When the Cardinals elected to trade Joshua Dobbs and start Clayton Tune at quarterback on Sunday, they created a big chance to be overmatched in Week 9 against the Browns’ vaunted defense.
That ended up being exactly the case, as Cleveland overwhelmed Arizona’s offense en route to a 27-0 victory.
The Cardinals managed only 58 yards, which was their fewest since 1955, according to the CBS broadcast. Tune committed three turnovers during the contest — two interceptions and a lost fumble. The Browns scored 14 points off of Tune’s giveaways. The quarterback finished 11-of-20 passing for 58 yards.
Cleveland sacked Tune seven times, with defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson’s career-high 3.0 leading the way. It’s the first time he’s ever recorded more than 1.0 in a game. Tomlinson also had three tackles for loss.
Defensive end Myles Garrett also had a sack, tackle for loss, pass defensed, and fumble recovery.
Offensively, quarterback Deshaun Watson looked rusty at times in his return from a shoulder injury. But he finished 19-of-30 for 219 yards with two touchdowns. His best two throws of the day were downfield passes to Amari Cooper — one that went for 59 yards in the first half and another that gained 49 midway through the fourth quarter.
Up 27-0, Dorian Thompson-Robinson came in to play the last 6:49 of the game at quarterback.
Cooper caught all five of his targets for 139 yards with a TD.
Cleveland lost left tackle Jedrick Wills to what could be a serious knee injury. He was carted off the field with an air cast in the second half.
Browns receiver Marquise Goodwin also had to exit the game with a concussion.
Cardinals offensive linemen D.J. Humphries (ankle) and Will Hernandez (knee) exited the game and did not return.
With the win, the Browns improved to 5-3 on the season. This was their first shutout victory since defeating the Bills 8-0 back in 2007 on a snowy December day along Lake Erie. They’ll play the Ravens on the road in Week 10.
The Cardinals should have Kyler Murray back next week as the quarterback returns from his ACL tear suffered last December. At 1-8, they’ll take on the Falcons at home next weekend.
