CLEVELAND — 4:10 p.m./ET-Browns earn hard-fought win over Dolphins
For the 100th time since their return to the National Football League in 1999 and the third straight week, the Cleveland Browns earned a victory when they hosted the Miami Dolphins in front of the home fans at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland Sunday.
After jumping out to a 28-point lead, the Browns (5-6) fought their way to a 41-24 victory over the Dolphins (2-9), and with the win, stayed in contention for a postseason berth in the AFC with only five games remaining in the 2019 regular season.
The Browns played one of their more complete offensive game of the season, as evidenced by the fact that they had a 300-yard passer, one 100-yard receiver and a 100-yard running back in the win over the Dolphins.
Mayfield completed 24 of his 34 attempts for 327 yards and three touchdowns against one interception, while running back Nick Chubb accounted for 106 yards and one score on 21 carries, as well as 58 yards on three receptions.
Facing his former team for the first time since a trade to the Browns in the 2018 offseason, wide receiver Jarvis Landry turned his 10 catches into 148 yards and two touchdowns, and his long-time friend, Odell Beckham Jr., added 84 yards and one score on six receptions.
Running back Kareem Hunt combined for 46 scrimmage yards on 10 total touches and scored late in the first half.
3:59 p.m./ET-Nick Chubb powers way to touchdown
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb put in a very workmanlike effort against the Miami Dolphins, just as he does every time he steps onto a football field, and he was rewarded late in regulation at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland Sunday.
After watching wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry and running back Kareem Hunt each find the end zone in the first two quarters, Chubb got in on the scoring when he powered his way to a five-yard touchdown run late in the fourth period.
Chubb’s team-leading seventh rushing touchdown of the season gave the Browns a 41-17 lead over the Dolphins with 3:26 to play in the fourth quarter.
3:47 p.m./ET-Seibert converts field goal attempt
Cleveland Browns rookie kicker Austin Seibert is back on the right side of a streak, as he has connected on two consecutive field goals after missing his third straight attempt early in the second half against the Miami Dolphins at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Seibert’s 26-yard field goal gave the Browns a 34-17 lead over the Dolphins with 6:51 to play in regulation and capped off an eight-play, 67-yard drive that took nearly three minutes off of the fourth-quarter clock.
3:30 p.m./ET-Austin Seibert hits from 40 yards out
Cleveland Browns rookie kicker Austin Seibert struggled through the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and first half against the Miami Dolphins, but after three consecutive misses over the first six-plus quarters of play, he split the uprights early in the fourth quarter.
After the Browns’ 10-play, 64-yard drive stalled, Seibert converted a 40-yard field goal attempt, which gave Cleveland a 31-17 lead over the Dolphins with 11:21 to play in regulation.
3:17 p.m./ET-Fitzpatrick scrambles for touchdown
The Miami Dolphins have become known for playing hard to the end of the game in recent weeks, and the Cleveland Browns are finding that to be more of a challenge than originally expected at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland today.
After finding themselves at a 28-point deficit, the Dolphins have rattled off 17 unanswered points, which cut the Browns’ lead to 28-17 with four seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Following a passing touchdown on Miami’s previous second-half drive and a missed field goal from the Browns, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick scrambled through several tackle attempts before diving across the goal line for an 11-yard touchdown.
Fitzpatrick’s touchdown run capped off a seven-play, 46-yard scoring drive.
2:55 p.m./ET-Dolphins cut into Browns’ lead
The Miami Dolphins could not find the end zone during the first half of play against the Cleveland Browns, but they reversed that trend early in the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
On first-and-10 from the Cleveland 11-yard line, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick took the shotgun snap from center, surveyed the field for an open receiver and found tight end Mike Gesicki in the end zone for the touchdown.
The Dolphins’ drive, a seven-play, 46-yard march down the field, cut the Browns’ lead to 28-10 with 9:37 to play in the third quarter and was set up by an interception of Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield on a deflected pass thrown behind wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
2:20 p.m./ET-Kareem Hunt scores first TD with Browns
It had been a full calendar year since Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt last scored a touchdown in a regular-season game in the National Football League, but that time has come to an end…and in front of the home fans no less.
After returning from an eight-game league-mandated suspension and going his first two games in orange and brown without a score, Hunt rushed for a six-yard touchdown and gave the Browns a 28-0 lead over the Miami Dolphins with 1:01 remaining in the second quarter of play at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
Hunt’s touchdown run capped off a nine-play, 73-yard drive that took nearly five minutes off of the second-quarter clock after the defense gained possession by intercepting Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on a third-down pass.
1:56 p.m./ET-Landry catches second TD against Dolphins
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry is having a memorable first half against his former team, the Miami Dolphins, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
In his first game against his former team since being traded in the 2018 offseason, Landry is making the most of his opportunities, especially those coming inside the red zone, as he has turned two targets inside the Miami 20-yard line into touchdown receptions.
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.
Earlier in the game, Landry caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield.
1:39 p.m./ET-Browns add onto lead with OBJ 35-yard TD catch
The Cleveland Browns’ wide receivers are feasting on the Miami Dolphins’ secondary early in today’s inter-division game at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland and things are starting to add up nicely on the scoreboard.
On the Browns’ third drive of the game, the offense faced a first-and-10 from the Miami 35-yard line when second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the waning minutes of the first quarter.
The Mayfield to Beckham Jr. connection, and ensuing extra point, gave the Browns a 14-0 lead over the Dolphins with 1:51 remaining in the first period and capped off a five-play, 60-yard drive that took nearly three minutes off of the clock.
Earlier in the quarter, former Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield.
1:12 p.m./ET-Landry puts Browns in front of Dolphins
It is fair to say that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry had a little extra motivation heading into Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins because he felt by trading him in the 2018 offseason, they disrespected the Pro Bowl pass catcher.
Well, Landry exacted a measure of revenge against his former team on the first drive of the game at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
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.
11:30 a.m./ET-Browns to face Dolphins without Vernon, Murray
The Cleveland Browns’ defensive line was already decimated by suspensions to tackle Larry Ogunjobi and pass-rushing end Myles Garrett for their roles in a brawl with the Pittsburgh Steelers last Thursday night, and they did not get any good news on the injury front following Friday’s practice.
Veteran defensive end Olivier Vernon was ruled out for today’s game against the Miami Dolphins at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland and will miss his third straight week after suffering a knee injury in a loss at the Denver Broncos on November 2.
And the back end of the defense is not looking much healthy than the front.
In addition to ruling out Vernon for today’s game, the Browns declared that safety Eric Murray will miss his fourth consecutive game while working his way back from mid-season knee surgery.
Although questionable with a groin injury Friday, linebacker Joe Schobert is active and is expected to be in the starting lineup against the Dolphins.
The Browns deactivated wide receiver Taywan Taylor, defensive back Robert Jackson, offensive linemen Kendall Lamm and Drew Forbes and tight end Pharaoh Brown for today’s game.
Chad Thomas is expected to get his third straight start in place of Vernon.
11:15 a.m./ET-Browns looking for third straight win
After more than a week of talking about and reliving the brawl tipped off by an altercation between defensive end Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, the Cleveland Browns are getting back to football.
The Browns (4-6) play their third straight home game Sunday when they host the Miami Dolphins (2-8) at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland and are looking to continue their pursuit of a postseason berth, which would break the NFL’s longest-standing streak at 16 years.
“I think what you try to do from an early standpoint is you try to form a culture where they care about each other as people,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said after Friday’s practice on the team’s level of focus. “When you do that and something happens, it kind of galvanizes you from the standpoint of you realize, at that point, you are in it together and you are all that each other have. That is where we come up with the term that you run toward each other in times of adversity rather than run away.”
In addition to emotions being high after Garrett's indefinite ban was upheld earlier this week, Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry is looking to prove something to his former team.
Landry’s tenure with the Dolphins ended unceremoniously when he was traded to the Browns for a pair of picks in the NFL Draft, but after arriving in Northeast Ohio in March of 2018, the talented wide receiver signed a lucrative contract extension and has become one of the offense’s leaders.
Sunday’s game will be Landry’s first against his former team, and his new teammates believe he will not lack for motivation on the field.
“Jarvis is an unbelievable teammate and an even better guy to have in your locker room, just the person he is, who he is a person, what he stands for, his values,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “The family aspect that he brings. He’s a guy that plays with so much passion.”
Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. added, “I’ve been a part of his journey since we were 16, 17 years old. I know every bit and piece, every story and everything that’s going on. Just to watch him, I’m going to be excited. He always gets me fired up, whether we’re playing the Dolphins or whoever. He always gets me fired up just the way he plays, and I know he’s going to be intense this week.”