Cleveland Browns
Browns beat Chargers despite Mother Nature 

CLEVELAND- The Cleveland Browns not only battled the San Diego Chargers in their 7-6 home win at Cleveland Browns Stadium, but they also had to contend with Mother Nature throughout the game. 

The game-time temperature was 44 degrees and the 19-miles-an-hour wind out of the northeast made it feel like 36 degrees. In addition to the cold conditions, players and coaches had to contend with constant rain that made the footballs heavy and the field slick. 

“I’m proud of the team,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. “I’ll tell you what, that was a team victory. If you like watching defensive football, it was great. For those that weren’t on the field, those conditions were less than perfect for throwing and kicking. 

“Our guys fought. It was interesting, before the game, I asked those guys, ‘Let’s go for three hours and 15 minutes and just play this like a bunch of kids playing in the rain.’ I think they did that. I’m happy that they get a chance to enjoy the victory.” 

Shurmur said he got an early indication on Sunday that the weather might impact the game. 

“I typically get here and then, walk out on the field to take a look and it was pretty steady and from what I was told, it was going to happen for the rest of the day,” Shurmur said. “We had things ready to go. We were going to try and be a little more aggressive throwing the football, but we changed gears and you always have enough plays to get to other stuff.” 

Quarterback Brandon Weeden completed 11 of 27 attempts for 129 yards in the game. He did not throw either a touchdown or an interception, and led an offense that did not turn the ball over, despite the conditions. 

Early in the game, the Browns faced a first-and-10 from San Diego’s 37-yard line and Weeden found Benjamin Watson open down the left side of the field. However, Weeden’s pass sailed out of the reach of the veteran tight end. 

“The (referees) did a good job of keeping the balls somewhat dry,” Weeden said. “There were a couple; the one to Ben, I didn’t even have a chance. I should’ve just shot-put it out there early in the game, and then, I threw a hitch and it slipped. It was challenging. It was very challenging. We made plays when we needed to and obviously, the numbers weren’t pretty, but I could one million percent care less.” 

While both teams struggled to move the ball in the passing game, they were able to run it. 

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