Amari Cooper Reflects On Bounce Back Effort In Browns Loss To Giants

Cleveland's Pro Bowl wideout caught 7 passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3

Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) catches the ball under coverage by New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Leading up to Week 3, Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Amari Cooper shared that he was refocusing at practice after a pair of rough games that featured multiple, uncharacteristic dropped passes.

Cooper looked out of sorts through the first two weeks of the season. Almost uninterested. And as speculation swirled that he was potentially unhappy with the team following an offseason of contract negotiations and trade rumors, he bounced back with a vintage Amari Cooper performance on Sunday.

There was a lot to try to recap for one immediate postgame story. But the carousel of an offensive line that finished the game for the #Browns was symbolic of the circus-like loss Cleveland suffered todayhttps://t.co/Ib3TWJnEkt

— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) September 22, 2024

Seven receptions. 86 yards. Two touchdowns. For Cooper, it was a step in the right direction towards getting his 2024 campaign turned around.

"Little bit," Cooper said of whether or not he felt he got back on track. "Obviously there are some plays I wish I could have back, but it was a good starting point for me I believe."

Cooper's presence was felt immediately from the outset of the game. After the New York Giants fumbled the opening kickoff and the Browns recovered it just outside the red zone, they immediately took a shot to the end zone. Deshaun Watson dropped a beautiful ball right in Cooper's bread basket down the left sideline. The 30-year-old went up and made an impressive catch, tip-toeing the sideline to quickly give the Browns a 7-0 lead.

While not much else went right for the Browns after that point, Cooper's standout performance was at least something for fans to leave feeling good about. His refocused efforts during the week seemed to pay off.

"During the week I said I needed to treat the practices like the game, just more intentional," Cooper explained. "Not saying I got complacent or anything like that, but I just was more intentional. I hate not playing great football because I know I can play great football every single day. That was just my focus."

A 21-15 loss to the Giants drops Cleveland to 1-2 on the season, and left more questions than answers when it came to the offense. Cooper's only wishes his performance hadn't been in vain.

"“It is very disappointing," he said. "A loss is always disappointing in this league, especially when we had an opportunity like the one we had. Because opportunities are all you ask for in this league. We definitely had one there and missed out, so we just have to bounce back.”