Next week they have a great chance to win against Kansas City and will be primed and ready to play RGIII the week after that.
Hello Browns Fans!
Two in a row! Four overall! Go Browns! In doing so, they also snapped a 12 road-game losing streak and the Browns continue to show improvement.
Let’s review:
Quarterback: After a slow start, Brandon Weeden completed 25 out 36 passes for 364 yards and one touchdown (44 yards to rookie Josh Gordon) and a passing rating of 88.2. His accuracy was a little off and as a result he had two interceptions. He under threw Gordon on one play and overthrew Watson on another and it resulted in two interceptions. The only good thing was it was deep in our territory so the Raiders had to go the entire length of the field to score in order to take advantage of it. We can’t continue to throw the ball away. I was happy to see them use the quarterback sneak and Weeden scrambling more when the opportunity presented itself. Weeden, after two turnovers, settled down and played a pretty good game. He led a 94 yard long scoring drive after being stuck deep in our own territory and completed some nice passes.
Running Back: Trent Richardson continues to play better. He had 20 carries for 72 yards and also caught three passes for 23 yards and a rushing touchdown late in the game to basically seal the deal.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: They did a good job working on catching the ball, running with the ball and protecting the ball. Josh Gordon, in particular, had a good game although the other receivers also had a good game. He topped 100 yards by catching six passes from Brandon Weeden for 116 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception.
Defensive Backs: The defensive backs continued to play where they left off last week. Getting very stingy and defending the pass better. They are doing a better job of tackling. With the exception of a 64 yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, they played very well coming back with an interception by Sheldon Brown at the Raiders six yard line. Big play at the time!
Linebackers and Defensive Line: Continued to play where they left off last week. Putting pressure on the quarterback and making good tackles. I’m beginning to understand the Browns defense. They are very conservative at the beginning of the game. I guess they are trying to feel the pulse of the other team because they stiffen up after a couple of possessions by the other team but they begin to make adjustments and shut things down.
Coaching: I’m glad to see the coaching is letting Weeden take opportunities to run with the ball. With short yardage, they faked a reverse and handed the ball off to Trent Richardson which froze the defense and allowed Trent to score! Great call!
Special Teams: With the exception of a blocked field goal on a 23 yard attempt by Phil Dawson which is three points in the bank, special teams played pretty well. But I warn you, that can’t happen again. Those types of things need to be nipped in the bud. And if not, that will certainly come back to haunt you. The best thing about them is that they cut down on penalties. They didn’t allow the other team to get good field position by giving up big plays. They didn’t hurt the Browns field position with penalties either.
Next week they have a great chance to win against Kansas City and will be primed and ready to play RGIII the week after that. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s enjoy the back to back victories and look forward to a third.
Go Browns!
