5 Cleveland Browns whose stocks are up after Week 7’s Bengals’ thriller.
The Cleveland Browns somehow find themselves playing “must-win” games every Sunday and Week 7’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals was no different.
Coming off a shellacking at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers a week ago, the Browns badly needed to earn a victory to avoid the possibility of seeing their season trend the wrong way.
Instead, the team played one of its greatest games of the expansion era, earning a 37-34 thrilling, come-from-behind victory.
That’s a hefty statement considering how things started. Baker Mayfield threw an interception on his first attempt of the day. Odell Beckham injured his knee trying to run down the ball carrier, while J.C. Tretter did as well.
Tretter returned, but Beckham did not, and the media speculation regarding his health doesn’t look good.
The Browns pulled it together, though, as fans were reminiscing about Bernie and Boomer while watching the shootout between Burrow and Baker.
Here’s five Browns whose stocks are up, as Cleveland improved to 5-2 with the Las Vegas Raiders awaiting in Week 8.
1. Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield’s stock might’ve been at an all-time low heading into Cincinnati, but that penny stock is now worth a heck-of-a-lot-more.
Mayfield started off going 0-5 with an interception. However, he went on to complete 22 of his next 23 passes, with the only incompletion being a spiked ball on the final drive. He set a franchise record for consecutive completions in the process.
Mayfield’s transformation really took place in the second half. Cleveland got the ball and Mayfield took the Browns down the field for a score.
Stefanski seemed to set his quarterback free at that point, as Mayfield played more like the guy who won the 2017 Heisman.
Did the pressure of not having to look Odell Beckham’s way on every pass help clear the quarterback’s head? Admit it, you thought the same thing, as Mayfield looked like the player who broke the rookie touchdown passing record by spreading the ball around to different receivers.
Mayfield completed passes to six wideouts on the day as he had his greatest game as a Brown.
2. Rashard Higgins
Rashard Higgins notably stepped up in OBJ’s absence–and it makes you wonder why the Browns basically wrote him off in 2018 and this season, as well.
Higgins started the season on the bench behind Khadrel Hodge, but started to get some playing time after he got injured. With Beckham leaving early this week, Higgins reminded everyone as to the chemistry he and Mayfield share.
The veteran doesn’t have the talent of OBJ, but he figured out how to be effective as he caught all six of his targets for 110 yards.
You couldn’t help but wonder if everyone on offense was just a little more at ease without Beckham on sidelines up to his old antics of throwing his helmet to the ground and changing into his sneakers.
Some may call it passion, but it’s an act that has to get old with the players around him who are all trying to reach a common goal of winning.
3. Donovan Peoples-Jones
Sixth-round picks aren’t supposed to make game winning catches–they’re not Donovan Peoples-Jones.
DPJ’s incredible grab was a master’s class in concentration, as the rookie plucked the back shoulder throw, held onto it, and then landed both of his feet in-bounds, sealing the victory for Cleveland.
Peoples-Jones had no career receptions heading into the contest, but saw the most playing time of his career in OBJ’s absence. In total, DPJ ran 20 routes during the contest.
Following the game, Beckham’s knee injury was being reported as “serious,” so if the wideout is to miss time, look for DPJ to run the same number of routes next week.
While the catch was spectacular, it’s unlikely he’ll jump over Higgins on the depth chart. Still, a great catch from the rook.
4. Denzel Ward
No one would define the Browns defense as “good,” but they sure boast a couple of players who are superstars.
One of those individuals is Denzel Ward, who made some huge plays from the onset, dominating Cincinnati on the Bengals first trip to the red zone.
With the Bengals on the cusp of punching in their first score, Ward broke up a pass in the end zone, tackled Boyd for a loss and then tipped the pass that B.J. Goodson eventually intercepted.
Later in the game, he knocked away a ball from A.J. Green. The wideout made a tremendous play on the ball and seemed to come down with it for a millisecond, but Ward never gave up on the play and saved the day.
With Ward and Myles Garrett as the cornerstones of the defense and the offense basically set to win, it won’t be surprising to see the Browns go heavy on defense in the upcoming draft.
For now, Ward and Myles Garrett seem to be the difference between the defense bending and breaking.
5. Myles Garrett
If we’re talking defensive player rankings, Myles Garrett trails really just one player: Aaron Donald.
And I guarantee you’ll find a healthy sect of Browns fans who believe their guy is greatest quarterback hunter.
That argument would’ve been hard to dispute Sunday, as Garrett was at it again in Cincinnati, coming up with another strip sack of Joe Burrow, in addition to another takedown later in the game.
Garrett now has nine sacks through seven games. He’s just five takedowns shy of the Browns single-season record of 14, which was set in 1984 by Reggie Camp.
Fortunately, Ronnie Harrison saved the day by jumping on the ball that Garrett jarred loose. Oliver Vernon tried to pick it up and promptly failed. Ada, Ohio’s top export was about to roll out of bounds before Harrison picked it up.
As previously mentioned with Denzel Ward, the Browns defense will never be considered “good,” but playmakers such as Ward and Garrett give the Browns a fighting chance.