After hitting his right hand on a defender in practice Thursday but quickly brushing it off, Brissett coming out healthy in a 21-20 loss to the Bears in Saturday’s preseason finale was a huge accomplishment. Beyond that, there aren’t many conclusions to be drawn from his six first-half runs. Brissett, who will start the opener at Carolina on Sept. 11, completed just 13 of 23 attempts for 109 yards with no touchdowns and one interception for a dismal 50.8 rating. But his biggest problem on the night was sophomore receiver Anthony Schwartz, who was 1 of 6 targets for 8 yards and threw three passes, including one that was hit on the line but hit him in the hands. Heading into the game, he had been credited with three touchdowns in the first two preseason games, including two in the opener in Jacksonville. The goals were very high during Brissett’s tenure. “Jacoby did a good job in the first half,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said on the News5 telecast. “I made good decisions. He delivered the ball accurately. Obviously, we need to help him a little at the skill positions. I was pleased with his individual performance, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement.” Berry noted that Brissett, 14-23 as a starter, likely won’t run as much as Deshaun Watson when he returns for the final six games. “Kevin (Stefanski) and the coaching staff, they do a really good job of building the offense around the skill set of the quarterback,” he said. “I think we’ll probably see a little bit less of the QB run that we would have with Deshaun with Jacoby. But Jacoby is very good in play-action, in the world of play-action shots, and we think that’s an area where we can highlight his strengths.” On Schwartz’s third and final down, an easy pass up the middle on third-and-9 was booed by the home crowd — certainly not what a young player struggling with confidence needs. Cade York regained momentum with a 57-yard field goal on the next play that put the Browns on the board at 21-3 with 1:25 left in the half.
Sports betting coming to Ohio on January 1, 2023: Your questions answered
Schwartz ran into a linebacker covering Harrison Bryant on a route to the left flat and went down before Brissett threw the ball to him. He was easily picked off by cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. and Justin Fields (14 of 16, 156 yards, 3 TDs, 146.9 rating) converted it into a 24-yard TD to tight end Cole Kmet for a 21-0 lead with 3:29 left in the half. Schwartz’s horrible night started in the first game, when a short pass to left slipped out of his hands. Brissett, playing without five of his Pro Bowlers on offense, fired a deep ball to the left side for the speedy Schwartz, but it was just out of reach. He got behind two defenders but couldn’t make the tough, one-handed grab. His only catch was an 8 to the left. Brissett went three-and-out on three of his first four drives, and managed just four plays on the drive with the interception. The Browns will now have to find a way to rebuild Schwartz’s psyche if he wants to make an impact this season. Coach Kevin Stefanski predicted a big season from Schwartz, and he has a long way to go before Brissett trusts him to make plays. In Jacksonville, Schwartz provided rookie Deshaun Watson little help, running an errant route on the first play and dropping two passes. He apologized to Watson and others, and vowed to flip the script. That’s exactly what he did in practice the following week and helped himself in the second preseason game against the Eagles. But he took a step back on Saturday night and will have work to do this week. Brissett, who had Pro Bowlers Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio, Amari Cooper, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt idle on the sideline, connected three times for 36 yards with third-round receiver David Bell, including completions of 11 and 18 yards in one move on the field. By then, the Bears had plenty of backups, but the offense was at least showing signs of life. It was on that drive that Brissett’s pass was batted down the line by safety Devontae Harris, but he managed to beat Schwartz on the hands in the left flat. Brissett also connected on 3 of 4 targets with David Njoku for 34 yards, including a long 20 pass over the middle that was one of his best of the game. He also found Bryant on both of his targets for 15 yards, including a long gain of 11. The bad news for Brissett was that right guard Wyatt Teller left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return. The extent of the injury was unknown at the time of the match. It was the second game-ending injury of the night. The first was to Grant Delpit, who suffered a hip injury midway through the first quarter. After an 8-yard catch by Kmet, Delpit remained seated on the field. He tried to stand up, but quickly sat back down. He walked off the field and into the medical tent with trainers, and soon headed for the locker room, holding the hip and tending to it. QB Joshua Dobbs throws a TD pass and makes tackles for two Dobbs replaced Brissett late in the first half and put 11 points on the board in the form of a 46-yard field goal by York late in the half and a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Miller Forristall early. quarter quarter Dobbs, who was stopped last week against the Eagles on a pass attempt in the end zone, was successful this time on a 2-point run to the left side, leaping over the left pylon. Dobbs went 11 of 20 for 89 yards and the one TD for an 83.1 rating. His long pass was 19 yards to Michael Harley Jr. Josh Rosen scores Rosen finished the game and scored on a 1-yard run that cut the deficit to 21-20 with 2:31 left. 2-point pass to Javon Wims fell incomplete. WR Michael Woods II ran strong sprints before pregame warmups With Schwartz struggling, help is on the way soon. Woods, who suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 5, sprinted for about half an hour in the pre-match warm-up and looked more or less back to his speedy pre-injury self. Woods, the Browns’ sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma, was one of five injured players who sat out the game. The others were rookie receiver Daylen Baldwin, safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. (hamstring), cornerback AJ Green (hip) and defensive end Chase Winovich (hamstring). York dazzles in pre-match warm-ups York, who made field goals of 57 and 46 yards in the game but missed a 58-yard field goal, had booms of 70 and 60 yards in pregame warmups that dazzled fans in their seats. – Get the latest Browns merchandise: Here you can order Cleveland Browns gear online including jerseys, t-shirts, hoodies, hats and more. If you or a loved one have questions and need to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline ( NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700. Orange and Brown Talk Podcast Listen to past podcasts and stay up-to-date on future podcasts by subscribing to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. More Browns coverage Watch Myles Garrett, Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson and more Browns arrive for preseason finale against Bears Senior NFL adviser believes Deshaun Watson is ‘playing us’ and is ‘another risk’ until he admits he was wrong Jadeveon Clowney’s No. 7 jersey will be retired by South Carolina Browns’ Myles Garrett believes Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will be ‘a big-time player’ 4 things to watch when the Browns play the Bears in the preseason finale: Orange and Brown Talk Kevin Stefanski talks Jacoby Brissett’s start for Saturday’s game: Transcript Browns’ Myles Garrett Enjoys New Role as Community Ambassador at Cleveland Museum of Natural History Kevin Stefanski was ‘seeing red’ after Jacoby Brissett hit his hand on a tight end: Browns strike fast Why starting Jacoby Brissett on Saturday is the right call for the Browns: Berea exhibition Browns Name Joe Thomas, Darrel ‘Pete’ Brewster to Class of 2022 Legends Program Former Browns center JC Tretter retires after 8 NFL seasons, will remain NFLPA president How Browns Offensive Line Leads to Success: Film Review In making the case for roster moves, the Browns should: Orange and Brown Talk Joel Bitonio always had Baker Mayfield’s back, but ‘we’ll be ready for Week 1’ vs. Panthers: Browns Four Browns (so far) named to NFL Network’s Top 100 Players for 2022 Jacoby Brissett has the right attitude and quick wit to help Browns navigate troubled Deshaun Watson waters Why Joel Bitonio Didn’t Have to Explain Himself for ‘Cleveland Against the World’ Comment: Berea Report
