Preseason Thursday Night Football in Philly, Browns vs. Eagles, 18-18

The Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles opened the second week of the NFL preseason, playing an interesting Thursday Night Football game. The result of the contest at the Lincoln Financial Field was 18-18, with both head coaches resting their starters.

Neither Keving Stefanski nor Nick Sirianni wanted to bring in their starters and risk any injuries, so we saw a back-and-forth game of those who are fighting for their place under the sun in the NFL.

We also saw one veteran, as Marcus Mariota, appeared for the Eagles, posting 86 passing yards, for one pick, rushing once for five yards. The NFL journeyman and the former Heisman Trophy winner didn’t play well enough to satisfy the crowd in Philly, who booed him loudly following his intercepted pass.

For most of the time, the Browns were ahead, yet the Eagles constantly came back. The game’s opening points were after a safety, and we haven’t seen a touchdown in the first half, which ended 8-3 for the guests from Ohio.

Trey Sermon ran for 33 yards early in the third, for the first touchdown of the game. Browns’ Austin Watkins responded on the other end, with a 32-yard touchdown reception, with the toss being thrown by Kellen Mond. We saw one more TD score until the end when Brady Russell caught a 22-yard pass from the Eagles’ QB, Tanner McKee.

Both head coaches gave the chance to their backup quarterbacks to show their worth. Sirianni saw Mariota and McKee, and it appears that the latter left a better impression. He was 10-for-18 for 147 yards and one touchdown, suffering three sacks as his teammate.

Trey Sermon caught the attention of the fans, with one TD and 54 rushing yards, while Janarius Robinson and Tarron Jackson had two quarterback hits on the defensive side.

Cleveland’s quarterbacks were more or less even. Dorian Thompson-Robinson had 164 passing yards, and 18 rushing, without any touchdowns or turnovers. Kellen Mond added 126 passing yards for one touchdown, not suffering a single sack. The Browns’ rushing game looked well generating 110 yards on the ground, while the receivers added 290.

Austin Watkins Jr. was the star of the night with 139 receiving yards on seven receptions with one touchdown.

FINAL: Eagles and Browns tie. #CLEvsPHI pic.twitter.com/5aJ4em2x3x

— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2023

The game had two unpleasant moments for the Eagles. Wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland and defensive tackle Moro Ojomo were carted off the field due to neck injuries, both picked up in the second half. For the moment, there isn’t any news about their condition.

The Eagles and the Browns had been working together before this matchup, having two practice sessions before this one over the previous seven days.

Up next, we have the Cleveland Browns visiting Kansas City on August 26, at Arrowhead Stadium. This will be the final preseason game for Stefanski’s boys. Deshaun Watson stated that he would love to play that one, but Stefanski will have the last word on that.

On the other side, the Eagles play one more event at home, against the Indianapolis Colts. They, too, close the preseason with this event. It’s scheduled for August 24.