CLEVELAND — Jacoby Brissett gave Cleveland fans a whale of a farewell gift as he helped engineer a thrilling 23-17 comeback overtime win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
No, he's not going anywhere as he's still going to remain on Cleveland's roster. However, the game and his performance was that of a final farewell.
Brissett, who has been keeping the seat warm at the quarterback position, will hands the reigns over to Deshaun Watson as he makes his long-anticipated return next Sunday after serving a ban by the NFL over sexual misconduct allegations.
Cleveland (4-7) got on the board first, driving 78-yards in seven plays and finding the end zone when Anthony Schwartz scored from 31-yards out to give the Browns a 7-0 lead at the 10:45 mark of the first quarter.
Tampa Bay (5-6) would answer on their ensuing possession as their ground attack of running backs of Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Rachaad White would account for 56 of the 75 yards on the drive and Tom Brady would finish off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin to tie up the game.
The Browns answered on the following possession as Cade York booted 51-yard field goal to put Cleveland back out in front 10-7 with 2:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Tampa Bay took a 17-10 lead in the third quarter when Brady connected with rookie Ko Kieft on a 5-yard scoring pass. Brady finished the game 29 of 43 passing for 246 yards and was sacked three times.
The Browns would rally to forced OT when tight end David Njoku made a remarkable, one-handed touchdown catch with just 32 seconds left in regulation. Njoku managed to stretch out his left arm to haul in Brissett's 12-yard scoring toss in the back of the end zone.
Brady and the Buccaneers offense couldn't get anything going in overtime, as Myles Garrett recorded 1 1/2 sacks to lead a Cleveland defense that held the Tampa Bay offense scoreless in their final seven possessions.
In the waning moments of overtime, the Browns would get the ball back at their own 29 to set the stage for Brissett to engineer an exciting finish.
Facing a third-and-four with 0:56 remaining in the game, Brissett would connect with Amari Cooper, after Bucs cornerback Carlton Davis III slipped and fell, for a 45-yard gain to put the ball on the Tampa Bay 3.
Two plays later, Nick Chubb powered through a pile of bodies into the end zone for the 3-yard score to give the Browns the 23-17 win.
Brissett went 23 of 37 for 210 yards along with his fourth quarter touchdown pass and an interception. Chubb finished the game with 116 yards on 26 carries.
Cleveland will now hit the road to face the Houston Texans next Sunday.
Tampa Bay 7 3 7 0 0 = 17
Cleveland 10 0 0 7 6 = 23
First Quarter CLE—Anthony Schwartz 31 run (Cade York kick), 10:45 TB—Chris Godwin 10 pass from Tom Brady (Ryan Succop kick), 5:11 CLE—Cade York 51 field goal, 2:22. Second Quarter TB—Ryan Succop field goal, 0:39. Third Quarter TB—Ko Kieft 5 pass from Tom Brady (Ryan Succop kick), 7:41. Fourth Quarter CLE—David Njoku 12 pass from Jacoby Brissett (Cade York kick) Overtime
CLE—Nick Chubb 3 run, 0:19.
Comments