Miami Dolphins 30, Cleveland Browns 24 (OT)
Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from the Miami Dolphins’ 30-24 Week 3 overtime victory over the Cleveland Browns:
Quarterback grade: Cody Kessler, 65.6
Kessler conservative, unremarkable but might be just what the Browns need
While the Browns would substitute Terrelle Pryor in on several drives, Kessler wound up taking 36 dropbacks for a franchise reeling from the loss of its primary and secondary options. Kessler completed 16-of-20 aimed passes under 10 yards and, surprisingly, completed five-of-seven beyond 10 yards. The rookie quarterback from USC would top all quarterbacks from the 1 p.m. games with an adjusted completion percentage of 81.8 percent. With Josh McCown unlikely to play in Week 4 at Washington, Kessler could begin to solidify his job leading the Cleveland offense with another solid showing.
Top offensive grades:
WR/QB Terrelle Pryor, 85.4
TE Gary Barnidge, 81.7
LT Joe Thomas, 80.2
LG Joe Bitonio, 77.0
RB Isaiah Crowell, 76.1
Welcome to the Terrelle Pryor variety hour
Every preseason, we get wind of a multitude of players seemingly on the cusp of stardom. In the case of Pryor, the rumors may have been accurate. Pryor proved to be the nemesis of the Miami defense after compiling the Browns’ top overall grade of 85.4 with a career-high total of 144 receiving yards. Pryor was targeted on 12 occasions, collecting each of the eight catchable passes and generating 7.1 yards after the catch per target — eighth-best among the 1 p.m. wideouts. However, Pryor would also turn four rushing attempts into 21 yards and a touchdown and connect on three-of-five passes for an additional 35 yards. The 2016 season could be the long-awaited breakout for the uber-talented athlete out of Ohio State.
Top defensive grades:
DT Stephen Paea, 84.5
LB Christian Kirksey, 83.8
CB Jamar Taylor, 81.0
ED Corey Lemonier, 80.7
ED Emmanuel Ogbah, 80.0
Edge rushers produce for the Browns
Emmanuel Ogbah had 2 hits, 3 hurries and 1 batted pass on his 36 pass rush snaps. The Browns also received edge pressures from Tyrone Holmes and Corey Lemonier that lead to turnovers for the Browns.
Quarterback grade: Ryan Tannehill, 62.4
Tannehill consistently hits intermediate throws
Tannehill completed 6-of-8 passes targeted outside the numbers and between 10 and 19 yards downfield. He also completed four of those outside intermediate passes to Jarvis Landry as Tannehill and Landry repeatedly had the chemistry to create big plays.
Top offensive grades:
WR Jarvis Landry, 83.6
WR DeVante Parker, 75.0
WR Kenny Stills, 75.0
TE Dion Sims, 74.2
RB Kenyan Drake, 70.8
Landry has a big day
Landry made some big catches on long-developing crossing routes. On the game Landry caught 7 of his 13 targets and had 46 yards after the catch. DeVante Parker caught 3 of his 5 targets including one for a touchdown.
Top defensive grades:
ED Cameron Wake, 85.3
SS Reshad Jones, 83.6
DI Ndamukong Suh, 82.4
CB Bobby McClain, 77.3
ED Andre Branch, 76.9
Miami secondary a glaring deficiency
Simply from the perspective of pressuring the quarterback, the Dolphins defensive line would apply more than enough on the Browns’ rookie quarterback to deserve a chance at victory. Miami defenders accumulated 20 individual pressures, resulting in four hits and four sacks. However, the secondary ended the overtime victory deplorably porous, allowing a rookie signal caller defined within the last two weeks by his own organization to be far from ready to take the field. No individual from the secondary could fairly be pinpointed as a potential scapegoat, the pass defense simply struggled across the board. One silver lining was the exceptional play of ED Cameron Wake (85.3) and DI Ndamukong Suh (82.4) who combined for 10 pressures and a pair of sacks.
PFF Game-Ball Winner: Browns WR/QB Terrelle Pryor
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