Browns: 3 keys to victory against the Bengals in Cincinnati

Get Baker Mayfield going early

Baker Mayfield has to be established early. The team is dealing with issues trying to get the running game going without Wyatt Teller and Nick Chubb. Without those two key cogs, the Browns offense has not looked great. The passing game isn’t going to be much better off with Jarvis Landry playing on a bad hip and with a broken rib but the offense has enough pieces that Mayfield should be able to get a rhythm going early.

That’s going to be a key for keeping this offense going. Yes, Baltimore and Pittsburgh shut the Browns down but that’s more a sign of facing off with better defenses and coaches with a better grasp on the game than head coach Kevin Stefanski. People forget that this is only Stefanski’s second year in charge of an offense. Better schemes and gameplans are going to mess with him. He’s a rookie in all of this. So yes, Mayfield has looked bad at points, but then again, Stefanski has too.

Stefanski has to consider what Hue Jackson said and play Mayfield in the shotgun formation more. Let him spread the field and really utilize those pass-catching threats better. Kareem Hunt’s not moving the chains as a featured runner, so it’s not like you’re going to be hurting your offensive scheme much. Plus, if it can help Mayfield’s confidence, then when Chubb comes back you can go back to the play-action pass and running formations more while having more faith in Mayfield.

Right now the Browns need to re-adjust into more of a passing team until Chubb and Teller are back. That shift should start against the Bengals.