Bad enough that the Browns season might well have been sunk last week in New York, when two special teams touchdowns and multiple mental errors that led to penalties cost Cleveland and sent the lowly Jets to a win. The Browns dropped to 2-7 with the 27-20 defeat, and their playoff chances fell to less than 1% in the process.
But for two players on the Cleveland side, the loss had a little extra sting. That’s because they’ll be writing checks to the league office for violations committed during the game.
Cornerback Myles Harden and defensive lineman Adin Huntington were hit with NFL punishment, the league announced on Saturday, though the fines were relatively mild. Both offenses occurred on the same play, the kickoff to start the second half. Huntington was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the play, because of a late hit.
Huntington will pay $4,704 for the hit. Harden was fined $5,487 for, “use of the helmet,” the league said.
Jets Were Fined Without Penalties vs. Browns
Two Jets were also fined in the game, including a $22,388 punishment for defensive back Brendan Stephens, who was tabbed for using his helmet on a first-quarter tackle of Jerry Jeudy. The play was not called a penalty on the field, however.
Malachi Moore of the Jets was also fined for using his helmet on a tackle, but his $5,916 payout was less egregious. Moore’s play was also not called a penalty, a fact that perhaps should draw some ire from Browns fans when combined with the Stephens non-call.
But both occurred on the Browns’ second drive of the game, which yielded a touchdown, even without the penalties.
Browns Must ‘Flush’ Last Week’s Mistakes
For the Browns, the story of Week 10 was their own mistakes, of course. Not just the special teams failures, but also the mental mistakes, including 10 penalties. The last of those, the neutral-zone infraction on defensive lineman Cam Thomas that cost the Browns the chance at getting the ball, was the most glaring.
Thomas has mostly played well for the Browns. One of the challenges he faces, and the team in general, is to “flush” the mistakes made in Week 10 and move on.
That was the message from defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz this week:
“I’ve made mistakes in games where you do something, make a bad call or something like that, it’s not as evident as that. You know, I mean, I think that if you look across that game, I’m sure dozens of people on both sides made mistakes and plays that they’re not proud of.
“The thing is, when you make it in that situation, it’s magnified, and that’s the spotlight that players live under, that’s the spotlight coaches live under. I think you have to learn from it, you have to flush it, and you have to be able to move on. ”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post NFL Dishes Punishment for 2 Browns Defenders Ahead of Week 11 appeared first on Heavy Sports.