'Been sitting on my heart': Browns' Jacoby Brissett atones for mistake with crucial TD run

CLEVELAND — On the first drive of the third quarter Monday night, the Browns were going for their coveted double-dip against the Cincinnati Bengals when Jacoby Brissett had a flashback.

The Browns faced second-and-goal from the Cincinnati 3 and all the quarterback could think about was a devastating moment against the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 9.

That day at FirstEnergy Stadium, Brissett had running room in front of him on third down from the LA 9, but forced a pass into the back of the end zone to receiver Amari Cooper that was intercepted. The Browns lost by two points.

In a 32-13 home victory over the Bengals, déjà vu was virtually inevitable.

Rookie Cade York kicked a 55-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, and Brissett desperately wanted to tack on points as they got the ball first after the break.

But when the Browns got close to the goal line, Brissett knew he had to run.

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“Nobody was around me and then I felt somebody around me so I was having to run fast,” he said. “I thought about the Chargers game and when I threw the pick. I have been beating myself up about that a lot just because that has been like sitting on my heart.

“I always told myself if I ever get that opportunity again, I am going to make the right decision. I think I half made the right decision, I reached the ball out on second down, which is stupid. It was one of those where I was like, ‘Man, I have to take it.’”

Brissett scored on a 3-yard scramble, extending the ball as he dove for the pylon. The score was the first touchdown allowed by the Bengals in the second half all season and gave the Browns an 18-0 lead with 8:57 left in the quarter.

It seemed almost mind-boggling to some that Brissett would recall a mistake three games ago in the heat of the action.

“Honestly, that is how slow like I feel like the game is kind of turning because of me being so present in the game and really enjoying the moment that I can honestly think of things like that. It is not like I am saying I am a psychic-like vision,” Brissett said, drawing laughter. “Once I was scrambling, I saw No. 30 [Bengals S Jessie Bates III] watching my eyes and I was like, ‘You know what? Not again.’

“Usually, it is either going to be a throwaway or I was going to go for it. Then he scooted a little bit inside more, and I was like, ‘You know what? I am going to try.’”

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett loved seeing Brissett dive for the pylon.

“Coach might not, but I sure as hell did,” Garrett said.

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As the Browns rescued their season from life support, Brissett excelled for the second consecutive game. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a 133.7 rating, and rushed six times for 12 yards and the touchdown. He hooked up with Cooper on five passes for 131 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown.

“He is the pro’s pro. He works really, really hard at his craft,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said of Brissett. “He is a great leader. Played well tonight. We are going to be continuing to count on him. He is a big part of this team.”

The Browns (3-5) snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 2-1 in the AFC North. Brissett considered the first possession of the second half crucial against the defending AFC champion Bengals (4-4). His big play was a 26-yard third-down pass to receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. Running back Nick Chubb had a 21-yard run to the Cincinnati 9 to set up Brissett.

“Once we got three at the end of the first half, we have always preached double-dipping,” Brissett said. “We understood if we scored, I think that would have put it at a three-possession game at the time. We understood how important that was.

“We came out with a plan and then we just lined up and we were like, ‘You know what? This is what we are doing.’ Kev did a good job of putting us in the right position, and I think it was one of those days where we imposed our will. I think that touchdown really was a very critical moment for us.”

The Browns thrived off a balanced attack, with Chubb (101 yards, 4.4 average, two touchdowns) and Kareem Hunt (42 yards rushing, 3.8) helping them gain 172 yards on the ground.

“That was just our mindset. We really needed to get back to playing our style of football, that is running and throwing it on our terms,” Brissett said. “Running our plays on our terms. There were a couple of checks in the game we didn’t want to run that play versus a certain look, so we got some different calls. I think Kev did a good job of preparing us, AVP [offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt] and all of our guys of letting us know, ‘Hey, this is what our plan is as far as the whole game mindset.’ I think we executed that well tonight.”

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Brissett drew praise from Cooper afterward.

“Jacoby played fantastic tonight. I think he has played good football all year,” Cooper said. “I think the thing that stood out tonight was the complementary football for both sides of the football and special teams. Obviously, we still have some things to work on, and that is why we practice and go back to the drawing board, but this is a good game to build off of.”

After the Nov. 6 bye week, Brissett has three more games as a starter before Deshaun Watson returns from his 11-game league suspension on Dec. 4 at the Houston Texans.

What Brissett has done already exemplifies the Browns’ spirit, Garrett said.

“He’s tough. He’s going to hang in the pocket, he’s going to make his throws, he’s going to fight for yardage and he’s not going to back down from anything,” Garrett said. “He makes a mistake, it rolls off his back and he’s out there trying to make another big play or get us the first down, whatever it is. The man really embodies it.

“If he were only a little bit faster.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns Jacoby Brissett eases his pain with TD run vs. Bengals