The Cleveland Browns played the New York Jets to begin the preseason with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. It’s undoubtedly an exciting time for sports fans as football is officially back.
With the Browns winning by a score of 21-16 take into account that the final score doesn’t really matter much in the preseason. What does matter is that no crucial players get injured and that wasn’t a worry because the stars sat out this one on both sides.
After all, QB Aaron Rodgers was technically making his debut in a New York Jets uniform. Although the future Hall of Famer himself didn’t play, that was likely great for Jets fans to see.
The game’s potential points actually started with a Browns Cade York missed 49-yard field goal. The team may look for someone else to kick the ball before the season officially starts and that miss is just a reinforcement of the necessity.
After the miss, the Jets tacked on two field goals themselves to make the score 6-0 after the first quarter.
The second quarter had the season’s first touchdown with a 10-yard rush to the left by running back Israel Abanikanda. That made it 13-0 Jets. The Browns would score their first touchdown of the season on a drive by quarterback Kellen Mond. It was a three-yard pass to running back John Kelly Jr. to the left. Lastly, a 53-yard kick by Greg Zuerlein of the Jets made the score 16-7 at the break.
The second half featured Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson known as DTR for short. Selected in the 5th-round (140th) out of UCLA, DTR led the team for a touchdown score on a 16-yard rush by Demetric Felton Jr. This made the score 16-14 with the Jets still on top.
In the fourth quarter, DTR had a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Austin Watkins Jr. and that would be all the scoring for the evening. The final score was 21-16 Browns.
An interesting nuance of the game was that several banks of lights went dark during the second half, causing a pause in the action. There was a question if the game would even be completed, but the issue was able to be resolved.
The Browns really dominated every statistical category of the game. Again, not too much can be taken into preseason games because the stars didn’t shine and such.
It doesn’t hurt to win a game though, right?
Frankly, it was just great to have football back finally after waiting all of these summer months for our beloved sport to return. Yes, the Guardians are in the hunt in the AL Central Standings for a chance to somehow make the playoffs in the realm of baseball. However, it’s just not the same as football and everyone knows that fact!
This season is going to be filled with plenty of ups and downs throughout the year and this is only the beginning. The Browns’ next game is against the Washington Commanders at Cleveland Browns Stadium – 7:30 p.m. Friday, the 11th. This followed by a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road and lastly in the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs, a road game as well.
A 21-16 victory to start the season with a win over the New York Jets!
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