Browns vs. Jets: Cleveland Grades, Notes and Quotes
Another season opener, another Cleveland Browns loss. The team’s NFL-record Week 1 losing streak worsened to 11 in a row after the Browns turned in an uneven performance that resulted in a shellacking at the hands of the New York Jets.
Things got off to a great start. After the Jets punted on their opening series, Josh McCown led the Browns on a 10-minute, 17-play, 74-yard opening drive. It would have resulted in a touchdown or at least three points, but McCown was helicoptered in midair after attempting to leap into the end zone. He fumbled, and the Jets recovered.
Touchback—zero points.
McCown, who was expected to start much of the season while Johnny Manziel continues to develop, was concussed on the play and went to the locker room.
Johnny Time came early in 2015.
And it started off with a bang. On his first series, Manziel found Travis Benjamin streaking down the far sideline for a 54-yard touchdown. The Browns eventually went up 10-7 and controlled the line of scrimmage and time of possession throughout the first half. But the Jets responded just before halftime.
Ryan Fitzpatrick got the ball back with 2:38 left in the half and completed seven of eight passes with a touchdown to Eric Decker to put the Jets ahead 14-10 just before the half. They never looked back.
On Cleveland’s first drive of the second half, the Jets sent pressure on third down, and Manziel missed Brian Hartline. Jets corner Marcus Williams snagged an easy interception and returned it into Browns territory.
The Jets capitalized to take a 21-10 lead after Brandon Marshall beat Joe Haden on consecutive passes. Marshall’s second grab was a one-yard touchdown reception on a jump-ball throw from Fitzpatrick.
The Jets scored their 17th consecutive points when Nick Folk hit a field goal with 29 seconds left to play in the third quarter. Barkevious Mingo dropped into zone coverage and broke up what would have been another touchdown pass by Fitzpatrick.
On the Browns’ ensuing drive, Manziel scrambled for a first down, but a holding call negated the play. He fumbled on the next play, which Darrelle Revis recovered and brought inside the Browns’ red zone.
Ivory made the Browns pay for their second turnover of the half. The Jets decided to feed their lead back, handing it off to him on four consecutive plays. His final four-yard rush found the end zone to put the Jets ahead with a commanding 31-10 lead.
Manziel was stripped again by Trevor Reilly and finished the game 13-of-24 for 182 yards with one touchdown and one pick.
Penalties also killed the Browns. They finished with 12 for 109 yards compared to just four for 30 yards for the Jets.
Position Grades for Browns
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | C |
| WR | B- |
| TE | C |
| OL | D |
| DL | C+ |
| LB | B- |
| DB | C+ |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | D |
Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown turned the ball over four times. Despite the quarterbacks making some good plays to move the chains and even score some points, turnovers are inexcusable and the ultimate reason the Browns dropped another season opener.
It wasn’t all bad. Manziel and McCown showed some good things, with both their arms and legs. Manziel looked improved from a season ago but showed a lack of ball security and awareness in the pocket at times. That resulted in turnovers. But he did have a few of his passes dropped that hurt a couple of the drives he was leading in the second half.
Not all the blame should rest on Manziel’s shoulders, but he certainly didn’t do much in the second half.
The running game was atrocious, but the running backs don't deserve that much fault. Cleveland’s offensive line has been a top pass-protecting unit in the NFL for a couple of years, but it has struggled moving defenders to open up rushing lanes. That happened most of the day in Week 1. Mitchell Schwartz stands out as a player who struggled in both pass and run blocking.
With exception to Travis Benjamin and Gary Barnidge, the Browns receivers and tight ends were mediocre, just as many expected coming into 2015. Benjamin continued his strong summer with a 54-yard touchdown reception, a decent punt return and another couple of receptions from Manziel.
Defensively, the Browns got pushed around in the second half. The Jets picked on cornerbacks Joe Haden and K’Waun Williams, and Donte Whitner whiffed on Chris Ivory, allowing him to spin off his attempted tackle into the end zone.
They also finished with no sacks, and Paul Kruger was the only pass-rusher to record a hit on Ryan Fitzpatrick. That’s an uninspiring performance. Barkevious Mingo did make two good defensive stops—one saved a touchdown and forced a field goal—but they were pass deflections, not hurries or sacks.
The coaches get a “D” for their inability to adjust their game plan throughout the afternoon. Their insistence on running the ball between the tackles, despite all the evidence suggesting they weren’t going to do it against the Jets front seven, was one of the reasons the offense stalled in the second half.
That and the turnovers, of course.
Scott Solomon Lost to Ankle Injury
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Scott Solomon was seen being carted off the field after the Cleveland Browns' first defensive series. He did not return.
Soon after, the team announced he had an ankle injury and was out of the game.
Solomon was missed as a run defender. The New York Jets were able to slowly wear down the Browns and eventually found some holes for big chunk runs.
The Jets rushed 36 times for 154 times. That's a 4.3 yards-per-carry average and an eerily similar performance to the porous Browns rush defense in 2014.
Browns fans will need to hope Solomon is OK and can get back on the field soon.
Josh McCown Concussed After 1st Series
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Cleveland Browns starter Josh McCown was diagnosed with a concussion and will undergo NFL protocols this week to determine if he's able to play in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, coach Mike Pettine said during his postgame press conference (h/t 92.3 The Fan).
It happened on the 17th play of the Browns' opening drive. McCown dove for the end zone but was vaulted into the air and lost control of the ball in the process.
To add insult to injury, the New York Jets recovered the fumble, and the Browns got no points out of their impressive opening drive.
If McCown is unable to go next week, second-year quarterback Johnny Manziel will get the home opener start at FirstEnergy Stadium.
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Manziel: My Interception Killed Momentum
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The Cleveland Browns had the ball to start the second half and were still playing competitive football, when Johnny Manziel threw an errant pass intended for Brian Hartline that was intercepted by New York Jets backup defensive back Marcus Williams.
"My interception slowed our momentum," Johnny Manziel said during his postgame press conference (h/t 92.3 The Fan).
When asked after the game about his weekly repetitions in preparation of the Week 1 matchup, Manziel was frank with media.
"Very little, some scout-team reps," Manziel said. "A backup's not going to get a bunch of reps."
It was his first action since preseason Week 2 after missing the team's final two dress rehearsals with elbow soreness.
Pettine: Their Defense Is Built to Defend the Run
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Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown led a Cleveland Browns rushing game that totaled a deceiving 104 yards on 28 carries against the New York Jets.
McCown led the way until late in the game despite leaving with a concussion after his first series. Manziel eventually passed him on a scramble, but that's not something to celebrate.
"Their defense is built to defend the run. I don't think we did a good job blocking at the point of attack," coach Mike Pettine said during his postgame press conference (h/t 92.3 The Fan), "Our pad level wasn't great."
Starter Isaiah Crowell had just 20 yards on 12 carries, a disappointing performance for sure. Rookie Duke Johnson was actually on the field for the Browns' first offensive play, but he wasn't able to break loose either. He ended the game with 22 yards on seven carries.
"Duke (Johnson) did some good things. It was tough sledding when (Isaiah) Crowell had the ball," Pettine said.
For as good of an offensive line as the Browns are thought to have, their ability to control the line of scrimmage and open holes in their run game continues to be a struggle.
The coaching staff was stubborn for too long, trying to pound the ball between the tackles despite being down by two scores in the second half.
Mike Hoag (@MikeHoagJr) covers the Cleveland Browns for Bleacher Report and is the managing editor of Browns Beat.
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