Cleveland 17 Denver 16

The Browns first win over the Broncos since 1990. Rush defense stepped up and only allowed 32 yards.

I watched the second half, the two teams looked pretty even to me.

I enjoyed watching this game.

With their franchise QB, a young stud at RB, a pretty good defense and quite a few picks next year, I think the NFC North might be staring up at Cleveland on the standings next year. I'm assuming they'll sure up that O-Line in the draft next year?

Any NFL team that can only muster 32 rushing yards deserves to lose.

Every team is decimated with injuries. The Broncos injury woes are crazy. Three starting offensive lineman, top two WRs, three top corners.

For as much national media attention Baker Mayfield gets the key to the Browns turn around has been the defense and the running game. Mayfield didnt put up great numbers in this game but hes the lead story. Gotta love the way ESPN and other sports networks push their ratings.

The Browns defense was good early in the season. Then many injuries rendered the defense suspect, but Mayfield was keeping them in games and winning some. The running game was very mediocre early on. Chubb has had some nice games and his contribution was key this week. But the biggest story is the way Baker Mayfield has led this team. He is the reason they are now winning games and not losing close games. He is rightly being highlighted in media stories. And, no, it is not all him.

I think the coaching staff deserves some credit. Ever since Jackson and Haley were canned, the offense has been going much better and Mayfield's production has gone way up. I don't have the figures in front of me, but TDs and QBR are up. Completion percentage probably made the biggest jump with Kitchens as OC and calling the plays instead of Haley.

The Browns defense was good early in the season. Then many injuries rendered the defense suspect, but Mayfield was keeping them in games and winning some. The running game was very mediocre early on. Chubb has had some nice games and his contribution was key this week. But the biggest story is the way Baker Mayfield has led this team. He is the reason they are now winning games and not losing close games. He is rightly being highlighted in media stories. And, no, it is not all him.

 

I think the coaching staff deserves some credit. Ever since Jackson and Haley were canned, the offense has been going much better and Mayfield's production has gone way up. I don't have the figures in front of me, but TDs and QBR are up. Completion percentage probably made the biggest jump with Kitchens as OC and calling the plays instead of Haley.

Good points. Baker is obviously the difference maker at the most important position in football - a position that has always been a weakness since the Browns came back into the league in 1999. Having said that, they also have an abundance of young, complementary play makers to build with. Myles Garrett is a force on defense, as is Denzel Ward (even though he's missed time with concussions). David Njoku, Nick Chubb and Jarvis Landry would start for any NFL team that doesn't have cornerstone players at those positions. The future is bright for the Browns and it'll be interesting to see what happens with the coaching search. Will Gregg Williams and Freddie Kitchens stay on in their current roles? Will GM Dorsey try to find the next Sean McVay in hopes of having a high octane offense? Time will tell but this sure has been a fun ride this season.

I've updated my Baker Mayfield stats after the Broncos game and here is where he stands after playing 6 games under Williams/Kitchens versus the 5 1/2 games he played under Jackson/Haley.

Completion %

58.2% - Jackson/Haley

70.6% - Williams/Kitchens

TD/INT

8/6 - Jackson/Haley

13/5 - Williams/Kitchens

Passing Yards

1,471 - Jackson/Haley

1/594 - Williams/Kitchens

Passer Rating Avg.

89.1 - Jackson/Haley

112.7 - Williams/Kitchens

I'm not an expert on Passer Rating but I'd venture to guess that when your TD/INT ratio is solid and your completion rate is good, you'll have a worthy Passer Rating. Mayfield's passing yards are very similar under both regimes but his completion percentage and TD/INT ratio is much better. That's the big difference I see.