However, the new offense is not the only reason Ertz will be more productive this year.
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“I wanted to stay aggressive with Carson and the guys and I just dialed it up the next play,” Pederson said. Wentz put the ball into tight windows, especially on his 39-yard strike to receiver Nelson Agholor, who had his man beat, but still needed a ideal pass to score.
“We have stuff to work on”.
Griffin completed 12 of 26 attempts for 190 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception – off a deflected ball – for a 55.0 rating. RGIII looked like a quarterback who hasn’t played in a year, Crowell didn’t find much running room until the end of the game and the offensive line proved that fans should worry more than they already do.
The Browns finally got going in the second quarter.
But Wentz insisted he wasn’t nervous – “I really don’t get nervous”, he said – and his play certainly indicated that. He said he had a sprained left shoulder and a Browns spokesman said he will undergo more tests today.
Robert Griffin III is the 25th quarterback to start an opener in that time. Graham gave his thoughts on the Browns’ protection early on.
Well, that offense has been missing now for weeks. Wentz was 4-for-5 in the drive for 57 yards, and his one incompletion was dropped by Josh Huff.Trailing 10-0, the Browns got back into the game thanks to one big play and one big penalty. He also had several of his passes dropped, including two by Gary Barnidge and one by Corey Coleman.
Wentz passed for 278 yards while throwing two touchdowns.
For one week, at least, the supposed strength of the team looked like anything but.
In the second quarter of the Browns and Eagles game, Pryor made a catch that cemented his transition to a new position.
“Whenever you let up 10 points, that is good”, veteran defensive lineman Connor Barwin said.
The big storyline heading into the game was Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta telling radio partner WKNR-AM 850 that the Browns didn’t think Wentz would become a top-20 quarterback in the NFL.
Haden had poor technique when Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor beat him and caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Carson Wentz to put the Browns in a 22-10 hole with 6:17 left in the third quarter.
LOOKING BACK: Pederson has history with the Browns. The defense forced the Eagles into fourth-and-four situation on the Browns 40-yard line, but allowed the Eagles to convert the first down.
Carson Wentz needed to come out and have himself a game in his National Football League debut.
One play after converting a fourth-and-4 from the Browns 40, Wentz tossed a ideal 35-yard TD pass down the right side to Nelson Agholor for a 22-10 lead in the third quarter. The Browns just did nothing to get them uncomfortable.
Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins was held in check, and the front seven did a solid job keeping elusive Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor from making big yards on scrambles. Griffin took a hard hit to the chest in the fourth quarter and doubled over in pain. The Eagles took a 13-7 lead into halftime.
Even though the Eagles played an overall great game, there was still some flaws the team showed. While it’s nice to mix things up a bit, that early in a close game is maybe not the right time. You wonder if the Browns and their fans now regret that decision.
“We’ve heard the (negative) talk about our receivers, but just because we hear it doesn’t mean we listen to it”, Matthews said.
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We can only hope that in their home opener against the Baltimore Ravens that they will have taken a step in the right direction.
