5 Stars: Who shined for the Browns in thrilling win over the Ravens?
Now sitting at 6-3, winning four of their last five games, the Cleveland Browns have proven they are a real force this season. This time, quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Browns fought back from an early deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 33-31. Despite missing both of their starting offensive tackles, fielding Geron Christian and James Hudson, the Browns managed to hold their own against Baltimore’s fierce defense.
The Browns now have a real opportunity to make a huge statement if they can scratch and claw their way to another win this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Who contributed the most to this win? It was impossible to narrow this down to just five players, so the easy thing to do is exclude defensive end Myles Garrett since he would make the list every week.
Here are five standouts that deserve to be recognized for their efforts in the come-from-behind win over the Ravens.
QB Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson has to figure out a way to start the game better than he has the past two weeks since his return. However, finishing the game 14-of-14 for 134 yards and a touchdown in the second half, Watson showed why the Browns made the move they did to acquire him.
Of the throws that Watson made, he found Amari Cooper twice in 2nd-and-long situations to put the Browns in a favorable position on third down, showed the ability to extend with his legs, and even found Elijah Moore outside of structure for a touchdown.
His first showing against the Steelers this season was an ugly one, so the Browns will need him to be dialed in this time around. Over his last three full starts, Watson has proven to be the guy the Browns thought they were getting.
Can he stay hot and continue this trend?
OT Geron Christian
I cannot even find a picture of him in a Browns uniform.
Offensive tackle Geron Christian was just added to the practice squad about two weeks ago and then was signed to the active roster after Jedrick Wills hit Injured Reserve. He was then thrust into the starting lineup against one of the very best defenses and did more than hold his own.
It is hard to find a player put in a position as fast as Christian to do as well as he did on Sunday against the Ravens. On the day, Christian was charted with surrendering a single sack and two hurries. Throughout the game, we did not hear Christian’s name called, and that is a good sign for an offensive lineman.
With Wills sidelined for another three weeks, Christian will likely continue to get the start. He has another big test coming up against the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
RB Jerome Ford
Sunday was easily Jerome Ford’s best game as the starting running back of the Cleveland Browns. Over the past few weeks, Ford showed he was capable of breaking the big run, but could not create efficient yardage on a down-to-down basis.
That was not the case against the stout Baltimore front.
Ford busted three runs of ten or more yards, including a long of 28. Of his 107 yards on the day, 70 of them came after contact against the Ravens as Ford averaged more than four yards after an initial hit was put on him. All-in-all, Ford averaged six yards per pop, once again eclipsing 100 yards on the ground.
As they look to advance to 7-3 this week against the Browns, Ford will play a big part in their success against the Steelers.
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah continues his trek toward a Pro Bowl season (or more). Entering the season with the most tackles for loss from a linebacker on the season, Owusu-Koramoah continued to add to that number.
On the day, Owusu-Koramoah added another four stop tackles for the Browns. He even added another half-sack as he and Myles Garrett combined to get Jackson to the ground. Playing like a heat-seeking missile, Owusu-Koramoah was seen in the backfield time and time again.
Even on the Greg Newsome II pick-six, Owusu-Koramoah was in a position where he could have taken the ball back for a touchdown himself. He has been a lightning rod for the Cleveland defense and has taken a massive leap from the second level of the Browns’ defense in 2023.
CB Greg Newsome II
What a time for former first round pick Greg Newsome II to get his first interception.
After the injury to Denzel Ward, Newsome played 21 snaps outside for the Browns, as he does in base defense, and he thrived. This came to a full culmination as Newsome II took a tipped pass off the helmet of defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo to the house to bring the Browns back.
Without this score, the Browns would not have been in a position to come back and beat their AFC North foes. Against the Ravens, Newsome gave up just one catch for 11 yards and allowed a passer rating of just 27 when targeted. He did this from both inside and outside for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Newsome II was locked in.
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