A tie has probably never looked so good to the Cleveland Browns.
A sister-kisser was what the Browns were headed for in overtime against the Jets on Sunday. All they needed to do was prevent the Jets from converting a huge play and then watch Nick Folk miss another field goal (which he was certain to do after missing three during the game) to secure a 20-20 finish in Cleveland.
But on a 1st-and-10 from Cleveland’s 37-yard line with just 24 seconds left in OT, Mark Sanchez drilled a quick-slant to Santonio Holmes, who made a nice move on a defender and raced 37 yards for a touchdown to give New York a 26-20 victory. Even if Holmes catches the ball and is tackled, Folk was looking at a long field goal and with everything being out of his range on Sunday, he probably would have missed. Instead, the Jets get a rare overtime touchdown to win the game and now Folk can sleep a little easier tonight.
Of course, had Chansi Stuckey not fumbled earlier in the extra frame, then the Browns probably would have went on to win the game.
On a 2nd-and-6 from Cleveland’s 40-yard line, Stuckey caught a pass from Colt McCoy that would have given the Browns a first down and put them in field goal range. But as Stuckey tried to pick up more yards, he was stripped on the play and the Jets recovered.
It’s hard to blame Stuckey’s effort, but his fumble wound up being a devastating mistake – one that prevented the Browns from attempting a field goal to win the game.
Granted, one play doesn’t determine the outcome of any sporting event. The Browns had other chances to win or at the very least, tie the game, and they blew those too. That said, something that isn’t lost here is the way McCoy engineered a 10-play, 59-yard drive that tied the game late in the fourth quarter after the Browns had been down 20-13 for most of the second half.
McCoy was 6-for-9 on the drive, which included a 3-yard touchdown to Mohammad Massaquoi and a great 18-yard pass to tight end Evan Moore that set up the game-tying score. What was most impressive about the pass to Moore was that Jets’ cornerback Darrelle Revis was blanketing him on the play. There the two players were on Revis Island and it was Moore who had his feet up on a lounge chair while soaking in the sun and sipping a pina colada.
Win, lose or draw, the Browns have to be thrilled with the play of McCoy so far. He’s poised, accurate and dare I say, fearless. Call it youthful ignorance, but he had no problem testing guys like Revis and Antonio Cromartie as he and the Browns scored 20 points on one of the best defenses in the league. Not bad for a third round pick whom everyone said had a noodle for an arm and would be limited at the next level.
