Josh Gordon missed roughly three years of football and nearly broke 100 yards in his first game back. On Sunday, he reacquainted himself with the end zone during the Cleveland Browns' 27-21 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Gordon's 17-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter knotted the contest up at 7-7 and gave Cleveland's fan base a bigger shot of enthusiasm in one play than it has received all season. It was also Gordon's first visit to paydirt since Week 15 of the 2013 season. Just watch for yourself:
Consider the basic physics of this play: A pass thrown by a strong-armed NFL quarterback, down the middle of the field, between defenders, caught by a long-armed receiver with only his hands, with his bottom hand at an awkward angle. The sheer hand strength necessary is marvelous.
OK, we're done drooling over the catch. Gordon had three catches for 69 yards and that score above through a quarter and a half of play on Sunday -- the Packers limited him from there and rallied for a 27-21 win in OT. Cleveland's leading receiver entering Sunday was running back Duke Johnson (it's OK to laugh), who tallied 52 receptions for 456 yards and two touchdowns. It's not unrealistic to think Gordon, at this pace, could eclipse him by the end of the 2017 season -- in just five games played.
That's the value a receiver like Gordon brings to any team, and especially to a talent-bare one like the Browns. Oh, and we can't forget -- it's sunglasses time in cold, overcast Cleveland:
