A safety gave the Browns security on Sunday.
With less than two minutes remaining, Cleveland punter Corey Bojorquez put a gorgeous backspin on the ball, allowing the Browns to pin Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars at their own 2-yard line. One play later, down 16-13 with two timeouts, Jacksonville met Myles Garrett and his friends — and they weren’t cordial.
Garrett drew the Jaguars’ attention, allowing defensive end Alex Wright to beat his man and sack Lawrence in the end zone. The safety put the game out of the Jaguars’ reach.
“It was huge for us. We needed that kind of cushion,” Garrett said after the game, via Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram. “Us being able to work together, rush together like that like that, him working off of me, me going high, him coming underneath to make that play, that’s exactly how we draw it up. We just got to make many more of those plays.”
Plays weren’t in abundance on the offensive side of the ball for the Browns, who entered without their two starting offensive tackles and tight end David Njoku. To trouble-shoot, head coach Kevin Stefanski and his staff got creative with personnel.
“We’re light on tight ends right now. So, that’s one answer, getting some offensive linemen on the field in tight-end spots,” Stefanski said after the win. “We want to be able to use all of our guys. We feel strongly about the bunch of guys we have. The big thing for us is who’s available week to week, because it changes. So if we’re going to be without Dave, we’ve got to pivot and go somewhere else.”
If they’re going to be without Njoku again this week at home against the Giants, expect more of the same on offense. Tight end Jordan Akins is the only tight end quarterback Deshaun Watson has targeted over the first two weeks.
Watson tuned out the noise that surfaced last week to lead the Browns on a methodical, 16-play, 89-yard drive that consumed more than nine minutes off the first-quarter clock. His 1-yard touchdown run gave the Browns their first lead since the first quarter of their Week 1 loss to Dallas.
Stefanski also used backup quarterback Jameis Winston on three fourth-down attempts, converting each. Three Dustin Hopkins field goals and Wright’s safety were all Cleveland needed to finish off the Jaguars.
The Browns also lost wide receiver David Bell (dislocated hip), carted off in the third quarter.