It was a successful business trip to New York for the Cleveland Browns. Throttling the Jets 23-3 on Monday Night Football in Week 2 gets the team in the win column and earns Freddie Kitchens his first victory as a head coach.
As satisfying as it is to get the win, the Browns did not earn any style points. The Jets were a shell of a team on offense, forced to play 3rd-stringer Luke Falk for most of the game after Myles Garrett snapped backup Trevor Siemian’s ankle with one of his two roughing the passer calls in the first half.
Garrett was unblockable and dominated the game…when he wasn’t committing penalties (he had four). Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey behind him were also great, swiftly attacking and terminating plays. Larry Ogunjobi and Olivier Vernon also looked impressive on first watch.
The offense? Eh. It was not Baker Mayfield’s night. The second-year QB finished 19-for-35 for 325 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. The numbers are better than the performance. He missed several throws he needs to make and once again held the ball too long, too often.
Odell Beckham Jr. made the biggest play with his 89-yard catch-and-run that easily torched old friend Gregg Williams’ bizarre defensive alignment. Baker was at his best on plays like that–quick-hitters to moving targets out of designed traffic. Beckham was very good in his return to New York, catching six passes for 161 yards and a TD.
Two areas I want to watch more in-depth upon longer review of the game, but that initially impressed me quite a bit: the play of the reserve safeties and the special teams coverage units. Eric Murray looked very good in coverage while filling in for an injured Damarious Randall at safety. The punt coverage unit was fantastic.
Overall it’s great to get a win and to thoroughly defeat a wounded Jets team. But it also could have, and probably should have been a lot more polished and convincing.
