Defense makes sure Browns 'won the game' in second half against Jets
CLEVELAND — The play that may have defined the kind of night it was for the Browns defense against the New York Jets was the one that gave them the two-score lead they would never relinquish.
The Browns had just failed to turn a special-teams takeaway into points late in the first quarter, throwing a fourth-down incompletion instead. Three plays later, though, safety Ronnie Hickman stepped in front of a pass from Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian and returned the interception 30 yards for a touchdown and a 13-point lead.
Just like that, the tone of the Browns' 37-20 playoff-clinching win over the Jets was truly set.
"That was incredible," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after his team improved to 11-5. "The ball finds Ronnie Hickman. It’s incredible. Out at practice, walkthrough, somehow the ball finds its way into his lap and he does a great job. You know, scoring — it was a great play by a young man and he’s doing a nice job. We’re going to continue to need these guys to step up.”
The Browns defense stepped up much in the way a great closer does for a baseball team. It slammed the door shut on the Jets.
The Browns rolled up 367 yards of offense in the first half, after which they led 34-14. They had 61 yards and three points over the final two quarters.
New York, meanwhile, had 197 net yards. Five of its six second-half possessions reached Browns territory, but the closest the Jets got was 34-20 on Greg Zuerlein's 44-yard field goal with 8:50 remaining.
"You’ve got to give a lot of credit to our defense," Browns quarterback Joe Flacco said. "I know the Jets kind of moved the ball down there on the first drive, but they ended up settling for a field goal. And then you’ve got to give it to our field goal team. I mean, our field goal block team. Our defense did a great job in the second half, though, not really giving those guys anything and making sure we won the game."
The secret? Much like with Hickman's pick 6, it was all about timing. This is how the Jets second-half possessions ended:
Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris blocked a 31-yard Zuerlein field goal
New York punted on fourth and 10 from the Browns 44
The Jets punted again from the Browns 44 on fourth and 11
Zuerlein's 44-yard field goal cut the Browns lead to 34-20
Siemian got tripped up inches shy of the yard to gain by linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on fourth and 4 from the Jets 14
Game ended with the Jets at the Browns 12
"Man, we take a lot of pride in that," cornerback Denzel Ward said. "We've been saying that we wanted to be the No. 1 defense, and I feel we've been showing that. So when we had those opportunities to go out there and get the ball back for our offense, we're executing that and doing that."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns defense makes sure they 'won the game' in second half vs. Jets
