Nobody likes a tie in the NFL but that is what happed in the Week 1 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. After the conclusion of the overtime period the scoreboard showed a tie at 21 and no chance to break it. Cleveland displayed both signs of promise and areas in needs of improvement in the rare tie.
Mixed results for Tyrod Taylor’s Browns debut
While Tyrod Taylor did engineer a comeback in the 4th quarter to tie the game, there was a lot to be desired in his overall performance. Completing 15 of 40 passes for 197 yards one touchdown and one interception. Taylor also added 77 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
While it is easy to look at the box score and criticize Taylor, not everything falls on him. This was his first game in a Browns uniform. It happened to be against a division rival in awful weather. Taylor is guilty of a few bad passes. Most notably an under thrown pass before the end of regulation which resulted in an interception. However the Cleveland receivers were pretty well covered throughout the game. This led to tucking and running with the ball often. Additionally with receivers not being able to get open it led to Taylor being sacked seven times by the Pittsburgh defense.
Taylor does need to improve next week against New Orleans. The fact that the next contest is in a controlled environment should certainly help.
Jarvis Landry is the real deal
There were ample amounts of criticism after the Browns acquired Jarvis Landry from the Dolphins. Mostly it was in regards to his yards per catch. Other criticism existed simply due to the fact Landry was essentially the only real threat in the passing game. Some wondered whether he could duplicate his earlier success in Cleveland. Landry was able to put together quite the performance.
In his debut in a Cleveland uniform Landry did not disappoint. Hauling in seven passes for 106 yards, an average of 15.1 yards per catch. Landry led all Browns receivers in both yards and receptions.
Taylor and Landry obviously have chemistry and should continue to grow as the season progresses. Landry is an absolute monster in the passing game. The volume of receptions and yards accumulated by Landry should continue no matter who lines up under center.
Myles Garrett gets his shot at Ben Roethlisberger
When the Cleveland Browns drafted Myles Garrett he made it known he wanted to sack Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. However due to an early season injury and Roethlisberger not playing in last year’s season finale, Garrett did not get the chance.
That all changed Sunday.
Garrett sacked Roethlisberger twice and put pressure on him throughout the contest. A questionable at the time roughing the passer penalty kept a Pittsburgh drive alive which led to points. Although the NFL admitted their mistake Monday. While it does not change the outcome on the scoreboard it should certainly help Garrett moving forward in how he pressures a quarterback.
Denzel Ward is as good as advertised and then some
When the Browns selected Denzel Ward fourth overall it caused some waves. Many expected Cleveland to select Bradley Chubb, pointing towards the mythical bookend pass rushers. However as good as having good pass rushers is, it does not matter if the secondary is unable to cover. Selecting Ward give the pass rush more time to get to the quarterback.
In his Browns debut Ward intercepted two passes and defended three others. Ward made it difficult for Pittsburgh to pass towards his side of the field. The Ohio State product displayed exactly why the Browns took him fourth overall and that he has a bright future in the Cleveland secondary.
Ward really had one blemish on his day and it took a spectacular play from Antonio Brown for it to happen. Ward had Brown absolutely covered and Brown made an incredible catch for a touchdown. There is nothing Ward could have done to prevent the score outside of having eyes in the back of his head. Since that is not realistic it is best just to give a tip of the cap to Brown and move on.
Takeaways from the tie
Penalties were a common theme for both teams Sunday. Cleveland needs to cut them down in order to win some games this season. Some were on the shoulders of rookie left tackle Desmond Harrison, but it is understandable why they occurred. Starting as a rookie against Pittsburgh will make just about anyone make a few mental errors.
The blocked field goal in overtime is concerning. Apparently the Browns had the exact same snap count on the field goal attempt as every other play in the game. This allowed Pittsburgh to jump the snap and T.J. Watt to get his hand on it. This is inexcusable and needs to never happen again.
Defensively the Browns played fantastic. Forcing six turnovers and giving the team a legitimate chance to win. Not much more to discuss here.
On the other side of the coin the team needs to better execute offensively. Being unable to capitalize on turnovers is an issue and needs to resolved immediately.
Calls for Baker Mayfield to start at this point are premature. Giving Taylor the proper amount of time to prove himself either capable or incapable of running the offense. If he is incapable then brining in Mayfield is warranted, but again this should not be a discussion anytime soon.
If the Browns offense can improve upon a sloppy performance it is not out of the question that they can come away with a win in New Orleans against the Saints this upcoming Sunday.
