Browns special teams players vow to not let Cowboys' Week 1 punt return for TD define them

CLEVELAND — When Browns coach Kevin Stefanski began to break down his team's sloppiness in Sunday's season-opening 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys , he immediately cited losing the turnover battle and allowing a punt return for a touchdown.

The game felt as if it were over when the Browns trailed 20-3 at halftime, but the real death knell occurred when Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin ended the first series of the second half with a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown. Courtesy of Turpin's highlight play, Dallas went ahead 27-3 with 12:59 left in the third quarter.

"We gave him a little too much space, and he's a great returner. He took advantage of it," said Browns safety D'Anthony Bel l, a member of Cleveland's punt coverage unit.

Although Turpin had never previously returned a punt for a touchdown in the NFL, Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone put his players on high alert for Turpin as they prepared for Week 1. Turpin made the Pro Bowl and the NFL Players Association's All-Pro team in 2022.

"He's an electrifying returner," said Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr., who's on Cleveland's punt team.

After Corey Bojorquez punted from Cleveland's goal line, Turpin caught the ball at the Dallas 40-yard line and then zoomed between Bell and linebacker Devin Bush on the Brownie the Elf logo near midfield. A moment later, a block on Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate allowed Turpin to sprint along the Cowboys sideline on his way to the end zone.

“I was holding my leverage on my side," Browns cornerback and special teams ace Mike Ford Jr. said. "He kind of peeked at me, took off the other way. I was trying to run him down. He just made a good cut and made some good weaving through traffic.”

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Bell, Strong and Ford expressed confidence the Browns will still excel on special teams this season despite the disappointing start.

“It's like, 'Hey, one play don't define us, just keep going, keep fighting,'" Bell said. "It's Week 1. We've still got time. We're still going to do what we need to do. We're going to tune it, fix it and get back to it.”

It's one of many things the Browns need to repair before they visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns special teams players vow to not let Cowboys' Week 1 punt return for TD define them