5 Cleveland Browns whose stock jumped in Week 10 against the Texans
For the second straight game, weather was a major factor for the Cleveland Browns, who hosted the Houston Texans at FirstEnergy Stadium in Week 10.
The Browns lived up to their prediction as slight favorites by staving off the Texans with some Jim Brown-ish type running from Nick Chubb in the fourth quarter.
The elements also forced Baker Mayfield into game-manager for the second consecutive week, as “Baker Theory” (Baker better without OBJ) has yet to be tested in reasonable weather conditions. Even so, Mayfield got the victory, which means he passed Ben Roethlisberger for the most wins as a starting QB at FirstEnergy Stadium. Thankfully, that stat’s been put to rest and we no longer need to hear about it every time Big Ben comes to town.
The Browns moved to 6-3 with the win and the 1-8 Jaguars are waiting on deck. There was some good, and was some bad, but most importantly, the Browns got the win. Here’s five Browns whose stock went up in the process.
1. Nick Chubb
The Browns are a different team when Nick Chubb is on the field. He’s in rarified air when it comes to NFL running backs, in that he can hit a home run at any point of the game. That was exactly the case when Chubb ripped off a 59-yard run with 56 seconds remaining on the clock. He selflessly ran out-of-bounds at the 1-yard-line so Cleveland could take a knee and end the contest.
Before the big run, the Texans had held Chubb to 33 yards on 13 carries. He finished with 126 yards on 19 rushes. I think the Browns were easing him back into action from the MCL injury he suffered against Dallas.
Really, the tandem of Chubb and Kareem Hunt is the straw that stirs Cleveland’s drink. Hunt had 104 yards on 19 carries. With both backs running well, Cleveland could escape a game in which the winds were topping out 60 miles per hour when neither quarterback was having a great deal of success through the air.
Chubb will be eligible for a contract extension this March and the Browns, who’ve been unable to change the culture of the franchise for the better part of 20 years, must lock this leader-by-example up for the foreseeable future.
2. Wyatt Teller
The Cleveland Browns welcomed back the NFL’s top rated guard, as Wyatt Teller was activated following a three-week absence following a calf injury.
The Browns’ line was fine with Teller, but with him, the group plays at a different level. Don’t forget the week before the Bye, when Cleveland’s front five got “out-physicaled” by the Raiders. That wasn’t the case against the Texans.
When Teller plays, you can always count on seeing a highlight of him as the pulling right guard mauling an opposing linebacker.
The Browns knew on Thursday that this game was going to be impacted by the weather, and coach Kevin Stefanski said his staff planned accordingly by rushing on 64 percent of their total offensive plays. That mark is the second-highest rate by a squad this season.
3. Larry Ogunjobi
Larry Ogunjobi picked up a sack on on Deshaun Watson with just six minutes to play in the second quarter. Ogunjobi displayed real hustle on the play, getting up after initially missing Watson to finish off the play. It was the first quarterback takedown of the 2020 campaign for the UNC Charlotte Product.
The Cleveland defense also limited the Texans to 90 yards rushing, as lead back Duke Johnson had 54 yards on 14 carries. Watson added 36 yards on eight carries.
It was good to see someone other besides Myles Garrett sack the opposing quarterback, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come from Ogunjobi. He may have been banged up a little in the first half of the season, but the Browns really need an awakening from him to help out the defense.
Ogunjobi flashed an ability to generate pressure from the inside as a rookie, but dramatically fell off in 2019, in addition to the first half of this season.
4. Myles Garrett
When talking Myles Garrett’s stock, you should be talking about his place as THE elite pass rusher in the league.
Garrett WAS the Browns’ defense in the first half of the game. On one drive alone, he had a sack of Watson (his 10th), and also thwarted a TD by taking down Watson for a -2-yard loss on fourth down near the goal line. This was a game where not a lot happened. A score there might’ve changed the complexion of the game.
Impressively, Garrett had his sack blowing by Texans’ left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who is regarded as one of the better players in the league at the position.
Garrett had six total tackles on the day, as he’s now four sacks away from the Browns’ single-season record.
5. Ronnie Harrison
One word to describe Ronnie Harrison: Keeper. The Browns really got a good one in their preseason trade with the Jaguars.
It sounds simple, but Harrison excels in tackling. Remember, the Browns were dreadful in this department a season ago (and still have their issues this year). Ball carries bounced off orange helmets like a pinball bounces off bumpers.
Notably, there was a play about halfway through the third quarter where Harrison stopped Brandin Cooks on a short pass. It looked like Cooks would shed the tackle and pick up a first down, easily. Not with Harrison on duty.
Watson rushed for a first down on the next play, but the tackle, at the least, put the Browns in a position to get off the field.
Harrison also had the initial hit on Randall Cobb. You’ll remember this play for how it finished, with Mack Wilson power bombing Cobb to the ground.
Harrison started the game at strong safety, marking the third straight contest in which he’s been No. 1 on the depth chart.