DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2022 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 26 Panthers 24 Post Game

That was great.

We had storms in the are yesterday. The game was hit with a direct TV rain pause just before the half which lasted maybe ten minutes, then again just before Carolina kicked the field goal to go ahead. My son was at the bar with me to watch the game. He could get the game on streaming radio but we couldn't hear anything due to the noise in the place so we decided to leave and listen to the rest of the game on his phone as we drove for home.

We got to listen to the radio call for our last drive. I am actually glad the TV's went out and got to listen to that in the car. Quite the exciting moment.

I haven't read everything yet, so maybe it has been brought up, but Felton as a punt returner sucks. I saw enough last year, and have seen enough this year.

The guy can't track a ball. If it is punted at him he is good enough but if he has to move more than a few feet to get under it, forget about it.

If there are guys on the roster who can field a punt then Priefer needs to be held accountable if he is deciding to play Felton in that role. If somebody else is, or there is nobody else who can catch a friggen punt, then they need to be held accountable.

We can't keep putting Felton back there, he is going to cost us a game or two if we keep doing that. I don't care if we have an offical "fair catcher" back there, we can't keep Felton in the position.

I agree w/Felton. Having him back there is a disaster waiting to happen … and it almost did happen yesterday.

Now that week 1 is over and the vet guarantee isn’t activated anymore, I’m really hoping to see us bring in Fuller or Beasley

And on more than the one he did muff. On the 1st punt he had to go to his knees and reach out to catch the ball and on another he was sprinting and diving for the ball.

The guy can't track a ball. He stutters around before he gets a bead on the ball. By then he isn't in a good position to make a secure catch. You have to be waiting under the ball to catch a punt. If you are still moving to get to the catch point on pretty much every punt, you can't do that job on my team.

j/c….

is it me or were we not lining up in 2 TE sets as much as we did last year?

I hope it's just the lack of pre-season work which is typical these days, making game 1 like the first real action any of these guys see, Brissett just sucks (18/34 147 1TD), we will not win against good teams with him.

KS, still bewilders me, having Brissett pass incomplete after incomplete, doing sweeps, -5 yard screens, just run the damn ball.

Brissett almost never even looked Coopers way on plays, he locked on to a target at snap and that was it.

Cade York, love this kid. My buddy was like "58 yards, he ain't gunna make that", I said "watch", and boom, he got it, with plenty to spare.

We still leave the middle of the field open too often, it's going to bite us often.

Exactly, there were signs before the muff that he had to be replaced. I’d rather have DPJ, and I’m not a fan of that idea either.

With your last statement, it’s so infuriating that so many of the big plays we give up are OUR OWN fault. It’s not like Carolina made great offensive plays … we just miscommunicated and gave them up.

I thought our coverage and defense was so good without those 3-4 plays or whatever

I couldn't watch the game, tried to stream it (thanks OldCold) but had nothing but buffering. Neighbors complained about internet yesterday so may have been something local. Did listen to it on radio and followed in the GameDay thread. So some of my observations may not be valid.

- Cade York. Draft pick paid off already. When he came out for the kick I did thought we had a chance. When was the last time I thought we had a chance to make a 58-yard field goal?
- We needed Brissett to do enough to get us the W. And he did. Just enough.
- Run game was stellar.
- DPJ came up big. Cooper drew some calls at key spots.
- I read afterwards that Cooper was open all game. Also sounded like Brissett missed other open guys. If that is all true, then the scheme and play-calling might not have been all that bad. Seems like we've had this discussion before. Yes, there were questionable play calls, KS seems to like to out-guess those trying to out-guess him. But when receivers are running open, that is a good thing.
- CMC was not productive. That is how you play Carolina.
- The D had a lot of good moments, but when there were breakdowns it was catastrophic. Two coverage breakdowns gave them 50% of their passing yards. Those two plays turned the game around. That needs to be cleaned up, and quickly. Flacco is a vet and will notice.
- I will gave Baker credit. It was a horrible start and he calmed down and started to make plays. And he led a 4th quarter go-ahead drive. That was one of the knocks on him.
- But Brissett led us to a 2-minute game-winning drive. What trumps a go-ahead drive? A game-winning drive.
- A W is a W. I will take it.

NFL Week 1 Game Recap: Cleveland Browns 26, Carolina Panthers 24

Jacoby Brissett and the Cleveland Browns spoiled Baker Mayfield's Carolina Panthers debut with a formidable running game and just enough passing offense to secure a last-second 26-24 win — capped by a Cade York 58-yard field goal.

Offensive spotlight: Baker Mayfield‘s revenge game didn't go exactly as planned, and the Panthers quarterback is set to earn a sub-55.0 passing grade after making two turnover-worthy plays and one big-time throw.

Defensive spotlight: Myles Garrett ensured rookie left tackle Ikem Ekwonu didn't enjoy his NFL debut. The pass-rusher racked up six pressures, including two sacks, and earned a 94.4 pass-rushing grade on first review.

Rookie spotlight: There's plenty of time for Ikem Ekwonu to develop, but his NFL debut was one to forget. He gave up four pressures on 33 pass-blocking snaps and didn't fare much better in the running game.

Offensive line spotlight: The Panthers' interior remained stout despite the tackles' struggles. The trio combined to allow only three hurries on 33 pass-blocking snaps apiece, headlined by a clean performance from center Pat Elflein.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-1-game-recap-cleveland-browns-26-carolina-panthers-24

I thought the QB play, overall, was pretty bad. The only difference being Baker capitalizing on our communication issues.

Brissett was REALLY bad, IMO and doesn't offer much confidence moving forward the next 10 games. There are several reasons why but the thing that stood out to me was missing on two big play opportunities early in the game. It seemed liked after that Stefanski dialed down play calling to focus on more short and intermediate routes. That still didn't help as he was pretty inaccurate, especially on third down conversions (if I recall correctly). Baker probably had the worst first half I've seen from him since being in the league. He had little time to throw, seemed erratic and skittish (maybe overhyped to play his former team) and I think the Browns had a good plan of trying to neutralize CMC and making Baker throw. Baker NEEDS a relatively perfect pocket to consistently be successful and we saw vintage Baker when that is not the case. I think his passer rating for PPF is 55, which is ugly. The def. game plan worked flawlessly until the Delpit communication problem in the first half and the Newsome 'mistake' in the second. That boosted Baker's confidence and gave him an shot to win the game. Hell, even that fumbled snap from Baker had allowed CMC to get a 20-30 yard gain on a freak play....And it was freak plays or gross miscommunication by us that let Carolina stay in the game. I hope we shore up some of the defensive issues because they are a really good starting unit.

-- I though James Hudson held his own out there yesterday.
-- The DL played well and was pleasantly surprised by the interior play as well.
-- The OL looked great
-- Cade York....I'm buying your jersey.

You could watch Carolina the next 16 games and you’ll be hard pressed to see a team bottle up CMC as well as we did. I think a lot of it had to do with JOK, but I could be wrong

It could have been but the game flow might have been a factor too. I mean, being down 20-7 with roughly a half to go can sometimes dictate play calling. That said, I was shaking my head wondering why CMC's name wasn't being called as much as I thought it would in the first few opening series.

Side note: I could be wrong but CMC's opportunities to make plays (both rushing and passing) was 14. That needs to increase IMO for the Panthers to be successful. Maybe they were easing him in after two years of injuries but if his passing targets and rushes stay at that level, I think they will have a long year. He is their best offensive weapon.

No doubt about it. They desperately need to get him involved (along with Moore). To not have those two guys combine for 30 touches is a recipe for them to lose.

They came out throwing. Baker kept screwing things up and I was thanking our lucky stars they were trying to have Baker carry them rather than McCaffrey. To be fair, our D was most likely geared to stop McCaffrey and dare Baker to beat us, but still..........I know we involved Chubb and Hunt a lot more than they did McCaffrey.

All good points. That fumble/run play by CMC was such a lucky play and a momentum swing of sorts. I thought we had the clamps on them until then.

Delpit needs to be more consistent in coverage. He KILLS us at times (and did last year) and is a liability when he has his eyes in the backfield

Overall Brissett played well. We need to understand that well for him isn't well for a solid starting QB. Well for Brissett is fair for a starting type QB. We need to temper out expectations as to what we think the guy can and can not do as a QB.

What we saw is pretty much what we will get. The plan is to run the ball, throw the ball in the short to intermediate range, and lean on the D. If the D allows the other team to score a lot I don't see much ability to get in to high scoring shootouts.

If Brissett playes well, I might expect some improvement as the teams cohesion starts to improve.

I have Get Up on the tv and they haven't even mentioned our game. They were dogging kickers and no mention of York's great day. I guarantee our game would have been highlighted had Carolina won the game due to the Baker/Watson thing.

No doubt about it. I get tired of the media choosing their narratives. Had Baker prevailed it would have been a huge story

What are we going to say about him that hasn't already been said? Spoiled, indeed.

I had a really hard time keying in on individual positions... but my limited view and my listening to the play-by-play told me our run defense actually did a pretty good job. I don't have Gamepass anymore so I'm hoping to catch something more than just highlights on Youtube, but can folks chime in on the play of our front, specifically the DTs? They were a huge ? throughout the preseason and coming into this game.

I'm sure you're right or very close - I had to take the dog to the vets this morning and was listening to local CLT radio there and back, 21 pass plays and 4 run plays in the first half with rookie LT who is supposed to be below average pass blocker and an excellent run blocker, so they were not happy. It was almost like they were Baker fanboys making excuses for Baker ! Bottom line is that without doubt the stat on their offense is and needs to be McCaffrey, it'll be interesting to see how they do against defenses other than the Browns which I really think is going to be elite.

Local radio hosts also pointed out that - the roughing the passing calls (against CLE at the end of 2nd half - and against CLT at the end of the game) were both bogus, and that the fake spike, followed by a spike by Brissett at the end of the game is intentional grounding and the Refs didn't know the rule book.

I thought they did a pretty good job. We were really trying to clog the middle to stop the run so it was hard to get a clear view on individual players in the middle of the pile. I think we got a little tired later in the game. Of course, Carolina's guys got very tired too. It was very muggy.

I just checked PFF again for grades. Not available yet. All they have up are the grades from Thursday night's games. I'll post them as soon as I see them.

I respect your opinion. Dude is a talent, but I'm of the opinion that his best days are behind him. Not to say he shouldn't be on an NFL roster (especially ours right now), just he's somewhere on the other side of that slope. His injuries are picking up in terms of frequency and severity.

But my opinions are based on what was reported about OBJ. I've been fairly consistent in how I feel about his exit from here. He owns his part of the dramatic exit, and that stretches all the way back to pretty much the day he got here when it was reported he wanted out. Part of how all that went down is on Baker, but the part that's on OBJ is the reason I wouldn't want to run it back with him. I get players want him back... he's a popular guy in the locker room. But I don't think he's the most compatible with 'ski and his O (reference the analysis done on 'ski's time in Minny and Diggs getting out).

I don't want to talk about OBJ - but there are certain facts that are out there that continually get "misrepresented" and are worth noting:

- Glazer quoted OBJ as never wanted to be in CLE. Even before he arrived. Maybe if that was the only instance you could ignore it - but it was a constant theme.
- He wanted to be traded every off season he was with the Browns. Even after a playoff appearance and win.
- He was telling opponents to come get him.
- He told Von Miller this last offseason to stay the hell away from CLE.
- He spent an entire season not knowing where to line up on multiple plays every game.
- It was widely reported after the video that was released "by his dad" - OBJ was freelancing and not running the right routes.
- The closest thing we have to a 'Browns Insider' is GM - and he verified OBJ was running wrong routes.

On the flip side: He had a lot more love from players than BM - he has players wanting him back. He played well for the Rams - and he might have been the MVP of the Super Bowl. But for the regular season his targets, catches and yards per game as a foil to Cupp were all about the same as they were as the #1 for the Browns.

He's an aging Diva who was once truly elite and might win over his team mates with a big personality or whatever - but with two serious injuries and his history in CLE: Hell No. I think the way Watson can extend plays, and the way OBJ freelances, I could see that marriage working but I would still not want him back.

We disagree on OBJ, but that's fine. I think he wants to stay in LA anyway.

Hope the dog is ok!

j/c…

This might end up confirming the Browns comments about Elliot's preseason and what they expect. This is a great first sign and hope to see more of it.

I'll add that bryan looked good. He got pressure several times and seemed to hold the point of attack in the run game.

Not to mention Bryan’s flag was crap. People want to talk about the roughing the passer call on Brissett, but that one was just as egregious … if not more so

Very encouraging for Elliott.

She is fine, yearly vaccinations and check up. Thanks !

Very encouraging for Elliot - resonates with the news out of camp. The one area of caution - nearly everyone on the Panthers line is new and they are definitely a work in progress.

Didnt realize Elliott had played that well. Good sign for us. It actually makes sense that our DL played stout altogether with the lack of efficiency from CMC

I'm impressed with the D, except for the SEVERAL TD breakdowns....JFYI, ESPN put up QB ratings for week 1, guess where JB and BM are- JB just AHEAD of BM....I love JB's want to, AND he doesn't throw interceptions.....he'll hit more targets with work.....Go Browns!!

I thought the RTP call against Carolina was pretty obvious. Helmet to helmet. But yes, the one against the Browns was pretty bad.