The Week 8 edition of Monday Night Football featured an old-school division rivalry. The Cleveland Browns welcomed the Cincinnati Bengals to town and, in the early going, it was a slugfest to say the least. Neither team scored in the first quarter, with fewer than 150 total yards accumulated and a turnover on both sides. However, not all turnovers are created equal, and Cleveland’s giveaway came in hilarious fashion from the right arm of Amari Cooper.
Cooper, who is famously a wide receiver, took a reverse and lofted a ball into Cincinnati’s secondary late in the opening period while being hit. The result was disastrous for the Browns in that there wasn’t a single Cleveland pass-catcher in view for what became a (very) easy interception for Cincinnati’s Vonn Bell.
Obviously, Cooper should not be held to the same standard as a quarterback, and he was under duress when he threw the ball. Still, there has to be a trigger for Cooper to just eat the ball in that circumstance, and he was off-balance before he even uncorked the throw.
Fortunately for Cleveland, the play did not set Cincinnati up in immediate scoring territory, and the Bengals punted on the ensuing possession. As such, maybe this can become a point of amusement for Browns observers, as it certainly was for everyone else.
