Though the Browns got a big conference win to move to 8-5 on the season, one of their best players was unhappy with the officiating after Sunday’s 31-27 victory.
Unhappy might even be an understatement for defensive end Myles Garrett’s feelings about the officials given his comments in his postgame press conference.
Garrett was asked about Cleveland’s defense recording four sacks during the win and began his response by saying, “That could’ve been more.” He briefly paused before going in on the officials.
“The officiating was a travesty today. It was honestly awful,” Garrett said in his press conference. “And the fact that they’re letting them get away with hands to the face, holding, false starting — I know they called a couple, but damn, they could have called it all game. And [there was] the one that cost us down on the 2-yard line.
“I mean, respect to those guys, it’s a hard job, but hell, we have a hard job as well. You can’t make it harder by throwing holding and hands to the face out the rulebook. And like I said, I got a lot of respect for those guys, but we get scrutinized for the plays that we don’t make. So someone has to hold them accountable for the plays or the calls they don’t make. And they need to be under the same kind of microscope as we are every single play.”
Garrett said his frustration wasn’t just about Sunday’s game but it’s been built up.
“I don’t want to say [something] like what [T.J.] Watt said, ‘The officials got something against me?’ But, shoot, close enough,” Garrett said. “This ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ crap has got to stop. This, ‘Y’all are as dominant as we’ve seen, and we are going to let him get away with pretty much anything’ — it’s ridiculous.
“You can’t just let a guy put his fingers in your face mask and push your head up or grab you around the back of your collar, or when he’s out of position, so he’s going to snatch you from the front — all that stuff we see, but we try to promote the offensive game. It’s got to be called fair both ways. I don’t care about any of that — offense, defense has to be held to the same standard in more ways than one.”
So why make those comments after Sunday’s win?
“If you watch the game and you see what was happening over there on the right end — you’d understand if you saw my shoulder looks right now all red and beat up and looking like I got scratched by a couple of wild feral cats or something, you’d understand,” Garrett said.
Garrett finished Sunday’s game with one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits. Though he also sacked Lawrence on a two-point conversion attempt, that one doesn’t count for his official 2023 stats.
In his seventh season, Garrett has 13.0 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 26 QB hits so far in 2023. But his wallet is likely to be a little bit lighter after those comments about the officiating.
The Ravens beat the Rams in overtime on Sunday but one of their best defensive players wasn’t able to finish the game.
Safety Kyle Hamilton exited with a knee injury and will have an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Head coach John Harbaugh had said postgame that Hamilton and receiver Devin Duvernay (back) were both being evaluated.
A second-year safety, Hamilton has been one of Baltimore’s best defensive players. Hamilton exited Sunday’s game after making seven total tackles with one for loss. He has two interceptions, nine passes defensed, a forced fumble, and 3.0 sacks this season.
It took a long, long time but the Browns eventually defeated the Jaguars 31-27.
In a marathon game that took three hours and 43 minutes of real time, Cleveland outlasted Jacksonville’s comeback effort to move to 8-5 on the season and solidify itself as a Wild Card contender in a crowded AFC race.
Starting his second game for the Browns, Joe Flacco threw three touchdowns, finding David Njoku for two scores and second-year receiver David Bell for one.
Bell’s first touchdown of his career put Cleveland firmly in control early in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-3, Flacco rolled to his right and found an open Bell past the sticks. But the closest defender had fallen down, giving Bell a clear path to the end zone to give Cleveland a 14-point advantage.
Jacksonville responded with a quick, nine-play, 75-yard drive that took 3:42 off the clock. Lawrence hit Parker Washington with a 19-yard pass to make the score 28-21.
While the Jaguars forced a punt on their next possession, they couldn’t do anything on offense with the opportunity. Trevor Lawrence’s pass to Zay Jones on fourth-and-3 from Jacksonville’s 38 was incomplete.
Kicker Dustin Hopkins hit a 55-yard field goal with 3:10 left to effectively put the game out of reach.
But Jacksonville made it interesting, as Evan Engram scored a 2-yard touchdown with just 1:33 left to tighten the score. But the two-point conversion failed when Myles Garrett sacked Lawrence — though that won’t count as an official sack in his 2023 stats.
The Browns recovered the onside kick and kneeled out the clock.
Flacco finished the game 26-of-45 for 311 yards with three touchdowns, one interception, and a lost fumble. David Njoku caught six passes for 91 yards and Amari Cooper had seven receptions for 77 yards.
On the other side, Lawrence finished 28-of-50 for 257 yards with three touchdowns and three picks after suffering a high ankle sprain on Monday night. He also rushed three times for 11 yards.
The Jaguars had four total turnovers, also fumbling their first possession of the second half.
Cleveland lost both of their safeties during the day, as Juan Thornhill was a late scratch with a calf injury. Then Grant Delpit went down with a groin injury during the game. Browns center Ethan Pocic also went down during the contest with a stinger and did not return.
Now at 8-5, the Browns are the AFC’s current No. 5 seed. They’ll stay at home to face the Bears in Week 15.
Also at 8-5, Jacksonville has lost two games in a row and may be out of contention for the AFC’s top seed. The Jaguars have another tough game ahead, as they’ll take on the Ravens at home next Sunday night.
The Browns have expanded their lead over the Jaguars early in the second half.
Kareem Hunt powered his way into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown, giving Cleveland a 21-7 advantage.
Cleveland’s defense picked up its third takeaway of the day on the opening drive of the second half, with receiver Parker Washington fumbling a short catch on third-and-21 deep in Jacksonville territory.
That left the Browns with a short field, and the team took advantage of the opportunity. Quarterback Joe Flacco used a QB sneak to convert fourth-and-1 at Jacksonville’s 13. Then a few plays later on third-and-3, Hunt took a direct snap from a Wildcat formation and muscled into the end zone for a 4-yard score.
It was Hunt’s sixth rushing touchdown of the season, and his first since the win over Baltimore on Nov. 12.
The Browns are leaning on quarterback Joe Flacco and so far it’s paying off, as Cleveland has a 14-7 lead over Jacksonville at halftime.
Flacco is 17-of-28 passing for 212 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Both touchdown passes went to tight end David Njoku. The first was a 34-yard pass to cap the club’s opening drive. Njoku then had a 30-yard catch-and-run score early on in the second quarter to give the Browns a 14-0 lead.
But the Browns have had trouble sustaining drives, going just 1-of-8 on third down. Nevertheless, the club has 266 total yards.
On the other side, quarterback Trevor Lawrence is 11-of-22 for 100 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He doesn’t seem to be showing too many ill effects of suffering a high-ankle sprain during Monday night’s loss to Cincinnati. But he hasn’t been particularly effective against Cleveland’s vaunted defense.
Jacksonville’s touchdown came when Browns receiver Amari Cooper made a rare mistake, fumbling after making a catch for a first down deep in Cleveland territory. It didn’t take long for the Jaguars to cash in on the opportunity, as quarterback Trevor Lawrence hit tight end Evan Engram for a 10-yard touchdown to make the score 14-7, Cleveland. The drive was just two plays and 12 yards.
With Jacksonville’s offensive line already beat up, Ezra Cleveland is questionable to return with a knee injury. He was playing left tackle. Blake Hance came in to replace him and is the fourth left tackle Jacksonville has played this season.
Browns defensive tackle Jordan Elliott has been ruled out with a concussion.
Engram has five catches for 55 yards with his touchdown. He’s now set a new single-season franchise record for receptions by a tight end. He set the mark last season at 73. He now has 78 this year.
The Jaguars will receive the second-half kickoff.
