Key moments
Offense’s slow start amplified by early injuries
Already down their starting center in Ethan Pocic, the Browns lost C Nick Harris to an ankle injury on the third play of their first offensive drive. GMichael Dunn, who made his first start of the season on Sunday at right guard, came in and took over at center for the Browns.
On the following drive, RB Jerome Ford exited with a hamstring injury and did not return to Sunday’s game. Both drives resulted in punts.
Meanwhile, after back-to-back punts themselves, the Eagles were the first to get on the scoreboard after a scoreless first quarter, with K Jake Elliott nailing a 49-yard field goal early in the second quarter. As the Browns offense continued to struggle, the Eagles offense heated up, with QB Jalen Hurts finding Brown on a 22-yard touchdown to build on the Eagles’ early lead.
The Browns offense got rolling late in the second quarter, driving 45 yards to the Philadelphia 20-yard line. Watson connected on back-to-back passes with WR Amari Cooper and TE David Njoku but was sacked on third down. The Browns had to settle for a field goal, their only offensive score of the first half.
Entering the second half, the Browns had just 71 net yards of offense compared to the Eagles’ 200. They were 0 of 5 on third down attempts and averaged just under three yards per play.
Special teams unit provides boost before halftime
It looked like the Eagles would add three points to their first half total after they drove to the Cleveland 31-yard line with just over 30 seconds remaining in the first half.
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah swarmed Hurts for a sack to force a long field goal attempt from Elliott. Garrett leaped over the line of scrimmage and threw a hand up to block Elliott’s kick and McLeod scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 50 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at halftime.
McLeod’s touchdown is the 13-year veterans’ second of the season and provided the Browns with a massive boost, both in momentum and on the scoreboard, going into halftime.
The Browns had a chance to capitalize on their big play before halftime, getting the ball to start the second half. Facing third-and-1 at the Philadelphia 29-yard line, QB Jameis Winston lined up under center. Instead of running up the middle, he handed the ball off to WR Cedric Tillman on an end around play that resulted in a five-yard loss. Hopkins missed the ensuing 52-yard field goal attempt, and the Browns were unable to take the lead.
Eagles pull away in the fourth quarter
After trading field goals with the Browns, the Eagles took a seven-point lead after Smith took a short pass to the house for a 45-yard touchdown. Smith lost CB Greg Newsome II across the middle of the field and used his speed to run untouched to the end zone.
The Browns offense had a chance at finding the end zone on the next drive, but penalties forced them to settle for a field goal. After Watson started the drive completing six of seven passing attempts, including a 35-yard completion to WR Jerry Jeudy to start the drive, two false start penalties called against rookie RG Zak Zinter and LT Jedrick Wills Jr. pushed the Browns back from the Eagles 3-yard line to the 13, preventing them from trying to score a game-tying touchdown.
With a four-point lead, the Eagles ran the ball effectively to bleed time from the game clock. The Eagles picked up three first downs on the final drive, including a deep pass to Brown for a 40-yard gain that allowed the Eagles to take a knee to end the game.
First appeared on www.clevelandbrowns.com