CLEVELAND — At halftime of the home opener at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Browns and New York Jets are deadlocked at 14.
3News’ Tyler Carey has 3 thoughts on the first 30 minutes of play:
1. Seasoned leadership
From the first series, you could tell Jacoby Brissett has looked a lot more comfortable under center. The veteran has gotten everyone involved — from the receivers to the backs to the tight ends — and has completed all but one of his 13 throws for 101 yards and a touchdown. He even fooled just about everyone in the stadium with an amazing pump fake spin move that let to a first-down run on what ended up being a 90-yard scoring drive.
2. Amari arrives
The Browns’ receiving core has been much-maligned all offseason, but Amari Cooper is finally starting to show flashes of his unquestioned talent. The receiver caught four passes for 48 yards on Cleveland’s second touchdown drive, including a 6-yard grab in the end zone.
3. Bend but don’t break
After a rough second half last week, the defense has been… mostly good, so far. The secondary remains a bit of a work-in-progress (rookie Martin Emerson Jr. got burned on a Garrett Wilson TD grab), allowing two game-tying scores. However, Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney remain beasts up front: The former is now just one sack away from setting the Browns’ official all-time record, while the latter had a huge strip sack and recovery of Joe Flacco that killed a promising Jets drive late in the second half.