Case Keenum threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns to go with one interception at quarterback with Jarvis Landry catching one of the two passing touchdowns and finishing with 76 to lead the receivers.
Cleveland finished 8-9 on the season and will select 13th in April's NFL Draft.
Brownie Bits
1) It's so Browns to win these meaningless end of the season games with nothing on the line but the Browns entered the day with the 13th pick in the first round and they leave it with the 13th pick, so they didn't lose draft position winning a game that is almost forgotten as soon as it concluded.
2) Case Keenum was solid in his spot start and although his interception in the end zone to Cincinnati's Mike Hilton was a bad pass, Keenum was good enough otherwise.
Keenum is considered borderline on returning next season and while he isn't a quarterback that can carry a team to the playoffs (especially in a cold-weather climate for a long run, the unanswered question for the Browns will be this- For a team that carried one of the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the game for situations with an injured starter, why did the Browns refuse to use him rather than a clearly impaired Baker Mayfield?
3) Speaking of Mr.Mayfield, various NFL outlets were reporting that the Browns had made a decision to "make it work" next season and bring Mayfield back as the starter.
While these sources are wrong as often as they are correct, I do think that this is possible with Mayfield returning.
The cost (18 million) is reasonable for a starter and unless the Browns want to roll the dice for a star, the alternatives aren't any more thrilling than Mayfield.
While I would love to see someone other than Mr.Progressive as the starter next season, I'm not sure many upgrades are available and as of now, all things considered, I might take away all his, his wife's, and his delusional supporter's excuses away and stick a healthy Mayfield in the lineup to see what happens.
4) D'Ernest Johnson continued to show that he is at least a solid number two back with another big performance and create the Browns a dilemma at running back.
Johnson is a restricted free agent and the Browns could place a second-round tender on Johnson to deter someone from poaching him.
5) Kareem Hunt is still under contract for one more season for 6.2 million and while I love Hunt as a runner, I'm starting to wonder with Hunt's issues with staying healthy if the Browns might be better suited to keep Johnson and not Hunt if the team has to make a choice.
6) Jadeveon Clowney finished with two sacks to reach nine for the season and activated a $250,000 bonus clause with the final sack being reviewed to see if the play was a fumble or an incomplete pass.
The $250,000 review might have been the most compelling part of this entire game.
7) The win could possibly be the final game for Jarvis Landry as a Brown but if it is, Landry was the professional that he has been throughout his tenure.
Landry caught six of his eight targets and while Landry's 16.5 million paycheck for 2022 is bloated for a team that will need to add at least two receivers to the lineup for next season if the Browns can make it work, I would welcome him back.
8) Kevin Stefanski stated all season that the idea was to keep Nick Chubb fresh for the postseason and while that plan worked, the part of Chubb being ready for big games didn't work out that way.
Chubb carried nine times with one run of thirty-five yards but with Chubb signed for three more seasons, I liked the decision to not beat up the running back in a game that meant nothing.
That's smart long-term thinking.
9) The Browns got a big game from Jacob Phillips with eight solo tackles, a sack, and two passes defended.
Phillips was being counted on at linebacker before a training camp injury and Phillips with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah should be major parts of the 2022 defense to build around.
10) Austin Hooper's 2022 salary is not guaranteed but the Browns would take a huge cap hit should they decide to go away.
I wonder about paying Hooper so much and getting average production in return when David Njoku will be a free agent with a decision looming for a player with loads of talent but so inconsistent.
I think the Browns keep Hooper but I'm interested in seeing the future of Njoku and if Harrison Bryant begins to eat into Hooper's snap count next season.
11) Where do I go at 13 in the first round?
As of now-Best receiver available.
I plan on a recap sometime soon and my planned article on Baker Mayfield is still in progress so I'm far finished with the Browns and a season that fell short in so many ways.
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