what would have been an interception for Jaylon Johnson — and would have been the second drive in a row to end with a turnover. Then on third-and-seven, Cooper beat his man deep and hauled in a 42-yard reception to move the ball to the Chicago 27.

That drive ended with a two-yard touchdown from David Njoku but it never would have happened if not for the play from Cooper to keep the ball in Cleveland’s possession. He was quiet for a while after this but with just over three minutes to play in the game, Cooper stepped up again and made a huge play.

Down 17-10, Cleveland was driving and Flacco targeted No. 2 on second-and-four. Cooper caught the ball and was able to shake off Jaquan Brisker who attempted a one-armed tackle. That left Cooper with nothing but green grass ahead of him and he took it to the house from 51 yards out to tie the game.

Cooper finished the day with 109 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. He's now approaching his second 1,000-yard campaign in a row as he continues to prove he's the No. 1 wideout this offense needs.

Browns dud: Cedric Tillman, WR

Cleveland’s offense was a mess throughout the first quarter, and it didn’t get better early in the second quarter. Their first drive in that quarter came from their own nine-yard line and that ended up being their first turnover of the game.

After Kareem Hunt gained just two yards on the opening play, Joe Flacco dropped back to pass on second-and-eight. He wound up throwing an interception which gave the Bears the ball on the Cleveland one-yard line after Eddie Jackson ran it back 27 yards. Initially, it appeared as though Flacco just threw the ball to the wrong player but that wasn’t the case.

The replay showed that Flacco was expecting Cedric Tillman to run a cross pattern and go in-between the linebacker and safety. Flacco threw the ball before he made his cut and Tillman took the route upfield — which led to the pick. Had Tillman run the crosser, he would have likely been hit in the chest for the first down.

Flacco and Tillman’s miscommunication led to the Bears scoring a touchdown on a pass from Justin Fields to Cole Kmet for the first points of the game. That wasn’t the end of the issues for Tillman, however. To start the third quarter, Tillman had a pass batted out of his hands and the ball landed in the arms of Tremaine Edmunds who took it in from 45 yards out for a touchdown.

Each of these interceptions goes against Flacco on the stat sheet. They also led to 14 points, seven of which were scored on the defense but neither happens without Tillman's gaffes. He rebounded with 52 yards on four receptions but these plays made it tougher than it needed to be to get the win.

Browns dud: Nick Harris, Center

This season, Nick Harris has been excellent in his fullback role, especially on short-yardage plays. In Week 15, however, they had to ask him to move to his original position. With Ethan Pocic out, Harris started at center but had a first quarter to forget.

On their second drive of the game, he was unable to sustain a block on third-and-two. Justin Jones got right past Harris and recorded a one-yard loss on the tackle when he took Kareem Hunt down. That led to a quick three-and-out as the Browns had to punt it away.

Cleveland started their third drive with a long gain as Joe Flacco hit Pierre Strong, Jr. in the flat and he took off for a 21-yard gain. However, that one didn’t count either as a flag was thrown for holding. Originally, the officials said the penalty was on Wyatt Teller but it was eventually credited to Harris. That meant instead of a first-and-10 at the Chicago 42, the Browns were back to their own 34 with a first-and-13.

This led to another punt as the first quarter was a major problem for the entire Cleveland offense. They ended up with just 39 yards and four punts. Not all of that was on Harris but his early struggles didn’t help. He settled down from there and wound up injured but still had a slow start that didn't help his offense.

Browns dud turned stud: Joe Flacco, QB

As much fun as it’s been to watch Joe Flacco over the past couple of weeks, this one was tough for the first 45 minutes. Flacco is known for his strong arm but he's also had issues with consistency and has turned the ball over at times.

In Week 15, not only did he fail to lead the Browns to a touchdown on the opening drive for the first time but he also misfired on several passes in the first half. He skipped a couple of passes low toward David Njoku and missed Amari Cooper on more than one play — including a crossing pattern early in the third quarter that might have led to a big gain.

Worse than any of those, however, was the turnovers from No. 15. He threw a pick in the first half that led to a short touchdown from Justin Fields to Cole Kmet. He also had a pick-six on his first throw of the second half. Each of those could be attributed to Cedric Tillman, especially the second when the ball was in his hands, but they were also risky throws in traffic.

Flacco also had another pick late in the third, this time being unable to get the ball to David Njoku for a touchdown. Immediately after Mohamoud Diabate recovered a miffed punt, Flacco fired it toward an open Njoku but the ball didn’t get there in time and Tyrique Stevenson picked off the ball with a diving grab.

Then when the fourth quarter began, the Flacco we saw the past couple of weeks returned. He hit Marquise Goodwin on a 57-yard pass to set up a field goal to cut the lead to seven. He then tied it with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper. Finally, he led them down the field with an assist from David Njoku for the game-winning kick. What could have been a rough day for Flacco turned into another 300-yard performance and a win.

Browns stud: David Njoku, TE

Over the past two weeks, no player has been as productive for Cleveland as David Njoku. In their win over the Jaguars, he recorded his first-ever multiple-touchdown game as he had 91 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. He was blanked in the second half but that damage from the first 30 minutes helped the Browns pull off the win.

This weekend, he was on top of his game from the start — but saved his best for the end. Njoku did pull down an insane touchdown in the first half but then in the final quarter, he was the catalyst on their winning drive.

With the game tied at 17, Joe Flacco started the series with a 31-yard completion to Njoku. The athletic tight end took a short throw and ran it to the Chicago 48. He was hit with an offside penalty but more than made up for that with a short catch on third-and-17 that he turned into a 34-yarder and a fresh set of downs.

Cleveland was able to force the Bears to use all their timeouts after this as they ran it until bringing out Dustin Hopkins. The veteran kicker hit it right down the middle from 34 yards out and the Browns improved to 9-5. Njoku was the primary reason for this and finished with 104 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions. He now enters Week 16 with career highs in receptions (69), yards (704), and touchdowns (5).

More from our site