Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal
·4 min read
SEATTLE — David Njoku was succinct when it came to talking about quarterback P.J. Walker.
"I think he's a warrior," the Browns tight end said after the 24-20 loss at the Seattle Seahawks. "I think he fights, he pushes through. He fights. He's definitely a warrior and we really, really appreciate him."
Walker made his second start for the Browns in three weeks Sunday in Seattle. In some ways, it looked like his other two appearances in place of the injured Deshaun Watson.
There were critical mistakes, such as his three turnovers. As was the case against the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts previously, there also were the kind of plays a quarterback needs to make to win in the NFL.
Ultimately, unlike the previous two weeks, the former came at the wrong time to outweigh the latter. It's why the Brown boarded a plane late Sunday evening and flew home 4-3 instead of 5-2.
"Yeah, it's going to be week in and week out," Walker said after going 15-of-31 passing for 248 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. "You're going to have these battles. That's just the way the league goes, and you just got to be ready for them. The moments is the moments. So you just got to go out there and live in the moment and just play, and don't worry about being in a situation that's too big or anything like that. Just go out there and have fun and enjoy it while you can."
Whether or not Walker is the starter for next Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals is not in his control. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski wasn't anywhere close to ready to say anything about that after Sunday's loss.
However, Walker is going to get himself ready as if he will be on the field with the ones.
"I prepare to start every week," Walker said. "You just can't go out there and not prepare mentally, physically, and go out there and expect that if you do get called to go out there and perform well or play well in general. So for me, I just continue to keep the same preparation every week and just keep going."
Walker kept going after his first mistake Sunday put the Browns in a hole from which it seemed potentially impossible to climb out. On second-and-10 from the Seattle 47 on the second possession of the game, he was hit on a blitz by Jordyn Brooks and fumbled that ball, which was recovered by the Seahawks' Boye Mafe.
That fumble was turned into a touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Tyler Lockett to give the Seahawks a 14-0 lead with 5:30 left in the first quarter.
"No, I didn't," Walker said when asked if he saw Brooks coming. "That was on me. I got to change the protection on that one."
The thing is, Walker did change. He changed the Browns' trajectory over the next two-plus quarters by guiding them on what turned into a 20-3 run to take a 20-17 lead into the fourth quarter.
It wasn't that Walker did much spectacular, but that was the point. The fourth-year pro played like someone who was in control, which is how the Browns were able to finally not just catch but pass the Seahawks in the third quarter on two field goals by Dustin Hopkins.
"I mean, you generally get that with guys who are veterans, guys who are older, guys who have experience," wide receiver Amari Cooper said. "A moment is never really too big. You just try to go out there and play your best brand of football."
The final memory of Walker, unfortunately for some, may be of his final five plays Sunday, including a third-and-3 interception that bounced off Seattle's Jamal Adams' helmet and into the hands of Julian Love to give the Seahawks a chance to rally.
Then there was the desperation four plays with less than 40 seconds remaining as the Browns tried a third consecutive fourth-quarter comeback. Those resulted in three incompletions and a 9-yard sack.
"Very disappointing, especially the way we started off," Walker said. "We started off real slow and we was able to fight back as a team and battle. It just shows the grit and the grind that we got in this locker room, and as a group we're just going to continue to be resilient, come back next week and just not let this one come back with us."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: P.J. Walker tries to 'live in the moment' despite loss to Seattle
