Browns Game Recap: Team beats down Bengals in unified effort (3 Good/3 Bad of Week 9)
By Chad Porto
The Good
The ex-Rams
Credit goes to Denzel Ward for having his best game in two years, but John Johnson and Troy Hill just had a bigger impact. Johnson had two turnovers, an interception, and a forced fumble credited to him, while Troy Hill had two sacks on the day. While Hill has played well all year, Johnson had not, and this was a key game not just for the Browns but for himself as well.
Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield threw three passes away and had another two hit receivers in the hands (though not easy catches to make). While all five count as incompletions against Mayfield, they don’t exactly count the same way with proper context. Realizing that he only really missed two or three passes all day really puts into perspective his abilities. He threw two touchdown passes and a ridiculous pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones that was all hang time. Mayfield showed that when his receivers are doing their jobs, he in fact can do his.
Nick Chubb
While we often overlook Nick Chubb due to his greatness being expected, even the most jaded admirers of Chubb have to be impressed with his outing against the Bengals. While it looked early on that they may be able to repeat the Steelers’ success and limit the run, the Browns persisted and eventually broke Chubb free. Chubb posted his second-best outing on the season.