The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
SEEING DOUBLE
Higgins takes advantage of opportunity, catches touchdown pass from Mayfield to cap first series
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry greets a young fan wearing his jersey number before the Browns faced the Redskins in a preseason game Aug. 8 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns went on to win 30-10.
Takeaways from the Browns’ 30-10 victory over the Washington Redskins in the preseason opener Aug. 8 at FirstEnergy Stadium:
• The Browns starting offense was on the field for one series. It was as efficient and smooth as a Rolls Royce engine on a seven-play, 89-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Rashard Higgins.
Starting wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry were given the night off. But that did not hamper the march downfield a bit. Mayfield mixed the run, pass and a no-huddle offense to string together five first downs on five consecutive plays before the touchdown pass to Higgins.
After throwing an incomplete pass to Derrick Willies on the first play, Mayfield threw a short pass to the left to Jaelen Strong for 11 yards and then went to the nohuddle for the next three plays. He threw quickly to the right to running back Nick Chubb for 14 yards, handed to Chubb for a 12-yard gain over right guard for 12 yards, connected with Dontrell Hilliard on the left for 12 yards and Hilliard over the middle for 14 before finishing the drive on the touchdown to Higgins on the left side of the end zone.
“I thought it was a good drive,” Coach Freddie Kitchens said. “We didn’t have a third down. We were working our twominute offense. They’re supposed to get completions — big chunk plays. When we hand the ball off, we’re supposed to block for Nick. I thought we did a good job outside, inside everywhere. It was a really nice first drive.”
The Browns’ offensive line might not be the best in the league. But flaws can be hidden when Mayfield gets rid of the ball as quickly as he does.
• After vowing not to trade running back Duke Johnson — a good way to drive up the price to acquire bounty the running back — Browns general manager John Dorsey defended his decision to trade the fifth-year player to the Texans the morning of the Browns’ first preseason game. The Browns got a 2020 fourth-round pick that will become a third-round choice if Johnson is active 10 games.
“I do want to wish Duke the best,” Dorsey said on WEWS-TV 5 during the pregame show. “With regards to that, we sat. We waited. We were patient, and at the right time, there was a deal on the table that we probably should have taken.
“I’m very comfortable with what we have in the running back room right now, but what we do is we look all the time for all types of players. We will not rest until we find the best 53 we possibly can.”
Johnson asked to be traded on April 1. The Browns refused, claiming he would be a major part of the offense this season. Johnson showed up for training camp, but has been sidelined for most of it with a hamstring injury. Trading Johnson means Hilliard will be Nick Chubb’s backup until Kareem Hunt returns after a league-imposed eight game suspension.
• Johnson is surehanded. He fumbled eight times (lost four) in a total of 635 touches, including rushes, receptions, kick returns and punt returns over four seasons.
Hilliard lost a fumble on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 2:55 left in the first quarter. A holding penalty on Hilliard with five seconds left in the second quarter put the Browns out of field goal range.
• Four regular defensive starters — end Olivier Vernon, tackle Sheldon Richardson, cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Joe Schobert – did not play against the Redskins. It hardly mattered. The Redskins made one first down on their first possession and then committed three straight holding penalties — a testament to the aggressiveness of the Browns’ defense.
Rookie cornerback Greedy Williams intercepted one pass. Rookie linebacker Mack Wilson intercepted two and returned one for a touchdown.
“(Wilson) continues to get better,” Kitchens said. “It wasn’t going good for him early in camp, but he kept his head down and kept working. Before you know it, he starts making plays. His eyes are in better places. Once you know how to get there and where to get, the rest is just making plays.”
• Kyle Kalis, one of the contenders for right guard, played center against the Redskins and left the game with a concussion. Four other players missed the game with concussions – tight end Seth DeValve, defensive tackle Brian Price, linebacker Adarius Taylor and tight end Demetrius Harris.
• Damon SheehyGuiseppi electrified the crowd that stuck around to the end by scoring on an 86-yard punt return.
They were called for a double-team block on the opening kickoff, but other than that were penaltyfree, but they returned four punts without committing a penalty — a very encouraging sign.
The Browns scored four touchdowns. Greg Joseph made the extra point on the first touchdown and missed after the final touchdown when his kick hit the left upright. Joseph missed four PATs last season.
Rookie Austin Seibert was two-for-two on PATs.
Joseph had the only field goal attempt and made it from 43 yards.