The Cleveland Browns fell, 23-10, to the Green Bay Packers in their preseason opener Saturday.
The Browns did not play several starters, including QB Deshaun Watson. QB Jameis Winston got the start and both Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson played for a majority of the game.
Key Moments
The Browns won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving Browns fans a chance to see Cleveland execute the new dynamic kick off for the first time – which resulted in a touchback.
The Packers wasted no time finding the end zone, with QB Jordan Love finding WR Dontayvion Wicks for a 65-yard touchdown on the third play of the game.
K Cade York put the Browns on the board with a 55-yard field goal after a 27-yard drive led by QB Jameis Winston. Winston found WR Michael Woods in the middle of the field for an 18-yard gain to set the Browns up in field goal range.
QB Tyler Huntley took over for Winston after the first drive. On fourth-and-4, Huntley made a nice throw on the run to an open WR David Bell, but the play was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty called against WR Cedric Tillman, forcing the Browns to punt.
The Browns turned the ball over on downs the following drive, and Green Bay marched 77 yards down the field before finding the end zone. Packers RB Emmanuel Wilson had 36 rushing yards on the drive as Cleveland struggled to contain the Packers' rushing attack.
The Packers capped off the first half with a 58-second drive resulting in a field goal to bring their lead to 17-3 at the half.
RB John Kelly and the Browns started the second half with a nice gain for 7 yards before Kelly fumbled to set the Packers up with a field goal.
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson led the Browns to the Green Bay 11-yard line before the offense turned the ball over on downs. On the following drive, Thompson-Robinson used his feet to pick up a first down on fourth-and-1 and connected with RB Aidan Robbins, WR Matt Landers, WR James Proche III and WR Ahmarean Brown en route to the Browns' only touchdown of the day – a 1-yard touchdown run by Robbins.
Stat of the Game: 155 rushing yards - The Browns defense struggled to stop the run, as three different Packers rushed for at least 10 yards. Running back Emmanuel Wilson led the Pack with 13 carries for 67 yards and rookie RB Jarveon Howard averaged 5.5 yards per carry, finishing with 44 yards on eight attempts.
Players of the Game:
Jamari Thrash: The Browns' fifth-round pick had a strong showing in his first NFL action, finishing with three receptions for 43 yards. Thrash's longest play of the game was on a deep ball from QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson for a gain of 22 yards.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson: Thompson-Robinson played the entire second half, leading the Browns into the red zone twice. Thompson-Robinson went 14-18 with 134 passing yards. The second-year quarterback used his feet when necessary to avoid pressure, taking one sack at the line of scrimmage. Thompson-Robinson finished with a 97.7 passer rating.
Aidan Robbins: Robbins finished with just 6 rushing yards and an 8-yard reception but was the Browns' lone touchdown scorer - finding the end zone on a 1-yard carry in the fourth quarter. He also got snaps on the Browns kickoff coverage team.
What's next?
The Browns will continue their training camp schedule, including two joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings, before they host the Vikings next Saturday at 4:25 p.m. at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
