Cleveland, OH

Prior to tonight’s game, layman fans would look at the matchup of the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals on paper and think it was going to be a stinker of a game. For fans that actually tuned in from home, as well as the few fans that were allowed into First Energy Stadium, the Battle for Ohio lived up to the billing, as the Cleveland Browns won 35-30, holding off a fiery comeback from rookie QB sensation Joe Burrow. 

The Dynamic Duo of Chubb & Hunt 

            “We have two running backs that are both number one backs in the league,” said Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr to FOX’s Erin Andrews about running backs Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb. Both Chubb (22-124-2) and Hunt (10-86-1) looked like either one of them could be the bell cow back for Cleveland, but head coach Kevin Stefanski did a fantastic job, not only divvying up the carries between his two-star backs, but also used the run as a way to give his quarterback, third-year signal-caller Baker Mayfield, a chance to shine under the primetime lights. 

            On paper, the stats don’t really jump out; 16 of 23 passing attempts (69% completion) for 219 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. But watching the game, you could tell Baker finally found his swagger. The QB that once proclaimed he “woke up feeling dangerous” finally formulated his chemistry with his elite receiving corps, particularly with his supposed No. 1 wideout in Odell Beckham, Jr. (4-74-1). Mayfield has been the target of some major media scrutiny after the Browns week one 6-38 blowout against the Baltimore Ravens. When asked by NFL Network’s Michael Irvin on what he has to say to the haters and the doubters, Mayfield kept a calm composure, saying “I don’t need the chirp back. But there’s one thing in the Mayfield household: we don’t forget.” 

            As for the Brown’s defense, credit goes to Cleveland’s front seven, who kept Bengals halfback Joe Mixon in check, with only 46 yards 16 carries. They were also able to knock down Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow three times, with defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson being the standout performer; four solo tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. Cornerback Denzel Ward was the patrolman of the secondary, limiting former Pro Bowl wideout A.J Green to just 3 catches for 29 yards. Ward also made sure no Bengals receiver went for over 100 yards receiving; registering three total tackles and three pass deflections.  

Joe Burrow saves Cincy. But can someone save Joe Burrow from Cincy? 

            Joe Burrow proved to indeed be the saving grace the city of Cincinnati has been begging for since the decline in play of former-supposed franchise savior Andy “the Red Rifle” Dalton. Under the bright lights of Thursday night, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner threw a whopping 61 passing attempts, completing 37 of them (60% completion) for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Burrow also added 19 yards on the ground and converted on all five of the Bengals fourth-down conversion attempts.  

            As for the rest of the Bengals offense, it was underwhelming, to say the least. Burrow was harassed all night by Cleveland’s front seven, getting sacked three times and knocked down seven times. The running game couldn’t get going with either Mixon or Giovanni Bernard, with only 68 total team rushing yards on the night. Veteran wideout A.J. Green was targeted 13 times by Burrow. He only caught 3 balls. 

“I will never adjust or accept losing,” said Burrow at his post-game presser. “This 0-2 start is really hurting me, I know it’s hurting coach and everyone in [the locker room]. We have to get it right.” 

As for the Bengals defense, it was basically non-existent, outside of William Jackson III’s interception in the fourth quarter. No one looked like they wanted to take on either Kareem Hunt or Nick Chubb in a one-on-one situation. Abysmal. 

What comes next 

            Cleveland stays at home in week three, set to host Ron Rivera and the Washington Football Team. They’ll have plenty of time to figure out how to keep Washington’s stellar front seven from moving and abusing Mayfield. A front seven that just sacked Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz eight times in Washington’s 27-17 week one win. 

            As for Cincinnati, they travel down to the Linc to face the previously mentioned Philadelphia Eagles, who’ll be coming off a tough matchup against Aaron Donald’s L.A. Rams. 

Writer

-By: Juan Guarin-Camargo

On Sunday, the 2020 NFL season will have its first full slate of games of the season, and the Cleveland Browns are going into the season with something to prove. After a disappointing 2019 season, where they went 6-10 and their franchise QB Baker Mayfield regressed, the Browns will look to turn their franchise around in 2020. Let us dive into every aspect of the Browns team.

Offense

When you think of the Cleveland Browns offense, your attention immediately shifts to QB Baker Mayfield, a former number one overall pick out of Oklahoma. After coming out of the gate hot for a record-breaking rookie season, Mayfield took a major step back in 2019, throwing 22 TD and 21 INT. Along with his struggles, Odell Beckham Jr. had a subpar year also, totaling only 1,035 receiving yards and 4 TD. Despite this, the coaching change should work wonders with these two players. Kevin Stefanski uses the play-action pass exclusively, giving Mayfield a cleaner pocket and giving Beckham Jr. more one-on-one opportunities. Jarvis Landry will look to continue his 2019 success in 2020.

The second part of the offense is their strength, the rushing attack, and the tight end play. The Browns feature arguably the best RB duo in the NFL with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. In 2019, Chubb finished second in the NFL in rushing yards, while Hunt caught a lot of passes out of the backfield while also getting some carries. Hunt is a former rushing champion and is still young and would be a starting running back on a lot of teams. Austin Hooper, David Njoku, and Harrison Bryant fill out the tight end group, who will be vital to the Browns offensive success, specifically in the play-action game. The Browns also drafted Jedrick Wills Jr. and signed Jack Conklin to sure up the offensive line, which was a glaring problem in 2019. If the Browns stick to their game plan and run the ball to give Mayfield more easy opportunities, the Browns should have a successful offense in 2020.

Defense

Even with the question marks on offense, the defense is tough to get a read on in 2020. On the defensive line, the Browns feature Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson, Larry Ogunjobi, and of course Myles Garrett, making for one of the tougher ones in the NFL. Getting to the quarterback was not an issue, but Cleveland struggled to stop the run, most of that coming from when Garrett was off the field due to a suspension. Expect veteran Adrian Clayborn to earn snaps as well as rookie Jordan Elliott, depending on the formations that the Browns will be in. 

The biggest question mark on the Browns defense will be their linebackers, who have already suffered a key injury in Mack Wilson. Wilson is not expected to miss that much time, but a player to his caliber is a huge loss, especially when Joe Schobert just left for Jacksonville via free agency. Sione Takitaki, Malcolm Smith, and B.J. Goodson will bring a veteran presence to the linebacker position, while Jacob Phillips will look to make an impact as a rookie.

In the secondary, led by corners Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward, the Browns should be extremely solid, even with the loss of rookie S Grant Delpit to a season-ending injury. Karl Joseph and Andrew Sendejo will be the starting safeties for Cleveland while newly acquired Ronnie Harrison will work his way into the rotation. The secondary was solid in 2019, and I would expect more of the same in 2020.

My Take

For the Browns, it is very simple, they have a loaded team talent-wise and now they just have to put it together but, in the end, the fate of this team is going to fall on QB Baker Mayfield. If Mayfield is the player he was as a rookie, the talent of this team will take them to the playoffs. If not, and the Browns can be in trouble. If Mayfield keeps his interceptions down, he should bounce back extremely nicely, especially with the offense that head coach Kevin Stefanski is implementing for the 2020 season.

Stats from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

The 2018 NFL Draft Class featured a lot of talent at the quarterback position, with five quarterbacks taken in the first round. Lamar Jackson has already won an MVP and Josh Allen led his team to the playoffs in year two, while Josh Rosen has yet to really make any type of impact in the NFL. Then there are the other two quarterbacks, who are stuck in the middle: Browns QB Baker Mayfield and Jets QB Sam Darnold. Both have shown flashes of success, but have not gotten their teams to the next level when it comes to winning. Both are going into year three, and this may be the biggest year for the two quarterbacks. Success can lead to a big contract and a playoff appearance, while failure can lead to the teams looking to move on.

Sam Darnold

The first of the two is Jets QB, Sam Darnold. Darnold probably had the highest expectations going into the draft, but the former USC standout has not lived up to his expectations thus far. He has thrown 36 touchdowns and 38 interceptions with 5,889 passing yards and a career record of 11-15. Not the worst numbers, but mediocre for a guy that was supposed to take the league by storm. To be fair, Darnold has not had much help behind him. He has had a depleted offensive line, minimal weapons, and no steadiness at all. He also was sidelined with mono in 2019, but still managed to go 7-6 in 13 games. You can argue that he could have led the Jets to a winning record if he was healthy the entire year, and 2020 will tell a lot of that story. Darnold has not been awful, but he has not met the expectations that many scouts had for him. Whether it turns into wins or not, Darnold needs to have a big season in 2020, which will most likely turn into wins for the New York Jets.

Baker Mayfield

For Baker Mayfield, it has been a tale of two seasons. In year one, the former Heisman Trophy winner threw 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and 3,725 passing yards in only 14 games. His 27 touchdowns broke the rookie record for most passing touchdowns in a single season, he finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting to RB Saquon Barkley, and the hype was starting to build up. In year two, some analysts picked him to win MVP, and many picked the Browns to go to the playoffs. But the hype ultimately failed. Cleveland went 6-10, and Mayfield regressed. He threw 22 touchdowns, which is not awful, but the 21 interceptions that accompanied them are what made it such a bad season. There were still positive moments, but if the Browns want to be successful in 2020, Baker needs to limit his picks and play better overall. Kevin Stefanski will be taking over as head coach, which is a match made in heaven for Mayfield. Stefanski loves to run play action, and Baker is most successful when the play-action is called. Like I said, a match made in heaven. The Browns upgraded their offensive line and gave Mayfield all the pieces he needs to succeed in 2020. Now it is just a matter of going out and doing it.

Must or Bust?

As stated before, this year is the biggest for the two quarterbacks. One that can be called “make or break”. I predict that neither quarterback will break, and both are going to finally break through and reach the caliber of a franchise quarterback. For Darnold, I believe that if it were not for mono, the Jets and Darnold would have both had quite different seasons in a good way. He had a winning record, and who knows what could have happened if he did not miss those three games. When he was on the field, he played well, and I think he is only going to get better as he gets more comfortable. The AFC East is now wide open, meaning a good season from Darnold may be enough to get the Jets to the playoffs. For Baker, the pressure is all on him in 2020, but I do not believe that it will phase him. The coaching change was the right move, and will give the Browns a more disciplined attitude in 2020. Another year of experience and maturity will do wonders for the young quarterback. All Mayfield must do is limit his interceptions, and the success will follow. 

If I were to pick one, I would pick…

If I had to pick between the two to be my quarterback in 2020, I would probably lean towards Baker Mayfield. Their talent is similar, but I just feel the situation and the supporting cast is better in Cleveland than in New York. Regardless, both quarterbacks are poised to break out, and it will be exciting to watch these two perform in the upcoming season.

Stats from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas