Browns broadcaster pans team for complaining about being booed; Nick Chubb takes blame for loss

The Cleveland Browns stunningly managed to blow a 13-point lead with less than two minutes remaining against the New York Jets on Sunday. So the fans booed.

No surprise there, right?

But Cleveland defensive lineman Myles Garrett took exception.

“These guys are still putting their (rear ends) on the line and playing as hard as they can, and they should be respected as such,” Garrett said via WKYC.com. “It’s two games, and we have plenty more to play, especially this next one coming up in front of the home crowd. We have a lot of time to correct what we are doing, so we don’t want to see this crowd, this stadium, give up on us this early. We want to see them completely behind us.”

Browns play-by-play man Jim Donovan didn’t want to hear any of that excuse-making.

.@3JimDonovan shares his thoughts on Browns' fans booing the team after yesterday's game pic.twitter.com/S7tnxvbB1I

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 20, 2022

Cleveland offensive lineman Joel Bitonio had a different take.

“I’ve been here nine years now. I’ve been booed at least once every year as a team. They spend their hard-earned money on supporting the team. They were frustrated and disappointed, just like we were,” Bitonio said via WEWS sports anchor Carly Mascitti.

It’d be nice to see the Steelers offense coax a few boos out of the Dawg Pound when they visit the Browns Thursday night. But that unit is going to have to play a lot better than it did Sunday against the Patriots when it yielded just 14 points.

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Meanwhile, like Bitonio, Nick Chubb wasn’t shirking responsibility. The Browns running back took the blame on himself for the loss against the Jets, saying he should’ve gone down on purpose instead of scoring a touchdown in the final two minutes.

Chubb’s 12-yard touchdown run with just under two minutes to play put the Browns up 30-17. Kicker Cade York then missed an extra point. But the Jets were out of timeouts. So the Browns could have run out the clock and ended the game had Chubb not scored.

Instead, the Jets became the first team in 21 years to overcome a 13-point deficit in the last two minutes of a game.

“I probably shouldn’t have scored right there,” Chubb said Tuesday via ESPN.com. “It cost us the game. A lot of things went wrong, not just one thing. But collectively, as a unit, as a team, we could’ve all done things differently. But it’s only a problem because we didn’t win. So I probably should’ve (gone) down.”

Ironically, in 2020, Chubb did give himself up at the 1-yard line after a 59-yard yard run in the final seconds against the Houston Texans. The Browns kneeled on the ball to secure the 10-7 victory.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he should’ve reminded Chubb to do the same thing again Sunday, but he didn’t.

What a luxury that must be, huh? Avoiding scoring on purpose. I wonder if the 2022 Steelers will ever get to that point.

I won’t hold my breath.