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Three Big Takeaways

Browns defense found resurgence in second half after first-half struggles | 3 Big Takeaways

Browns dealt with more injuries to their offensive line in Week 3 against the Giants

NEW 3 Big Takeaways Wk 3 9.22

The Browns dropped their second home game of the season in a disappointing fashion on Sunday, as they lost to the Giants 21-15 at Huntington Bank Field.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said there were a number of factors that played into the loss, and that they did not put themselves in a position to play well enough to win.

"It's really disappointing on a bunch of different levels," Stefanski said. "I know we can be better, and we will be. […] That's not good enough from a player standpoint, from a coaching standpoint, you name it. Just not good enough and you're not going to win games when you play like that."

Here are three takeaways from Sunday's loss.

Amari Cooper finds his groove

After a quiet first two weeks of the season, veteran WR Amari Cooper displayed on Sunday just how impactful he can be for the Browns offense.

On the Browns opening offensive drive, Cooper caught an 24-yard pass from QB Deshaun Watson in the end zone for the touchdown. It was the Browns only score until Cooper scored the second touchdown in the fourth quarter.

"It was a first great play," Cooper said. "Watson said to go out firing, and I think we did just that. It felt good to get a start out of the jump. When we got in the huddle, we knew as an offense we were going for the end zone on play one, and we were able to do just that."

After the Browns marched down the field, Watson found Cooper once again for a 6-yard pass in the end zone.

He also had a 23-yard reception halfway through the fourth quarter to give the Browns a critical first down. Watson connected with Cooper on the next play for another seven yards to continuing moving the Browns down the field.

In the first two weeks of the season, Cooper had five receptions for 27 yards on 17 targets. He also had four drops in the first two weeks, after having a total of seven drops in the 2023 season. Cooper acknowledged the slower offensive start, but did not want to overreact. Instead, he tweaked his mentality, approaching each day of practice like a game.

That approach worked, as he finished the game with seven receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

Check out photos of the Browns against the New York Giants in Week 3

Defense struggled in first half, but bounced back

The Giants scored 21 unanswered points to end the first half, beginning with a 13-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from RB Devin Singletary.

After a three-and-out to start the second quarter, the Giants marched down the field on a 14-play, 93-yard drive halfway through the second quarter second quarter. That drive ended with Giants QB Daniel Jones connected with rookie WR Malik Nabers for a 3-yard touchdown pass. On their next offensive drive, Jones found Nabers once again in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown pass.

"They executed well," DE Myles Garrett said. "Getting us up field. Running those screens, quicks, swings and just keeping us off balance and not allowing us up front to really dictate the pace of the game by continuing to get the ball out in a variety of ways quickly."

Garrett also said the Giants were able to use their aggressiveness against them with their play calls.

"It's about us getting out the stack as d-linemen, making those plays when they cut inside and not letting us fly downhill," Garrett said. "And it's a combination of both, especially when it's quick, we have to jump on it and we got to make sure that we don't miss tackles. We had a few too many missed tackles as well that could have set them back and helped us on those drives.

Stefanski said as a defense, they did not play up to their standard in that first half. However, he saw a shift back to playing to their high standard in the second.

The defense had a bit of a resurgence in the second half as they kept the Giants scoreless. DT Shelby Harris forced a fumble on the Giants' opening drive of the second half, which S Ronnie Hickman recovered. The Giants were then forced to punt on their next five offensive possessions in the second half before they attempted a field goal – which they missed.

The Browns forced two takeaways against the Giants, recording the first ones of the season.

"They tried to establish the run, and even though we have some really good pass rushers on this team, we pride ourselves in stopping the run," Garrett said. "So, we tried to take that away from them and those quicks and screens can only work for so long. Once we got used to it, we started snuffing those things out. It was just trying to get the ball back to the offense, whether it was a three-and-out or a takeaway."

Check out photos of players arriving to the stadium for their game against the New York Giants

Injuries to DE Myles Garrett and the offensive line

The Browns offensive line took another hit in Sunday's game, as RG Wyatt Teller sustained a

knee injury, LT Jedrick Wills Jr. suffered a knee injury and LT James Hudson III endured a shoulder injury. Teller was ruled out of the game for his injury, while Wills and Hudson were originally ruled questionable, they did not return for the remainder of the game.

Stefanski said that Teller, Hudson and Wills will all receive MRIs for their injuries.

RT Jack Conklin was also ruled out the day before Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. He was initially questionable for the Week 3 matchup. Stefanski said Conklin sustained a minor setback on Friday.

"You have to take how guys are feeling throughout the week before you make decisions," Stefanski said. "Ultimately, had, I'd say, a minor setback on Friday, but I don't think it's something that will hold him out weeks. But it held him out this week."

Stefanski also said that DE Myles Garrett, who is dealing with a foot injury, will also get an MRI.

Garrett said that while he is dealing with the foot injury, it's more than just his foot. However, he does not use the injury as an excuse and plans to continue to do his recovery and treatment so that he can go out and play with his teammates.

"It's multiple things going on," Garrett said. "So, I mean, I if think the foot's feeling good or feeling better, it's one thing or another. So, it's kind of just feeding into each other right now and nothing's sitting right because nothing has time to heal because I'm leaning on something else and I'm compensating here to make some hurt there. It's just been — like I said, a cycle."

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