The Cleveland Browns’ thrilling last-second victory over the Baltimore Ravens has silenced the national media. The party hasn’t stopped in Cleveland as the Browns took the inside lane on winning the division. In Studs and Duds, we’re happy to shine a light on the five stars that delivered the Browns to victory.
There are no duds this week as every candidate redeemed their misfires later in the game. At the halfway mark, the Browns have at least proved they’re a mentally tough team that will gladly battle through adversity when other teams would quit.
The Browns had a tough start to the game, losing 17-3 by the end of the first quarter. The team methodically chipped away at the Ravens’ lead, bringing the Ravens within 8 points at halftime. After the Ravens scored on a 40-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr., the defense locked the Ravens down.
The Ravens were only able to score off a muffed punt and multiple penalties that prolonged a red zone drive. Meanwhile, the Browns’ offense started to find its groove as they rolled for three more scores, including the 4-minute and 55-second drive that ended with a 40-yard game-winning field goal.
The Cleveland Browns showed a lot of heart and resilience in Baltimore on Sunday. It took a complete team effort to win in Baltimore. Here are the five studs who stood out the most.
Stud: QB Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson had an absolutely brutal start to the game, throwing a pick-six as Watson tried to throw over the head of the 6-foot-3 former first-round pick Kyle Hamilton. Watson would go on to throw seven incompletions over his next eight attempts.
Watson did a good job of not digging himself into a deeper hole as he hunted for big plays to make up for past mistakes. He constantly compounded problems in the past by forcing throws into double and triple coverage. Against the Ravens, Watson understood the game would be long and there would be opportunities to win the game later on.
He did a good job of throwing the ball away after evading the pass rush. Watson’s patience was rewarded in the second half, where he went 14/14 with one touchdown. Watson took command of the offense, keeping it on pace and converting third downs with his arm and legs. Watson did this all after injuring his ankle early in the second quarter.
Watson has faced a lot of unfair criticisms about how tough he is due to the notoriously misunderstood shoulder injury that kept him out of football in October. Watson put to rest any questions of how tough he was as Watson ran all over Baltimore with a bum ankle.
Watson is extremely deserving of being one of the studs of the match.
Stud: WR Amari Cooper
Amari Cooper remains the model of consistency. The receiver recorded six receptions for 98 yards on nine targets. It’s safe to say Cooper has developed a strong bond with Deshaun Watson. Over the past three weeks, Cooper has over 326 receiving yards as he became the engine of the offense.
Sunday was no different for Cooper, who had multiple big catches in second and third and longs. Amari Cooper deserves much more love and recognition from the national media that are too distracted by Watson. Cooper is playing at an All-Pro level and he deserves a few accolades at the end of the season. Cooper will finish as one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL, with Watson throwing him the ball.
Cooper’s game against the Ravens is the most recent example of his dominance.
Stud: CB Greg Newsome II
Greg Newsome II spent two and a half seasons in the NFL without an interception. The drought ended on Sunday when he caught a deflected pass and returned the ball 34 yards for a touchdown. The touchdown almost tied the game up but put the Browns in striking distance to win the game with a field goal. A pick-six is an interception worth waiting a couple of years for.
Newsome needed a game like Sunday. The former first-round pick has been a little lost after transitioning to slot cornerback last season. While the corner is exceptional in coverage and as a blitzer– did I mention he got a half-sack on Jackson Sunday– Newsome gets carried away in the run game. The slot cornerback position is the most difficult position to play on defense.
Newsome moved to the outside cornerback position after Denzel Ward left the game with a neck injury after a controversial block by Ravens’ lineman Ronnie Stanley. On the outside Newsome could sit back and let the game come to him. That’s exactly what the ball did on second down when it ricocheted off the helmet of a defensive lineman.
Newsome used his elite speed to track the ball for the interception. Newsome is a talented player who needs more opportunities to prove himself outside the slot position.
Stud: DE Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett will be the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The defensive end finished with 1.5 sacks on MVP candidate Lamar Jackson. Garrett was able to hit Jackson two more times and made a tackle for loss. He was a force of nature the entire game.
No offensive lineman can block Garrett one-on-one. Most teams have given up trying, including the Ravens. When the Ravens weren’t double or triple-teaming Garrett, they were trying to run the ball away from him. Garrett has been a one-man army his entire career, but this year sees him with a team that complements his destructive nature. The Ravens went two for eight on third down Sunday. Garrett and the defense held their time of possession to a measly 25 minutes.
The franchise player helped the team shut down the entire Ravens’ offense. Garrett is a permanent member of the Studs column.
Stud: RB Jerome Ford
Jerome Ford played an exceptional game against the Baltimore Ravens. While he did not see the targets that I expected, he did a great job on the ground. The running back finished the game with 17 carries for 107 yards. Ford was a reliable playmaker for the Browns near the end of the game. The back was able to keep his legs churning on every play, getting every extra yard that he could find.
The team and Ford’s most impressive play of the game happened on the final drive. With just a little over a minute left, Ford fought the Ravens’ defense for 12 yards and a first down.
The Browns’ offense pushed Ford through the Ravens territory as every Browns’ player got involved in the push. The play was mesmerizing to watch as the entire team joined in to bully our AFC North foe. It was the single greatest act of team unity I have ever seen from the ragtag franchise.
Every player involved deserves to make the stud column after their effort in the play. Here is NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger narrating the play.
.@Browns @JeromeFord goes over 100+ yards on the #DawgPound Push..most important run of the day setting themselves up for game winning FG. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/cw6Ou03J6Y
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) November 13, 2023
