BROWNS REVERSE THEIR FORTUNES DRAMATICALLY

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By STEVE KING

For those of you who really ripped Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield after his performance against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday, now it is time to really praise him.

For those of you who really ripped head coach Kevin Stefanski for his performance against the Ravens, now it is time to really praise him.

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And for those of you who really ripped the Browns for their performance overall against the Ravens, now it is time to really praise them.

Indeed, for as bad as Mayfield, Stefanski and the Browns were in the 38-6 drubbing administered by the Ravens in the season opener – and they all deserved to be really ripped, for they were, in most cases, really bad; how could anyone have done much good considering the score? – they were all just about that good in the 35-30 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the home opener on Thursday Night Football at FirstEnergy Stadium.

W.#CINvsCLE pic.twitter.com/oB0J3VZzmi

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 18, 2020

Don’t let the final score fool you. It really wasn’t that close. The Browns did not do much wrong, especially offensively, in roaring out to a 28-13 lead and then held on against a Cincinnati comeback for the win. Mayfield was outstanding throwing the ball, and Stefanski, who doubles as the de-facto offensive coordinator, called all the right plays at all the right times. He couldn’t have written a better script as the Browns complemented Mayfield’s throwing by running the ball when they wanted and how they wanted with both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt despite the fact they were without injured right tackle Jack Conklin. This is how Stefanski wants his offense to look, with balance.

The defense? It was better against the Bengals, and it should have been better because 2019 cellar-dwelling Cincinnati will never be confused with two-time defending AFC North champion Baltimore, but it still has a long way to go.

However, the NFL is an offensive league, and the Browns proved they can compete with just about anybody on that side of the ball, and thus overall, as the defense continues to get healthy.

We’ll see how it goes from here, but you have to feel much better about the Browns now than you did late Sunday afternoon.

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