2023 Hall of Fame Game Recap: Cleveland Browns 21, New York Jets 16

The Cleveland Browns kicked off the 2022 NFL preseason with a 21-16 victory over the New York Jets in Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.  The game was also delayed in the fourth quarter due to some lights going out in the stadium. Thankfully, they weren't out long, allowing both teams to play four full quarters of preseason football — everyone's favorite.

Browns fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson stole the show on the evening, leading the Browns to a come-from-behind victory in the second half Thursday evening.

Offensive spotlight: Aaron Rodgers’ backup, Zach Wilson, put together a positive performance in his first action of 2023, going 3-for-5 for 65 yards and one big-time throw en route to a 69.0-plus PFF grade on first review. 

On the Browns' side, 2023 third-round pick Cedric Tillman was able to show why Cleveland was high on him, notching a notable two receptions for 35 yards and first downs in the first half. In addition, fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson showed off his ability to contribute with his arms and legs Thursday evening, finishing 8-for-11 for 82 passing yards and a touchdown while being hampered by two dropped passes en route to an 80.0-plus passing grade on first review in addition to five carries for 37 yards (not including kneel-downs).

Defensive spotlight: It's not often that a cornerback shows out against the run during the preseason, but Jets CB Brandin Echols finished with an impressive three run stops — one of which went for a loss or no gain. Given that productivity, it shouldn't be surprising that Echols finished with an impressive 80.0-plus run-defense grade on first review.

Browns LB Tony Fields II had an eventful and productive evening defending the run, especially in the first half, as he notched three stops — two of which went for a loss or no gain — in just eight first-half run defense snaps. He added two more run stops (five total) in the second half to round out his performance. 

Rookie spotlight: Browns 2023 fourth-round pick Dawand Jones put together an up-and-down performance in his first NFL action, allowing zero pressures across 35 pass-blocking snaps. In fact, Jones only had one snap in pass protection that went down as a loss throughout the whole game in PFF's first review. Browns 2023 sixth-round pick Luke Wypler had a quiet night in pass protection, which is exactly what you want from a center in his first NFL game. The Ohio State product didn't lose a single pass protection rep across 26 pass-blocking snaps en route to an 80.0-plus pass-blocking grade on first review.

Offensive line spotlight: Both offensive lines performed admirably in pass protection, as the Browns allowed five pressures across 35 snaps while the Jets allowed five across 25 pass-blocking snaps.

Box Score

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

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