BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Jacoby Brissett has been everything the Browns could’ve hoped for, and then some so far this season while filling in for Deshaun Watson.
But late in games he’s come up short, throwing interceptions in the final few minutes of each of their three losses this season.
“There is no scientific answer,” Brissett said. “It is just don’t do it. Just really focusing in in those moments because the ball is in my hand, and it is not like I lost trust in myself or anything of that nature. It is more so just focusing in.”
It would be easy to blame the veteran quarterback for those losses but that would not be fair or accurate.
“I think we’re all hard on ourselves,” receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones said. “We want to make those great plays. We want to do great things but it’s just about getting better and moving forward.”
Although Brissett is not to blame for losses to the Jets, Falcons and Chargers he’s been the first to step up and accept it.
“Obviously, in those critical situations, still no excuse no matter when the situation is,” Brissett said. “Just have to find a way to continue to play good football and understand that we can’t give another team easy possessions where they don’t do anything, but we do everything to stop ourselves.”
On Sunday with the Browns trailing 30-28 and the ball at the 9 on a third-and-7, Brissett decided not to take the open field and run and failed to see Chargers safety Alohi Gilman while trying to get the ball to Amari Cooper in the back of the end zone.
Although the Browns got the ball back, they had to attempt a 54-yard field goal to win instead of either putting six on the board or kicking a chip shot to take the lead before the turnover.
“Jacoby’s a great player,” running back Nick Chubb said. “We all know it’s a bad decision, but he’s owned up to it. He feels really guilty about it but then again, he’s the one who put us in position to win the game time in and time out. I knew we’d get the ball back and we ended up getting the ball back and we got back in position to win the game.”
Brissett’s interception with less than 20 seconds left completed a collapse from a 30-17 lead with 1:55 remaining to a 31-30 loss against the Jets in Week 2.
The Falcons did the same to him with 1:03 left in the fourth to seal their 23-20 victory.
“Without a doubt. You are playing quarterback in this league, I think we all recognize how hard that is,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “There are going to be moments that you absolutely have to bounce back from. Just the makeup that Jacoby has, the things he has seen and the things he has been through, I have no doubt in my mind that he will be ready to go on Sunday.”
Brissett believes the Browns are simply beating themselves offensively.
“Just look at our drives from last game – a three-and-out on the second down that I could have had [Nick] Chubb on a big play and a pick in the red zone,” Brissett said. “Just things like that where that has nothing to do with the defense but everything to do with us. I think that is still the case. When we self-scout throughout the year, it has always been us that stopped us. We have been an inch away, a play away or an assignment away from not being stopped.”
Chubb agreed.
“I think all the times we weren’t successful it was because of things we messed up on,” Chubb said. “So we have to correct those things and keep getting better.”
Without Watson, Chubb leads the NFL in rushing with 593 yards and seven touchdowns. The Browns are averaging 26.6 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league.
“It’s a great feeling for sure,” Chubb said. “It’s becoming a common feeling too. I feel like we’re firing pretty well on offense. Jacoby’s making great passes. Line’s doing well blocking. Receivers are making catches and great routes so we’re starting to feel good but gotta keep it going. Like I said [it’s a]week in and week out thing. We can’t just, because last week was okay for us to settle down. We have to keep going forward.”
The Browns haven’t lost any faith in Brissett. If anything, their trust in him has been validated.
And while Brissett may be critical of and accountable for his own mistakes, he’s not changing the way he plays or his approach to the game.
From his perspective, the interceptions aren’t the only thing offensively they can improve.
“We have more than that to get over. I have more than that to get over,” Brissett said. “It is something that is part of the game that obviously trying to work on and get better at.
“Listen, clearly I haven’t lost trust in myself or confidence in myself to go out there, continue to make plays and being smart and taking care of the ball, which I feel like I do.”
There’s no time for Brissett to dwell on what has already happened. Not with Bill Belichick and the Patriots rolling into town this weekend.
“The game’s over,” Brissett said. “I can’t go back and do anything about that. I moved past that a long time ago. So excited for this opportunity and this next one we got.”