The Cleveland Browns came away with a much needed victory when they needed it most.
This was a game that if the Cleveland Browns lost that everything would have spiraled out of control. Luckily they were able to gather themselves during a tumultuous week, defeating the upstart Cincinnati Bengals in dominant fashion 41-16.
Denzel Ward stepped up early
After it appeared that Joe Burrow was going to have his way with the Browns defense all game long, Denzel Ward stepped in front of Ja’Maar Chase, picked the ball off and took it to the house, giving the Browns an early 7-0 lead.
DENZEL WARD TOOK IT 100 YARDS FOR THE PICK-SIX
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/lz5UIww2tt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 7, 2021
Troy Hill made Browns history
Troy Hill was the first Cleveland Browns defensive back in team history to record three sacks in a game. The sacks were well timed and made a huge difference over the course of the game.
Crazy stat:
Troy Hill is the first #Browns DB to ever record 3 sacks in the same game.
*#NFL started tracking stats in 1982*@VintageBrowns @BrownsTherapy @OrangeisOranger @ScottSabolFOX8 https://t.co/zYPOLHfHbd
— John Sabol (@John_Sabol) November 7, 2021
Nick Chubb did Nick Chubb things
While Nick Chubb only had 14 carries in the game, he made every one of them count. Chubb finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns with a long run of 70 yards. This, in conjunction with the defense, is exactly the complimentary performance the team needed to win this game.
Baker Mayfield made some throws
Baker Mayfield started the game 7-8 for 121 yards and one touchdown. That touchdown was to a wide open Donovan Peoples-Jones. The play was exciting, but at the same time completing a pass to a wide open receiver streaking down the middle of the field is expected from an average quarterback.
DONOVAN PEOPLES-JONES! Wow.
Browns up 21-7. pic.twitter.com/tLocHIwdUy
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 7, 2021
Mayfield would throw his second touchdown pass late in the game to David Njoku.
#Browns score another one 41-16 after a Baker to David Njoku for the touchdown.pic.twitter.com/nRN8J9hKBp
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 7, 2021
Overall Mayfield was fine, a few good throws mixed in with some less than stellar plays. Consistency is still an issue over the course of the game and that will need to fixed as the season progresses. Sunday’s win was a nice start, but there is a lot of work to do. At the end of the day it was a dominant defensive performance and a strong running game that allowed Mayfield to operate in this manner and still win.
