Browns 18, Jaguars 13: Cleveland survives crazy finish, improves to 1-1

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Joel Bitonio is in his 11th season with the Browns. He knows exactly how the fans feel even during wins."It's never easy," the Pro Bowl left guard said Sunday after an 18-13 win over the Jaguars.This wasn't-easy victory was critical, getting the Browns to 1-1. It was more stressful than most.The offense went stagnant after a strong start and 13-3 halftime lead.Jack Conklin inactive again; James Hudson III to start at left tackleThe Browns were penalized three times in four plays starting with 2:30 left to take them out of easy field goal range and force a punt while clinging to a 16-13 lead. They followed 11 penalties in the opener with 13 for 100 yards Sunday."I'm sure it was no fun for our fans to watch. It wasn't fun from my vantage point either, going backwards like that," coach Kevin Stefanski said. "That was insane."After Corey Bojorquez's punt spun like a crisp sand wedge and bounced sideways out of bounds at the 2-yard line, Alex Wright got a sack of Trevor Lawrence for a safety and a five-point lead with 1:44 left. When James Proche II caught a high onside kick, the worrying seemed to be over.It wasn't.Mailbag: Can Ken Dorsey transform offense if he doesn't have complete control?A third-down incompletion by Deshaun Watson, who was told to take a sack if the play broke down, saved the Jaguars 40 seconds, giving them 87 for their final drive. When Lawrence completed a 28-yard pass to rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and spiked the ball, the Jaguars had eight seconds and the ball at Cleveland's 33-yard line.Lawrence's final pass reached the end zone but fell to the ground as cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. and safety Ronnie Hickman converged. The Jaguars are 0-2."That was one I won't forget," Stefanski said.#Browns Kevin Stefanski said strange end of game is something he won't forget. pic.twitter.com/AMUjlhd8gL— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 15, 2024https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"That's the NFL," Wright said. "People get their money's worth. The anxiousness, the adrenaline, that's just football at its peak."The Browns were desperate for a win after a 33-17 home loss to the Cowboys in the opener last week. Watson needed a personal bounce-back after one of the worst games of his career that drew national criticism.He was 7-for-8 passing for 83 yards on the 16-play opening drive that covered 89 yards and took 9:14. He made quick decisions and got the ball out of his hand, then scored from a yard on a draw.The quick start came six days after a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and battery was filed in Texas. The league is investigating, with a suspension possible at some point.Watson finished the half 11-for-15 for 108 yards and a 93.2 passer rating. For the game, he was 22-for-34 for 186 yards and a 78.8 rating. He rushed five times for 20 yards.#Browns Deshaun Watson on blocking out the noise. pic.twitter.com/C5JwY2YJQ6— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 15, 2024https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"I just keep the main thing the main thing," said Watson, who turned 29 on Saturday. "I know who I am, but I have a job to do, and that's to play quarterback for the Cleveland Browns and be the best I can be when I step on the field."Just from getting on the bus, driving over to the stadium, getting dressed, everything was just a beautiful blessing and great opportunity for me to just come in and just be me. Have fun, enjoy these moments. Never let anyone steal your joy."He lit up when asked about improving to 7-0 as a starter against the Jaguars."It's amazing," he said. "I was thinking that all week, actually. But I didn't want to jinx myself so I didn't tell anybody. So going into this week I felt really, really confident."Stefanski liked much of Watson's performance, especially the determination."He's not perfect. Got mad at him at the end there, but didn't stay mad at him," Stefanski said, referring to the ill-advised incompletion. "He made some plays and that's who he is. I thought his pocket movement, making plays off-schedule was incredible. A couple of those throws down the field were really, really impressive and the kid never blinked."I'm very, very proud of him."#Browns Kevin Stefanski says Deshaun Watson didn't blink. pic.twitter.com/r4W3NNdvv8— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 15, 2024https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe Browns didn't punt in the first half, scoring on all three drives and holding the ball for 20:06. They punted on five of six possessions in the second half, with the exception a 44-yard Dustin Hopkins field goal after the drive started on the Jacksonville 49-yard line. Hopkins made a 53-yarder in the second quarter for a 10-0 lead.The Browns went 2-for-14 on third down after 2-for-15 in the opener, allowing the Jaguars to stay within striking distance. Cleveland did go 3-for-3 on fourth down, with backup quarterback Jameis Winston sneaking twice and giving to Jerome Ford on the other for a 36-yard run to set up a 38-yard Hopkins field goal with 27 seconds left in the first half.The coaches emptied the bench on the first drive, using rookie Zak Zinter and Nick Harris as extra linemen, five receivers, two tight ends and three running backs. D'Onta Foreman, who didn't get a carry against the Cowboys, started at running back in place of Ford and rushed five times for 17 yards on the drive. He recovered his fumble at the 1-yard line before Watson's touchdown.Foreman rushed 14 times for 42 yards and had a catch for 9 yards."It felt good," he said. "I just wanted to go out there and show what I could do and get my teammates behind me and my coaches behind me to let them know that I can help this team."The Browns were on their way to icing the victory before the penalties moved them out of field goal range. Foreman started the backward march when a powerful 15-yard run to the 9 was called back because he grabbed and held onto the face mask of a defender on a stiff arm."I just wish I could've tried to keep my hand more open," he said. "I wasn't trying to grab it, but I knew guys were trying to come and I knew it was a situation where we really needed to protect the ball. I just clenched up trying to make sure I was protecting the ball and I stayed on the face mask a little too long and it's something I can learn from."Center Ethan Pocic and right guard Wyatt Teller followed with holds, and Stefanski chose to punt from the 41-yard line rather than try a 59-yard field goal.Bojorquez and Wright made it a wise decision."Backed up equals points," said defensive end Myles Garrett, who had a strip-sack for the second straight week. "That's our motto.""Corey's is one of the best punters I've seen, top to bottom," Wright said. "One thing we can count on is 13.Wright said the safety was the first game-winning sack of his life."It was a crazy, crazy feeling like I never had before," he said. "I put that sack on top of any other sack I ever had just because of the situation and the feeling and especially being on the road, just to get our first win of the season."The win wasn't secured, but the two points took a field goal and overtime off the table. The defense let the ball get to the end zone on the last snap but made the final play to cap an impressive day.Lawrence was held to 14-for-30 passing for 220 yards and a 71.5 rating. The Jaguars totaled 323 yards, with much of it coming late.They had the chance to take their first lead midway through the fourth quarter, reaching the 2-yard line. But the Browns held, forced a 25-yard field goal and kept a lead at 16-13.The defense held the Jaguars to one touchdown in four trips inside the red zone. It did so with Garrett nursing a sore foot and No. 1 cornerback Denzel Ward limited to mostly third downs due to a shoulder injury."You never want to start 0-2. You never want to start with one loss," said linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who led the team with seven tackles, including two for loss. "But it's about responding, showing ourselves and showing this organization that we are willing to fight and we are willing to allow this to be a good season."The fans breathed a sigh of relief, but not Garrett."Got to go 1-0 next week," he said. "There's no time to relax or feel like you got the monkey off your back. We got a lot to work on and we got a lot more to achieve."#Browns Myles Garrett says there's no time to relax, no sense of relief after avoiding 0-2 start. Have to go 1-0 next week. pic.twitter.com/3XrO5YdMKr— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 15, 2024https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The post Browns 18, Jaguars 13: Cleveland survives crazy finish, improves to 1-1 first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.