Trent Richardson makes another house call (USP)If you expected the Cleveland Browns to deliver Sunday's first two touchdowns, then ... well, then you're most likely a visitor from the future. Can't say I thought the Browns would race out to an early lead, but that's exactly what's happened in New York.
Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw lost a fumble on his team's first play from scrimmage, setting up Cleveland just outside the red zone. Two plays later, Trent Richardson did this.
The rookie had a wide running lane and he certainly didn't miss it. If they didn't know it already, New York's defense has now learned that Richardson isn't an easy man to arm-tackle.
That's four touchdowns in as many weeks for T-Rich, who looks like he's gonna be a matchup-proof fantasy commodity — a huge deal for any AFC North running back. Richardson has been as good as advertised, if not better. If we were redrafting a 2012 fantasy league, he wouldn't slip outside my overall top-eight.
The Browns aren't having much early difficulty moving the ball against New York's defense, we should note. On the team's second possession, rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden hit Josh Gordon with a deep strike off play-action for a 62-yard score. No idea how or why a linebacker ended up on Gordon, but that's what happened. As of this writing, Cleveland leads 17-7, mid-way through the second quarter. Bradshaw is still carrying the load for the Giants, despite the early ball security issues.
This game has a serious Eli-leads-fourth-quarter-comeback vibe, so don't flip away. Expect more goodness for Richardson owners while we wait.
(Update: Make that, "Eli-leads-second-quarter-comeback." The Giants scored 20 unanswered points before halftime, surging to a 27-17 lead).
