Getty Cornerback Greg Newsome of the Cleveland Browns.
CJ Stroud and company cooked the Cleveland Browns secondary on Saturday night, and none of the team’s impressive collection of cornerbacks shied away from how poorly they performed on the biggest stage.
Among those to speak out was starter Greg Newsome II, who Houston Texans receivers torched on multiple plays during the course of their 45-14 drubbing of Cleveland. Newsome took to social media following the game to take responsibility and show his gratitude to the fans, even though some used their own accounts to hurl cruelty his way throughout the game.
To the city of Cleveland Thankyou for riding with us the whole season, we did not finish the job and there’s a lot to learn from but THANKYOU for the endless support🙏🏽
“To the city of Cleveland: Thank you for riding with us the whole season,” Newsome posted to X. “We did not finish the job and there’s a lot to learn from, but THANK YOU for the endless support 🙏.”
Newsome also lamented the Browns’ “missed opportunity” in his postgame interview.
“We’ll have more opportunities, but I feel like this particular season was a missed opportunity,” Newsome said, per Camryn Justice of WEWS Cleveland.
Coming Off Career Season, Browns CB Greg Newsome Fell Short in Playoff Debut
GettyCornerback Greg Newsome II of the Cleveland Browns.
Houston’s offense led the way in the first half, lighting up the Browns top-rated defense to the tune of 3 TDs and 236 passing yards. The first statistic set a Texans franchise record for touchdowns thrown in a playoff game, while the second figure represents the worst half Cleveland’s normally stout secondary surrendered to any opponent all year.
Stroud finished the game 16-of-21 for 274 yards and 3 TD passes. Little was required of Stroud in the second half because Browns QB Joe Flacco tossed pick-6s to the Texans’ defense on consecutive drives, which ended the game long before the clock actually read zeroes. Still, it was the defense that dug the Browns’ hole before Flacco buried them in it.
Newsome produced the best regular season of his three-year career in 2023, tallying career-highs in tackles (49), tackles for loss (4), pass breakups (14) and interceptions (2). He also allowed a career-best 56.7% completion percentage on 67 targets and surrendered a collective QB rating of 74.8, which was also a career high, per Pro Football Focus.
Newsome broke up a touchdown in the first half, which held the Texans to a field goal on that drive and was a big play in the game at the time. However, he and the rest of the secondary produced their worst collective effort on Saturday night, which was also Newsome’s playoff debut.
Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Criticized Browns’ Defensive Execution Against Texans
GettyCleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward.
Newsome wasn’t the only cornerback to criticize his own play and the play of the defense as a whole.
Browns Pro-Bowl defensive back Denzel Ward, who was questionable to play in the game due to a knee injury, praised Stroud but also put blame on the defense for the QB’s exceptional play.
“Guy’s a great quarterback. Went out there and made plays,” Ward said, per Justice. “We left some guys open deep, and he was able to find those guys and execute.”
“One of the biggest games,” Ward added. “We needed to show up, and we didn’t.”
Martin Emerson Jr., who was the victim of some embarrassing mishaps Saturday night, also spoke following the game.
“Very proud of this team, the things we’ve been through. But I would say, yeah, missed opportunity,” Emerson said. “As a team we fell short.”