Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield left no doubt while carving up Bengals

Baker Mayfield had a big day in the Cleveland Browns win against the Cincinnati Bengals, silencing critics with big plays and smart decisions.

Two mistakes, that’s it. A second half interception and a first half intentional grounding violation. That was all Baker Mayfield did wrong as he and the Cleveland Browns won their home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals in a final of 35-30. The Browns move to 1-1 on the season and the Bengals fall to 0-2.

Mayfield came into the game under heavy scrutiny over his play in Baltimore, where he had a less than stellar game. He completed only 54% of his passes against the Ravens, had a touchdown and one interception with 189 yards to his name. Against the Bengals, Mayfield threw for 219 yards, completed 70% of his passes and tossed two touchowns.

Beyond the stats, Mayfield just looked better. He was still given all day to throw, he evaded what pressure was there, and threw nothing but beautiful balls all day. His one interception wasn’t even a “bad” play, as just before he threw the ball, he side stepped an oncoming Bengals defensive player with ease, mimicking the crossover skills of former NBA player Jason Williams.

Mayfield spread the ball around too. He didn’t force anything to anyone, and completed passes to eight different players on his team. Odell Beckham lead the way with 74 yards, on four receptions with one touchdown. Kareem Hunt also caught a passing touchdown, and finished with two receptions for 15 yards.

The only gripe that you could come up with besides the intentional grounding and interception is that Austin Hooper still seems like he isn’t fully integrated into the offense. You want to see more from Hooper, having only had two receptions for 22 yards on the day. For what he’s being paid, he has to do more. That’s more on head coach Kevin Stefanski than on him.

That said, Mayfield had a lot of help, as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 210 yards rushing the football. Chubb had 124 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns, while Hunt had 86 yards on 10 carries with one rushing touchdown. Making it two total for Hunt on the day.

The play action pass worked to perfection, opening up the game with two consective calls. It set the tempo and pace for the game. Something that would be useful, as it was the Browns ability to churn out long drives that got them the win. The Browns defense was largely ineffective, making it all the more important that the Browns offense had over 26 minutes with the ball. That type of time management made it nearly impossible for the Bengals to come back, though they did make it close at the end.

Regardless, Mayfield did a lot to show what he can do when the offense is put into a position to succeed.