Blowout losses usually get graded as a whole. When a team is outgained, outrushed and outplayed for 60 minutes, it is easy to look past individual performances and give everyone the same failing mark. A closer look often tells a more complicated story. That was the case for one young Browns pass catcher in Pittsburgh.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report summed up Sunday’s 27-6 loss to the Steelers in one word, “ugly,” but he gave Harold Fannin Jr. a B+.
“Much like Watson, the final statline doesn’t completely capture the performance from Fannin. He had a costly fumble on the first drive that set the tone for the offense. That being said, he also put up the best performance of anyone on the offense with 10 receptions for 154 yards. He again proved to be a yards-after-the catch menace with multiple instances of running over Steelers defenders for additional yards,” Ballentine wrote.
Ballentine’s grade reflects both sides of Fannin’s afternoon. The fumble on the opening drive was one of the 2 turnovers Todd Monken pointed to after the game, and it helped the Steelers take control early. Cleveland gained 1 yard in the 1st quarter while Pittsburgh piled up 135.
Fannin did not let it define his day. He caught 10 of his 12 targets for 154 yards, a career high, and became the first Browns tight end since Ozzie Newsome in 1984 to top 150 receiving yards in a game. No other Browns pass catcher had more than 61 yards.
His work after the catch stood out most. Fannin repeatedly broke through tackles and dragged defenders for extra yardage, the same skill that turned a short catch into the play that set up the game-winning field goal against the Tennessee Titans a week earlier.
His grade was also a contrast with the rest of the position. Ballentine gave Blake Whiteheart a C+, noting that his blocking did nothing to help the run game. The Browns ran for just 34 yards, and Ballentine pointed to the offensive line, the lack of a ground game and the run defense as the reasons for the loss.
Fannin is already one of the best young tight ends in the league, and he showed again that he can carry the passing game. Next comes protecting the football, especially early. The Browns visit the New Orleans Saints on Sunday as 2.5-point underdogs, and they cannot afford another slow start.
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