The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Brown’s take strides, but not enough

    Browns take strides, but not enough

    Fresh off their first win of the season against the New York Jets in week 2, the Cleveland Browns hosted the Los Angeles Rams (Superbowl runner-ups) in a primetime Sunday night game in Cleveland this past weekend.

    It was a highly anticipated matchup due to the magnitude of the two teams, the Rams being an established contender already 2-0 this season, and the Browns being an up-and-coming contender fresh off a confidence-boosting win.

    The game certainly did not disappoint.

    The crowd was a rowdy one, coming into the stadium hyped up by quarterback Baker Mayfield on Twitter hours before the game: “I WANT FIRST ENERGY STADIUM ROCKING TONIGHT. SPREAD THE WORD. CLEVELAND, MAKE THEM FEEL OUR PASSION.”

    It was a first half dominated by the defenses, as the teams ended the 2nd quarter with only 9 total points and the Browns were leading. Both teams scored their first touchdown of the game in the 3rd quarter and were able to get the offense going.

    The 4th quarter proved to be decisive as the Rams added another touchdown and a field goal to their total while shutting out the Mayfield-led Browns offense. It came down to a 4th and goal opportunity for the home team with a chance to send the game to overtime; however, they were not able to convert, effectively icing the game for Los Angeles.

    Many Browns players came out to play in this one, highlighted by sophomore running back Nick Chubb, who ran for nearly 100 yards and also added 4 receptions. Best friends and star receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. combined for almost 10 receptions and over 100 yards.

    Lakewood senior Max Budzar added his thoughts on the loss: “The defense played great. We just need to get the passing game going.”

    Mayfield struggled in the loss, completing just 50% of his passes for not even 200 yards in the air, and also adding an interception to his only touchdown. However, much of his troubles can be attributed to his feckless offensive line who gave him minimal time to find the open man. This is certainly an issue the Browns will have to tackle in coming weeks.

    Despite the quarterback struggles, it was definitely a promising game from the Browns to stay competitive with the league’s best through 4 quarters.

    Cleveland will look to continue this progress against division rival Baltimore Ravens this upcoming weekend.

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