CLEVELAND — When wide receiver Jarvis Landry arrived at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland Sunday, he did so wanting to play well against and lead the Cleveland Browns to a victory over his former team, the Miami Dolphins, and that is exactly what he did.
Targeted with 13 throws from quarterback Baker Mayfield, Landry caught a game-high 10 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 14.8 yards per reception in helping the Browns to a 41-24 victory over the Dolphins.
“No, it didn’t mean extra, but it was fun,” Landry said. “Definitely was fun.
“It feels great to get a win and to finish the game on a positive after everything that has been going on.”
It is fair to say that at the time of his trade to the Browns from Miami in the 2018 offseason, Landry had a little extra motivation to prove wrong the doubters because he felt disrespected by the very organization who selected him early in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Well, Landry exacted a measure of revenge against his former team on the first drive of the game.
After catching an 18-yard pass for a first down and drawing a pass interference penalty earlier in the drive, Landry was on the receiving of a throw from quarterback Baker Mayfield near the goal line. Not to be denied of the seven-yard touchdown against the Dolphins, Landry muscled his way through a tackle attempt and extended the ball across the goal line for the score.
The extra point gave the Browns a 7-0 lead over the Dolphins with 9:59 to play in the first quarter.
The Browns covered 75 yards in eight plays and took five minutes off the first-quarter clock on the scoring drive.
“He came over, we sat by the fire and we were just talking, saying how we were going to give everything that we have to each other, knowing that these moments are so special,” said Odell Beckham Jr., Landry’s long-time friend. “(It) was one of those days where I could just look at him and know that we were going to give everything we had. To be able to come out with a win is a great feeling.”
But Landry was far from done after that first touchdown catch.
Landry’s second touchdown of the game, a five-yard score, and the ensuing successful extra point try from kicker Austin Seibert, gave the Browns a 21-0 lead over the Dolphins with 10:31 remaining in the second quarter.
“He did a good job suppressing the emotion, keeping it to himself and making it all about the team, but deep down inside, we know how much it meant to him,” Mayfield said.
Browns coach Freddie Kitchens added, “Jarvis does a good job of keeping composure, maintaining composure and not getting too high nor too low, which serves him well during the course of a 16-game season.”
Not far off of his prediction of Landry’s memorable day against the Dolphins, Beckham Jr. was happy to see his close friend get the chance to shine, especially just four days before his 27th birthday.
“I told you what was going to happen today,” Beckham Jr. said. “I just know him. It’s not just this game. It can be every game. I was just happy to see it. I get fired up when I see him make plays. I get fired up when I see him fired up. It was a special day and a good birthday gift.”