Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – Every week there always seems to be something new when you watch the Cleveland Browns play football, but Sunday afternoon fans were treated to a piece of history and a sound thumping of the Atlanta Falcons.
Maybe, just maybe these final 6 games won’t be the slow walk to the gallows we’d been dreading since the firings of Hue Jackson and Todd Haley after all. If Sunday’s effort is any indication, the Browns might become a dangerous team for the playoff hopefuls that line their schedule the rest of the way.
It’s been a while, but there are a lot of game balls to hand out following the 28-16 victory.
Baker Mayfield: The Browns finally appear to have a franchise quarterback whom they can now build the organization around in Mayfield. All he did Sunday was complete his first 13 passes, take a perfect passer rating into the locker room at half, complete 17 of 20 throws for 216 yards to 9 different receivers and his touchdowns went to Rashard Higgins, Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson Jr. Over his last 4 games, Mayfield has become very dangerous by completing 69 percent of his passes with 9 touchdowns, just 2 interceptions and a passer rating of 104.6.
Nick Chubb: Chubb made Browns history when he ripped off a 92-yard touchdown to all but put the game out of reach and give the Browns an 18-point lead. Chubb totaled 176 yards rushing on 20 carries, but even when you take away the record-setting TD, he still averaged an impressive 4.4 per carry on his other 19 runs. Chubb is a battering ram and home run hitter. Throw in 3 more catches for 33 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown catch, and he had himself a day.
Duke Johnson Jr.: Johnson led the Browns with 4 catches that went for 31 yards including an 11-yard touchdown catch from Mayfield with 55 seconds remaining in the second quarter to put the Browns in front for good, 14-10. In the last 2 weeks Johnson has caught all 13 targets from Mayfield for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns.
T.J. Carrie: The veteran cornerback broke up 2 passes, made 9 tackles and then the tide-turning play of the second half when he stripped Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu after a 4-yard completion and recovered the loose football at the Falcon 41 early in the third quarter. 6 plays and 41 yards later the Browns took a 21-10 lead, all but turning out the lights. Carrie also helped shadow Julio Jones and kept the perennial pro bowl receiver from taking over the game even though Matt Ryan was forced to throw it 52 times.
Jamie Collins: Fans and media have been tough on Collins the last few weeks after video clips that appeared to show him giving less than 100 percent on plays went viral, but Sunday he had one of his better games by racking up a team-high 9 tackles, a tackle for loss and he jumped on Matt Ryan’s fumble with less than 2 minutes to play that allowed Mayfield to line up in victory formation for the second time this season.
Freddie Kitchens: Kitchens has wasted no time showing his ability to put his playmakers in position to succeed and the offense has responded with 7 touchdowns in 2 weeks. We learned Sunday he wasn’t joking about bringing the wishbone back either when it showed up on their third offensive series and he has his own twist of the veer too. Sure, the halfback pass from Dontrell Hilliard to Mayfield was a disaster – only because it resulted in an interception – but it would’ve been the play call of the day had it worked. Kitchens also called a direct snap for Chubb while Mayfield pretended to look confused on a third-and-1. Trickeration aside, Kitchens has done in 2 games what Todd Haley didn’t in the previous 8.
Gregg Williams: Williams is showing that he’s more than just a charismatic f-bomb dropping defensive coordinator with a lifetime supply of lozenges. As the interim head coach, the players have responded to him, and as is custom when you get your first win as the top dawg, you get a well-deserved game ball.
John Dorsey: For all their faults when it comes to hiring people since blowing a cool billion on the Browns in 2012, Jimmy and Dee Haslam deserve credit for the hire of John Dorsey as general manager last December. Dorsey restored some needed credibility to the front office by immediately adding Eliot Wolf as assistant GM and Alonzo Highsmith as vice president of player personnel to the ranks that already included Andrew Berry and Ken Kovash. Why the praise for Dorsey, Wolf and Highsmith? Just look at the roster and who is contributing. Enough said.
