Weather or not 

When the Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland again/Las Vegas Raiders meet up with the Browns in Cleveland Sunday afternoon, they will be treated to typical Cleveland weather at this time of the year.

The forecast calls for falling temperatures (into the upper 30s) during the game because -- wait for it -- there is a 90% chance of rain. All day. Not exactly what you'd call ideal football weather. Should be a fun afternoon.

It'll be interesting to see how these evenly-matched teams handle the elements. Both are well equipped to beat you on the ground, as well as through the air when there are no impediments. They are mirror images of each other on both sides of the football.

The 5-2 Browns, who amazingly have been outscored by 21 points, have also scored 30 or more points in their victories. The 3-3 Raiders, who play a tougher schedule, have knocked off 4-2 New Orleans and Super Bowl champion Kansas City (6-1) this season. They have also lost to 5-2 Buffalo and 5-2 Tampa Bay.

Both teams can roll up  points on offense, the Browns especially against losing teams. The Raiders can do so no matter the opponent. Now when defense enters the picture, there is only one word that adequately describes that side of the ball for both clubs.

Embarrassingly awful. OK, I cheated. But I am not incorrect.

The Raiders, who have a well-balanced offense with quarterback Derek Carr, several reliable receivers and a terrific young running back in Josh Jacobs, rarely stop themselves on offense. Their defense, on the other hand, can't stop the opposition, surrendering nearly 33 points a game. The Browns have permitted a meager 31.5 per by comparison.

The Browns row in that same boat. They rarely turn the ball over, except when Baker Mayfield is throwing to Odell Beckham Jr. (and that won't happen against until next season) and their running game is still one of the best in the National Football League.

And yes, their defense is worse than the Raiders' with one notable exception. Browns quarterback disturber and all-around nice guy Myles Garrett not only leads the NFL in sacks, his nine are half of the team total and two more than the Raiders have recorded all season.

So why is the Cleveland secondary picked on so much? Two reasons. First of all, the run defense for  a change has played well this season. Second, that group, which sees more than 40 passes a game on average, has given up 288 yards a game. So why not throw, anyway?

Same can be said of the Browns, considering the Raiders' secondary has given up 284 yards a game. Head coach/playcaller Kevin Stefanski is more inclined to maintain a balanced attack, but that porous secondary and lack of a pass rush might persuade him to cut Baker Mayfield loose again a second straight week.

You can also just about count on Carr, who has completed 72% of his throws this season good for 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions, to most likely go up top and add to the Browns' secondary misery unless the Raiders' ground game experiences success early. 

Jacobs is definitely motivated. The second-year back is coming off his worst game as a pro with just 17 yards in 10 carries last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game the Raiders' defense held close until a fourth-quarter blowout by the Bucs.

The Raiders also received good news a couple of days ago when All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Brown was removed from the COVID-19 injury list -- he tested positive during the bye week -- and will rejoin a very good offensive line. 

The Browns, adjusting to life without Beckham, welcomed wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge back off the injured list, giving Mayfield five wideouts to target in addition to his three tight ends and running back Kareem Hunt.

The way these two teams score and subsequently belch points -- mirror images on both sides of the football, remember -- indicates another shootout by the Lakefront is thisclose to being inevitable. And it very well might come down to which team handles the weather better.

Games played in elements like the ones expected Sunday usually favor the offense. They know which way plays are going. The defense, the reaction side of the ball, can only guess and hope the call is correct. It also figures to be sloppy with the possibility of several turnovers.

Hard one to figure out. The Browns are no doubt happy to be back home after playing three of the last four games on the road, where they went 3-1, and looking forward to three straight at home. The Raiders are 2-1 away from home. Winning in Kansas City is a factor.

Without the elements, I like the Raiders. But if the meteorologists are correct and the rain and thermometer fall on Sunday, it's hard to pick against the home team. So . . . with fingers crossed and umbrella ready, this one belongs to the Browns, possibly in overtime. Make it:

Browns 24, Raiders 21

Mid-week thoughts

A couple of items today . . . 

Life after OBJ . . . 

There is no question whatsoever that losing Odell Beckham Jr. for the season cannot be overstated. It will definitely have an effect on how head coach/playcaller/pseudo offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski gameplans the offense the rest of the 2020 season.

But let's not treat this like an all-is-lost situation just because the club's best wide receiver will be a spectator the rest of the season. The Browns are 5-2 and Beckham has not been a major contributor to the cause.

Or has he?

A case can be made that while he still is highly regarded around the National Football League, other factors have played major roles in that 5-2 record. Beckham has played a relatively minor role from a statistical standpoint.

There are times it appears as though quarterback Baker Mayfield is trying to force the ball to Beckham just to keep him from complaining about not being a vital part of the offense. Kind of a throw-me-the-damn-ball mind-set.

It can be argued Mayfield is a different quarterback when targeting other members of the offense. When attempting to connect with Beckham, he is a 53% thrower. On non-Beckham throws, he connects nearly 80% of the time. A remarkable, head-scratching difference.

In theory, Beckham's absence the rest of the season consequently should not have a negative effect on the Cleveland offense. Not so, say Mayfield and Beckham's best friend and fellow wideout Jarvis Landry. Landry first.

"That's not true at all," he said. "A lot of our offense has been solely based on having Odell on the field. A lot of the things that have opened up for us as an offense has been because of the threat he is. We've just got to find a way to adapt and adjust and make plays."

Asked if he is a better quarterback without OBJ, Mayfield took umbrage. "I think it's completely insensitive to a guy who just tore his ACL," he initially replied. "I'm not even going to comment on it." He later added, "Without him, there may not be as many one-on-one opportunities. . . . Teams are going to play us differently."

Will Beckham be missed? Of course he will. It's nonsense to think otherwise. But it is not as catastrophic a loss as some would have you believe. If anything, and this is stretching the point a bit, it might turn out to be a blessing of sorts.

Now when he drops back to pass, Mayfield's eyes will take him to Landry, tight ends Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant and David Njoku, running back Kareem Hunt and wide receivers Rashard Higgins and rookie Donovan People-Jones.

With regard to the latter two, bench-warmers until now, think of it this sway: If Beckham does not go down on the first possession of the afternoon against Cincinnati Sunday, do Higgins and Peoples-Jones play major roles in the big comeback? I don't think so. His presence would have taken a major portion of their targets away, including during the game-winning drive.

Statistically, Beckham seems to be the least reliable of all Mayfield receivers. How that plays out in the remaining nine games this season will go a long way in determining whether he is, indeed, an invaluable  player in the Cleveland offense.

***

What were they thinking? . . .

It sure looks as though the Browns were asleep at the switch last week. And it cost them a player who could have come in and fit right away with what passes as their pass rush. Besides, it strengthens a division opponent.

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the smartest front offices in the NFL and proved it by prying loose Yannick Ngakoue from the Minnesota Vikings for what amounts to chump change. All it cost the Ravens to acquire one of the NFL's premier edge rushers was a third-round selection in next year's college draft and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2022.

That's it. A three and a five for Ngakoue is almost, but not quite, highway robbery. The Vikings, who had acquired Ngakoue from Jacksonville, are currently in a selling mood after starting the season 1-5. 

Surely the Browns could easily have afforded that. They have 10 picks in next year's lottery, including a pair of threes and a pair of fives. That's dirt cheap to put Ngakouke in Seal Brown and Orange opposite Myles Garrett. Can you imagine those two barreling in concert toward opposing quarterbacks on a weekly basis? You won't now. 

Where were the Browns in this little scenario? Stefanski knows the entire Vikings family, having spent the last decade there. And General Manager Andrew Berry had to know the Vikes were in a dumping mood. That's his job to know stuff like that.

Instead, you'll see Ngakoue with Baltimore's Calais Campbell, Matthew Judon and Pernell McPhee harassing the likes of Mayfield twice a year. His first stop is Dec. 14 in Cleveland, a Monday Night Football date on ESPN.

The Browns also did not appear to be players when Ngakoue this past summer literally talked his way out of Jacksonville, where he had spent his first four NFL seasons, because he wanted to escape the losing atmosphere. 

Ngakoue is a special player. He has a nose for the football, especially when it is in the hands of opposing quarterbacks. In 69 NFL games, he has 42.5 sacks, including five in six games this season with the Vikings, and 47 tackles for loss. And he is only 25 years old.

A possible reason for the Browns' apparent disinterest in Ngakoue is his desire to be paid quite handsomely for his services in the future and he might ask for too much. The Browns still have fifth-year option decisions to make with regard to Mayfield, cornerback Denzel Ward and running back Nick Chubb.

But if you have the opportunity to get an honest-to-goodness quality defensive player, especially with the awful defense they have now, you jump at it. The Browns, it seems, chose to jump in another direction.

Monday leftovers

It was one of those moments in sports where testosterone takes over a situation and boldly lifts it to heights that only the imagination can conjure up.

The situation: The Cincinnati Bengals had just taken a 34-31 lead over the Browns Sunday afternoon when Baker Mayfield huddled up his offense. They were 75 yards from the Cincinnati end zone. A mere 66 seconds remained on the scoreboard clock. And no timeouts to use.

Mayfield, who had overcome a miserable first quarter with a quartet of touchdown passes, made it quite clear that thoughts of a game-tying field goal were unacceptable. "I told the guys, 'Screw that; we're going to win,'" he said after the game. "No need to settle for that. Just do our job."

A more conservative approach -- tie the game with a field goal and take their chances in overtime -- was out of the question. That's not the Baker Mayfield way. He's a firebrand and firebrands do not do conservative very well.

He was hot and he knew it. He did not want to pull back. His head coach (and playcaller) knew it, too. "Every time I looked at him on the sideline, he had that steely look in his eye," said Kevin Stefanski. "He was not going to back down. I think that's the story of Baker. . . . I'm really proud of how he responded."

Working without Odell Beckham Jr. (torn ACL on the second play from scrimmage) and a banged-up Jarvis Landry, Mayfield matriculated the 75 yards in four plays and a snappy 55 seconds, alternating his four passes between Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, who caught touchdown No. 5, a back-shoulder throw from 24 yards. Ball game: 37-34.

If there is a moment to remember this season and look back on down the road with regard to the relationship between Stefanski and Mayfield, that was it. I believe Mayfield won over his coach, who had adopted a game-manager role for him in the first five games.

Mayfield was having trouble adapting to Stefanski's more conservative approach on offense, which heavily favored the ground game and placed it on par with the passing game. As a result, his passing totals diminished and he began throwing interceptions again.

He looked tentative, uncertain, sometimes confused and alarmingly indecisive. As the interceptions piled up, he appeared to be reluctant to throw the football.

But the Browns were winning. And isn't that the most important thing? They were averaging more than 30 points a game in four straight victories. Makes no difference who they came against. They were all National Football League teams.

If Stefanski had lost confidence in Mayfield, a significant portion of it was surely restored with this victory. That doesn't necessarily mean he's going to turn Mayfield loose again Sunday at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. That remains to be seen. 

All of a sudden the receivers corps is down to three. Higgins and Peoples-Jones, residents of the bench for a major portion of this season, are now major players in an offense that does not seem to have problems against teams with problems on defense.

It's comforting to know the depth factor at wide receiver from a quality standpoint with Higgins and Peoples-Jones makes it easier for Mayfield to do his job with the kind of confidence that was missing in the large losses in Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

They came through for him when he -- and his team -- needed them the most. They proved they can make plays when making plays means, at least in this case, the difference between winning and losing. 

"Obviously, there is something there," Stefanski said of the Mayfield-Higgins connection. "He has a great feel for throwing to (Higgins). I give great credit to the kid when earlier in the season he was not getting the reps I'm sure he wanted." He'll get them now with Beckham out,

It's a great story for at least one week. But now they are on tape and word spreads quickly across the NFL landscape. The Bengals found out about them on Sunday. The Raiders now know the Browns are more than Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry at that position.

***

While we're at it on offense, let's not forget about the guys up front who were also a major factor in the victory Sunday: Jedrick Wills Jr. Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter, Chris Hubbard and Jack Conklin. They sure know how to protect their quarterback against the Bengals.

Mayfield dropped back to throw 53 times in the two games and was not sacked, although the Bengals came close a couple of times Sunday. There was more pressure in this one as opposed to the first game in week two.

The Browns kept falling behind in the second half. The pressure to regain the lead (on four occasions) did not seem to bother the plug uglies. They accomplished their main goal of making certain their quarterback had enough time to throw. What he eventually accomplished did not go unnoticed.

They knew what the outcome of this game meant. "At the end of the year," said Bitonio, "whatever our record is, it is not going to be like 'Man, Pittsburgh, bad loss; Baltimore, bad loss.' It's going to be whatever our win-loss record is."

The more Mayfield connected and kept getting the lead back, the harder the line seemed to work. They seemed determined to not let this one wind up in the wrong column in the standings. At the same time, they most likely felt proud of themselves for playing a large part in Mayfield's record-busting string of 21 straight completions and five touchdowns.

***

Now the defense. Is there any question Myles Garrett is taking dead aim on becoming the NFL's defensive player of the year? Of course not. His disruptive self is making life miserable for opposing offensive lines. Right now, the defensive end IS the Cleveland pass rush. 

Made no difference where he lined up: Left end, right end, left tackle, right tackle, He was all over the line against the Bengals and dropped Joe Burrow twice, giving him a league-leading nine on the season. It was almost as though he was playing "Where's Garrett" with Burrow when calling his pass protection.

He also hit him a few times, hurried him on numerous other occasions and recorded his league-leading fourth strip sack of the season. He nearly got another against Burrow late in the game, but the rookie saw him and tucked the ball firmly against his body to avoid another strip job.

He hasn't indicated it, but it stands to reason the causal factor Garrett has dominated this season is motivation. He probably wants to make certain fans know he is not the dirty player who ripped off Mason Rudolph's helmet last year and bopped him on top of his head with it. He wants them to know he is one of the best pass rushers in the league.

***

Strong game for Denzel Ward, who appears to be getting stronger and more active by the gane. He seemed to be everywhere against the Bengals, If he wasn't knocking down passes in the end zone against A. J. Green, he was leaping up and deflecting a pass that was intercepted by linebacker B. J. Goodson.

The cornerback was also part of defensive coordinator Joe Woods' numerous blitz packages and his tackling was solid in run support when the Bengals occasionally gave Burrow a rest and ran the ball. He is starting to look like the fourth overall choice in the 2018 college draft.

***

One niggle: After the Browns took the lead against the Bengals, they twice employed some strange strategy. Instead of forcing the Bengals to start the ensuing possession from the 25-yard line by kicking the ball into the end zone, they allowed the return man to get to the Bengals 42-yard line. Mistake #1.

With four seconds left, the Browns employed 11 men and rushed none at the snap. The defensive linemen were on the bench, Not one Brown was within five yards of the line of scrimmage. They basically gave Burrow all the time he wanted to throw. Mistake # 2 and they got lucky.

Burrow's throw reached the end zone and the ball hit Green, but he could not hold on. Fortunately, the carom fell harmlessly to the ground. Next time, start at the 25, harass Burrow and give him less time to throw. Baffling strategy.

***

Finally . . . David Njoku is unhappy again with the Browns (he has asked again to be traded), but he sure helped in the Cincy victory.  The tight end got great inside position on Bengals safety Vonn Bell on a deep cross on the second possession of the third quarter and made a sensational grab of 16-yard bullet by Mayfield. . . . Rookie tight end Harrison Bryant has quietly made his presence felt this season. He has caught 12 of his 18 targets. Nine have gained first downs, three others winding up in the end zone, including a pair Sunday. With Austin Hooper recovering from his appendectomy, he'll get plenty of reps against Las Vegas. . . . The Bengals-Browns series produced just four punts. Jamie Gillan had one in each game for the Browns; Kevin Huber had two in the first game and was never needed Sunday. . .  Peoples-Jones caught his first professional pass from Landry, who took a pitch from Mayfield midway through the fourth quarter, pivoted back the other way and launched a 19-yarder to the rookie near the left sideline that ultimately led to the Browns' penultimate touchdown of the afternoon.

Magnificent Mayfield

Every once in a while in sports, a statement game arrives and grabs your attention immediately. Baker Mayfield, in a tour de force performance, crafted one for the record books Sunday in Cincinnati.

Against odds that would have humbled many of the great quarterbacks in National Football League history, Mayfield sneered at critics sniping at him recently and proceeded to play the game of his professional career en route to a hard-to-believe 37-34 comeback victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

His 24-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones with just 11 seconds left in regulation was the icing on a five-touchdown cake for the third-year quarterback, a back-shoulder throw that punctuated an historic day of throwing with a stunning exclamation point as the Browns moved to 5-2.

Mayfield completed 21 straight throws at one point, obliterating the club record of 16 held jointly by Kelly Holcomb and Bernie Kosar. He also joins Derek Anderson, Brian Sipe, Bill Nelsen, Frank Ryan and Holcomb as the only Browns quarterbacks to throw five touchdowns in a game.

His only incompletion was a spike -- even that was flawlessly executed -- during the winning drive just before he and Peoples-Jones broke the hearts of Bengals fans.

Mayfield stared the distinct possibility of losing squarely in the puss after the Bengals took a 34-31 lead with just 66 seconds left in regulation and working with no timeouts. He snarled as if to say, "This one isn't over yet."

The Cleveland offense operated the entire game with only three wide receivers after Odell Beckham Jr. left and did not return after injuring a knee while tackling Darius Phillips, who had picked off Mayfield's first pass of the afternoon on the second play of the game for the Browns.

Rashard Higgins and Peoples-Jones, more familiar with the bench than the playing field this season,  stepped up big time in his absence, especially in the Browns' 27-point second half. Higgins made one big-time play after another (five receptions for 100 yards in the second half) and Peoples-Jones, used mainly as a blocker early, contributed three grabs for 56 yards and the game-winner. 

Higgins, in particular, was the main catalyst, reprising his role as one of Mayfield's favorite receivers (remember 2018?) down the stretch as the Bengals never found a way to shut down the oncoming  Cleveland train. 

Mayfield's performance was reminiscent -- and then some -- of his rookie season when he tossed an NFL rookie-record 27 scoring passes. His resumé has taken well-deserved severe hits since then with questionable quarterbacking and many pundits wondering whether the old Baker was merely an aberration.

The Browns opened feebly on offense with just 19 yards on 11 plays on the first three possessions and, as it turned out, the lone Jamie Gillan punt of the afternoon, This one was getting away in a hurry. It sure looked a lot like the offense that staggered all afternoon against Pittsburgh a week ago.

By then, Browns fans no doubt begged silently for head coach Kevin Stefanski to tether Mayfield to the bench and replace him with Case Keenum while there was still an opportunity to complete a season sweep of the Bengals That's when Mayfield magically turned into an entirely different quarterback.

The defense, meanwhile, had held Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow in check in the first half, trailing by just seven at 17-10. The rookie, who threw another 47 passes in this one after hurling 61 in the first meeting in week two, would pick it up in the final 30 minutes.

So would Mayfield, whose assault on the accuracy meter in the final two quarters had to stun those who believed his gunslinger days were stuck somewhere in the rearview mirror. 

He finally began to heat up on the Browns' only possession of the second quarter, racking up more yards (70) and running as many plays (11) as he had in the first three drives, connecting with Harrison Bryant on the first of his two scoring connections with the rookie tight end. 

Little did he, Stefanski, the Bengals and Brown fans, who earlier longed for Keenum, realize the best, the very best of Baker Mayfield, was lurking ominously as the game wore on.

It eventually became a scoring extravaganza, especially in the fourth quarter. Back and forth they went. All offense. No defense. Punters for both teams might as well have taken the rest of the afternoon off in the final quarter with 35 points appearing on the scoreboard.

Mayfield, 17 of 18 for 252 yards and a quartet of touchdowns after the intermission, began his near-flawless second half with scoring throws to Bryant in the third quarter and fellow tight end David Njoku and running back Kareem Hunt in the fourth quarter before launching his game-winning drive.

It reached the point as time wound down where you figured the team that last owned the football -- they combined for 864 total yards on offense -- would win this one. And when Burrow hit Giovani Bernard with a little flare in the right flat 66 seconds remained, that team was the Browns.

In some circles, 66 seconds move quickly, almost too quickly particularly with no timeouts. Not to Mayfield. Not on this day. The way he was throwing and moving the football, the game definitely had slowed down for him.  

Sideline completions to Peoples-Jones, playing more like a veteran than a rookie, for 13 yards and Higgins, rolling untouched out of bounds smartly to stop the clock after an eight-yard grab, set up a 30-yard Mayfield-Higgins hookup at the Bengals' 24.

Then came the payback, Peoples-Jones establishing position on the smaller Phillips, who had swiped Mayfield on his first pass of the game so very long ago, cradling the back-shoulder throw in his arms while landing and then rolling out of bounds in the end zone.

No one saw this kind of performance coming. It was enough to shut up those -- yours truly included -- for at least the time being. Mayfield had, indeed, become the quarterback Browns fans enjoyed in 2018. 

His statement? "I'm back." Hard to argue after what we all saw Sunday.

Deja vu

The last time the Browns were in this situation, they responded resoundingly with an offense that went on to win the next four games starting with the Cincinnati Bengals.

They had just been embarrassed in the season opener by the Baltimore Ravens. Thoughts of "here we go again" rumbled throughout Browns Nation. Different head coach, same result. 

Here we are again at almost the same exact spot. Humiliating loss last Sunday in Pittsburgh and another date with the Bengals, this time down in Cincinnati Sunday. What was it Yogi Berra said about the feeling one gets for already having experienced something?

Yep. Terrible loss to a division opponent followed by a game against the Bengals. Just a coincidence of the schedule? Wonder if the result of the initial experience falls right into place here. 

Remember that 35-30 Browns Thursday night victory over the Bengals in week two? The one that triggered the four-game winning streak and the first 4-1 start  for the woebegone franchise since 1994. Put another way, it's their only 4-1 start to a season since reentering the National Football League in 1999.

It emotionally lifted Browns Nation's spirits to where the "here we go again" thoughts dissipated, but did not disappear. They were jarred by the Steelers last Sunday. But now the panacea has arrived: The Bengals, who have overwhelmed one opponent, underwhelmed four and whelmed one.

The Browns know that role. They used to be the rest stop on most teams' schedules. They were the magic potion that helped right all the wrongs those teams had experienced until CLEVELAND popped up on the schedule.

This is in no way suggesting the Browns will begin another four-game winning streak, although with Las Vegas, Houston and Philadelphia dead ahead, that possibility should not be totally discounted. But let's  slow this down and concentrate on Sunday's meeting first.

If it's anything like the first slugfest, defensive football will take Sunday off. These two teams produced nearly 800 yards of offense in the first meeting. Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow dropped back to throw an insane 64 times and threw three touchdown passes, which represents half of his season total.  

The Browns scored their 35 points on 58 plays. The Bengals needed 88 snaps for their 30. And now that Bengals running back Joe Mixon (foot) has been ruled out, count on Burrow to throw even more against a Cleveland secondary just a few rungs away from being categorized as awful.

Burrow has three excellent receivers at his disposal in Tyler Boyd, rookie Tee Higgins and A. J. Green. The latter, who has bedeviled the Browns in the past, was targeted 13 times in the first game and caught just three balls for 29 yards. That won't happen again. 

The Cleveland pass rush promises to be near exhaustion somewhere in the third quarter. It very well could be a war of attrition up front as the less-than-mediocre Cincy offensive line attempts to keep Burrow vertical. The Browns sacked Burrow, who has been dropped 24 times already, thrice in the first game and hit him on eight other occasions.

The Cleveland offensive line, meanwhile, kept quarterback Baker Mayfield perfectly clean. He was neither sacked nor touched, His running game, led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, produced 215 yards and three touchdowns. He also connected on scoring tosses to Hunt and Odell Beckham Jr.

Chubb, of course, won't be ready until just after the bye week, which kind of levels the playing field somewhat with Mixon's absence. Hunt, however, offers a better chance on the ground than Giovani Bernard of the Bengals. 

Mayfield, who has thrown four interceptions in the last two games, needs a big day to restore his confidence. The Bengals just might be that magic elixir he requires to reduce to less than a murmur all the talk that his game is deteriorating.

If you like good old-fashioned defensive football, tune in some other NFL game because you're not going to get it here. For those of you who enjoy the entertainment and accompanying agony of a scoring bonanza, grab some popcorn and buckle up.

Unlike the Browns, whose goal on offense in every game is to distribute the play selection equally between the run and pass, the Bengals' offense revolves around Burrow, whose 65% accuracy has allowed them to stay competitive.

The Browns, on the other hand, have displayed the ability of being almost but not quite totally ineffective against opposing offenses, hemorrhaging 31.2 points a game. It is a pace that, if maintained, will see them upchuck a club-record 499 points for the season. The Bengals surrender 26 per.

I must admit seriously considering picking the Bengals in this one. I think Burrow is the better quarterback. I think their back seven is better than Cleveland's. And I don't think the Browns' offensive line will completely shut down the Cincy pass rush this time.

But something -- more of a hunch than anything -- tells me the Browns, much as they did in the first meeting, will prevail behind a strong ground game with Mayfield somehow figuring out how to get the job done. The Browns will continue beating the teams they should beat. Make it:

Browns 35, Bengals 30

Mid-week thoughts

Confession time. When John Dorsey selected Oklahoma University quarterback Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 selection in the entire National Football League college draft on April 26, 2018, I gulped.

Despite rumors that floated around prior to the draft that suggested the Browns' general manager would do just that, I chose to ignore them. Too many other better (and taller) quarterbacks were available and more ready to make the transition to the NFL.

I kept my thoughts to myself, figuring I might be wrong and maybe Dorsey saw something I hadn't. The selection was chiseled. There was nothing I or anyone in the media could do but accept it and let that be Dorsey's legacy one way or the other from a historic standpoint as Mayfield's career unfolded. 

We are now just about halfway through season three of the Baker Mayfield era in Cleveland and the hounds are beginning to snipe as his professional football career is not shaping up as Dorsey had originally envisioned.

The former general manager, who was dismissed shortly after the conclusion of the 2019 season, saw a young Brett Favre in Mayfield. He was a fighter. He was a winner. He had what it took to come right in and take the Browns to heights not seen in Cleveland in more than 30 years. 

The flashes of potential greatness we all witnessed in his rookie season in 2018 have become tarnished with far too many displays of mediocrity since. If anything, head coach Kevin Stefanski's more conservative offense revolves more around the other parts of the offense than his quarterback.

Mayfield has become skittish, uncertain and alarmingly indecisive in the pocket. His lack of pocket awareness is detrimental  to what Stefanski expects from his quarterback. Unless he rolls Mayfield out on bootlegs or play-action misdirection, he is a liability as a passer.

Mayfield supporters blame it on instability. Stefanski is his fourth head coach (Hue Jackson, Gregg Williams and Freddie Kitchens) in less than three seasons. And Alex Van Pelt is his fourth offensive coordinator (Todd Haley, Kitchens and Todd Monken). 

He is not the same quarterback we all saw back in 2018. What I saw that season leaned me toward what Dorsey saw as the smallish rookie set a league record for touchdown passes in one season with 27. He made throws I hadn't seen from a Cleveland quarterback since Bernie Kosar.

He squeezed passes into what seemed like air-tight windows with surprising accuracy. His deep passes were extraordinarily delivered in stride. He took command of the huddle the moment he entered it midway through the second quarter of game three of the 2018 season against the New York Jets in relief of injured starter Tyrod Taylor. 

A national television audience watched the Browns overcome a 14-3 halftime deficit and rally for a 21-17 victory. Mayfield did not look like a rookie. He did not act like a rookie. His swagger became his brand. He was almost too good to be true.

Remember what he said after the Browns snapped a four-game losing streak in week 10 with a 28-16 home victory over Atlanta after completing 17 of 20 passes and throwing three touchdown passes? "When I woke up this morning," he said, "I was feeling pretty dangerous." 

The Browns are on their way, fans thought. The franchise quarterback has finally arrived after all these years. He could be the next Russell Wilson or Drew Brees, smallish NFL quarterbacks who overcame a seeming height problem to become future Hall of Famers.

And then 2019 happened. Kitchens, who had taken over as offensive coordinator following the firings of Jackson and Haley midway through the 2018 season, became the head coach (another Dorsey stunner). And that's when Mayfield's career began to plunge.

After a disappointing 6-10 season in 2019, a season that saw Kitchens as the de facto offensive coordinator and playcaller undo all the good Mayfield had accomplished the previous season. He became erratic and threw as many picks as he did touchdowns passes.

The free-wheeling Kitchens was let go and the much more conservative Stefanski arrived. He inherited Mayfield, who was not his type of quarterback. His offense is not predicated on the forward pass. He's much more close to the vest. When the Browns run well, the Browns win. They have run well on four occasions this season. That is why they are 4-2.

The Browns thus far this season have defined themselves as a team that can -- and should -- knock off teams they should knock off. Resounding losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh quickly dispelled the notion they were now ready to step up and join the big boys.

They have defined themselves as a team that can -- and should -- knock off teams they should knock off. Resounding losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh quickly dispelled the notion they were now ready to step up and join the big boys.

Mayfield was lamenting the fact the other day that Browns Nation did not take kindly to last Sunday's 38-7 drubbing in Pittsburgh, a verdict not received well by the fans because it was PITTSBURGH! "The feeling throughout (the Browns') building after that loss, 4-2 has never felt so much like 0-6 before," he said. He still doesn't understand the meaning of losing to the Steelers.

Baker Mayfield has become an ordinary quarterback. He has thrown 32 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions, including four in the last two games, since that solid rookie season. You don't draft quarterbacks with the top overall selection and be satisfied when they prove to be ordinary. He has become anything but dangerous.

Right now it appears Stefanski is attempting to turn the former gunslinger into a game manager. Sort of don't-do-anything-stupid football. Some people would interpret that as attempting to turn Mayfield into something he isn't and doesn't want to be.

The Browns are talented enough on offense -- and will be even more-so when Nick Chubb returns -- to defeat teams with lesser talent. And considering they have recorded only one winning season in the last 21, that might good enough for now.

But if Stefanski envisions his new team eventually climbing to the heights of the NFL elite from a performance standpoint, it might require a different quarterback. Unless, of course, Mayfield acquiesces and embraces the role of game manager.

The Browns' front office needs to think long and hard between now and next spring when they have a decision to make on what to do with Mayfield's fifth-year option. The distinct possibility they might not exercise it is not out of the question.

Monday leftovers

The big question now for the Browns concerns the emotional toll Sunday's 38-7 lashing in Pittsburgh had on a team entering the game with supreme confidence. 

The Steelers took the Browns down so many pegs psychologically, it will interesting to see how they rebound Sunday against the Bengals in Cincinnati. As Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said following the game, "That was varsity ball today." 

What Tomlin didn't say but most likely thought was his "varsity" pounded the Jayvees (Browns) unmercifully for 60 minutes. There was no way the Browns would come even close to winning the game. That they scored seven points was somewhat of an achievement.

The schedule follows a familiar pattern. The Bengals felt the Browns' wrath in week two after the Baltimore Ravens rudely welcomed them to the 2020 season with a walloping that caused some fans to wonder if this was going to be yet another one of those seasons. 

A four-game unbeaten streak during which they scored at least 30 points in every game took care of that, but it establishes a pattern of extreme highs and lows. Now here the Bengals are again in the Browns' crosshairs after a big loss.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski probably will follow the same tact when approaching the second Bengals game. Watch the game tape, guys. Then think about what you saw and develop a good memory. Yesterday is not in the future. The Bengals are.

What Stefanski has to watch out for are those in the locker room who wonder just what kind of a team the Browns are this season. Winning four straight National Football League games is not easy regardless of the opposition. 

"You've got to make sure one (loss) doesn't turns into two," he said Sunday following the game. Well, the opening-game loss turned into four victories, so he's got that one covered. At least until the outcome of this Sunday's game.

A head coach has to be part-time philosopher as well as the guy drawing the Xs and Os. The game itself is emotional to begin with. Making certain the highs are not too high and the lows not too low, a.k.a. keeping an even keel, is important in preparing teams for a game.

If the coach has the right attitude and approach and believes strongly in the trickle down theory, last Sunday's 'loss will have no effect whatsoever on what unfolds in Cincinnati. Starting a season 5-2 was not what many pundits envisioned when they initially looked at the Browns' schedule. And now it's right there to be accomplished.

It will take at least one full season to determine just what kind of a coach the Browns brought on board after the ugly 2019 season. Stefanski is off to good start as he embarks on his goal of eventually coaching a team as good as, if not better than, Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The template has been set.

*       *        *

There will not be a quarterback controversy with the Browns. At least not right now. And it won't be a controversy if and when he decides to make a change. Sunday's removal of Baker Mayfield late in the third quarter had  more to do with the battering he was absorbing.

Stefanski made that abundantly clear after the game. "Baker will start (in Cincinnati) as long as he is healthy and I think he will be," he declared. He does not appear to be a knee-jerk kind of a coach. He is level-headed, gives the impression he knows exactly what he's doing and is firmly in charge. Mayfield is his quarterback until the kid's body says otherwise.

Case Keenum didn't look any better on his three series in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over on downs twice along with a three-and-out. That's a little unfair, though, since Keenum, who is more familiar with the Stefanski offense than Mayfield, did not practice with the first team.

The fault on offense, at least in the two blowouts, lies almost entirely with the line. They got beat up in Baltimore and Pittsburgh, but played very well during the four-game winning streak. A reminder that the old saying goes like this: Football games are won and lost in the trenches.

The Browns' defensive line put scant pressure on Ben Roethlisberger Sunday because the Steelers' offensive line made certain their 38-year-old quarterback would stay relatively clean when dropping back to throw. Mayfield conversely was abused on almost every dropback.

*       *        *

Stefanski was very honest with regard to the kind of game he called against the Steelers. "We need to point fingers at ourselves starting with me," he said. "There are a bunch of things we can do schematically to make sure we don't put ourselves in that spot."

The spot he was referring to was Mayfield's nasty habit of throwing footballs that wind up in the hands of the opposition. After going two straight games without a pick, he fell back into bad habits and has thrown four in the last two outings.

"We've got to learn from this and move on," the coach said. "Were not built to turn (the football) over. He knows that. Again, I'm going to figure out what I can do better and help him out because I did not help him out today."

*       *        *

If there is one startling difference between the Browns and Steelers now, aside from the fact the Steelers have a more talented roster top to bottom, it is this: The Steelers attack on both sides of the football. The defense is always bellicose. That's the Steeler Way. But the offense, even with a graybeard at quarterback, is always in attack mode in many different ways. And it all starts with the offensive line. 

If you saved the tape from the game, play it again and watch how that line moved the Cleveland defensive line backward on just about every run play. Penetration took the day off along the softer Cleveland front. And the Steelers' defensive line, with occasional blitz help, got way too close to Mayfield way too often.

*       *        *

Finally . . . Interesting stats from the game: Mayfield stuck around long enough in the third quarter to run seven plays in two possessions that resulted in a net total yardage of -8. His lone pass (to Jarvis Landry) covered three yards. Landry was targeted just twice and caught one in the first half for 13 yards. He rebounded in the second half with two more receptions for 27 yards.  . . Odell Beckham Jr. was targeted four times -- just once in the second half -- catching two balls for 24 yards. . . . The Steelers owned the football for a shade more than 20 minutes in the second half, limiting the Browns to three first downs and 70 net yards. . . . Rashard Higgins, who caught Mayfield's lone touchdown pass late in the first half, was not thrown to in the second half. . . . Austin Hooper, who grabbed three passes for 50 yards in the first half, caught two more for two whole yards in the second half. . . . Want more? . . . Okay. That's enough punishment.. 

Baltimore redux

Remember that drubbing the Browns absorbed in the season opener in Baltimore? That 38-6 thrashing? Well, it happened again Sunday in Pittsburgh. Different venue, same result.

Actually, the Browns were a point better in this one. Cody Parkey did not miss the extra point after Rashard Higgins' touchdown catch with a minute left in the first half like Austin Seibert did in Baltimore.

The Steelers' 38-7 victory was so complete on both sides of the football, the Browns would best benefit by taking it as a learning experience in how to play winning football. Study the game film and watch how it's done.

The vaunted Cleveland offense, the one that had scored 30 or more points in four consecutive victories, did not show up. Correction: The offense showed up, but it was de-vaunted by the vaunted Pittsburgh defense.

The afternoon saw the Steelers wallop the Browns in the trenches for 60 excruciatingly agonizing minutes. The offense staggered throughout. It got so bad, head coach Kevin Stefanski waved the flag of surrender and dismissed quarterback Baker Mayfield with a quarter to go.

Before he left, Mayfield threw two more interceptions -- a third was wiped out by a Pittsburgh penalty -- and looked even more uncertain than usual as the offense did not have a chance against a superior Steelers defense. He set the tone for the afternoon with his first pass of the day.

He completed it to Pittsburgh cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, who stepped in front of rookie tight end Harrison Bryant running a short curl route and, catching it in stride, bolted 33 yards for the pick six. 

James Conner, running strong all afternoon (101 yards on 20 carries), made it 17-0 with a three-yard run with 10:28 left in the second quarter. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had completed five straight passes that chewed up 56 yards to set it up.

At that point, I wrote BALL GAME on my play-by-play sheet. There was no way the Browns came to compete on this day. Pittsburgh willed this victory as much as anything. Just about everything the Browns tried failed, although they managed to get to the right ballpark.

Made no difference on which side of the football, this was truly a team loss. They were outhustled, outmuscled, outcoached, outeverythinged. Don't bother looking it up.

Touchdowns by wide receiver James Washington, hauling in Big Ben's only scoring pass of the day in the second quarter following a Cameron Sutton pick, and backup running back Benny Snell midway through the fourth quarter served merely as window dressing.

Roethlisberger, who must salivate every time he sees Cleveland on the schedule, improved his career record against them to 24-2-1. He remained unbeaten in 13 home starts against the Browns, who haven't won in the Steel City since 2003.

Case Keenum arrived on the scene for the first time this season and fared no better than Mayfield. That's because the well-coached Pittsburgh defense -- the underrated Keith Butler is their coordinator -- more than lived up to its reputation as one of the best in the National Football League.

The Browns' offensive and defensive lines were pushed all over the field, beaten off the snap time and again. It became ridiculous in the second half when the Cleveland offense unbelievably turned the ball over on downs on three consecutive possessions, the Steelers scoring touchdowns on the first two.

Stefanski is in line for a major portion of the criticism for an offensive gane plan that fed directly into what the Steelers were doing on defense. It was almost as though Butler was reading Stefanski's mind.

The Cleveland offense, meandering all day in a desert of ineptitude, converted only one third down in 12 attempts, a five-yard screen pass to running back Kareem Hunt with two minutes left in the first half en route to the Higgins score,

A fourth-down call with six minutes left in the third quarter and the Browns trailing, 24-7, served as a microcosm of the frustration Browns fans must have felt at the time. It was easily Stefanski's most egregious mistake and he can soon expect a thank-you card from the Steelers

A short Jarvis Landry reception on third and four at the Browns' 26, initially ruled incomplete, was overturned by replay and the ball was placed a foot away from a first down at the Cleveland 29. Think about that. Fourth and a foot at YOUR 29 and the Steelers' defense winning practically every snap.

Where is punter Jamie Gillan? Common sense says a punt is in order, if for no other reason than to make the Pittsburgh offense start as far away from your goal line as possible. Especially when your offense is operating at zero efficiency.

What to do, what to do. Stefanski did not hesitate. He called a dive play with Hunt -- it was definitely a Nick Chubb moment, but he was unavailable -- searching for the one foot up the gut. Up the damn gut. Hunt is a slasher, not a mauler. Surely, there had to be a better play. It's the kind of play on which the rugged Pittsburgh defense thrives. It was a classic what-was-he-thinking moment. 

A gnat would not have been able to find anything resembling a hole a split second after the snap as Cameron Heyward and T. J. Watt swallowed Hunt whole one yard behind the line of scrimmage. Seven plays later, rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool took a short handoff and scooted three yards for the score.

Fortunately, it counts as only one loss -- that's the way Stefanski will probably approach it -- but it sure seemed like a lot more. The unbeaten Steelers, in winning their fifth straight game, showed the Browns they don't belong on the same field. The difference is that cavernous.

This one was easily one of their worst losses in this 137-game series in what used to be one of the NFL's greatest rivalries and showed just how far they have to go to become relevant again in the league.

The four-game winning streak was nice. Enjoyed by all for sure. It's ancient history now and showed the Browns, who had to be thinking pretty good about themselves entering this one that there are many lessons that need to be learned before entertaining any future thoughts of grandiosity. They were genuinely embarrassed.

Two more games before the bye -- at Cincinnati next Sunday and a home visit from the Las Vegas Raiders two Sundays from now -- should seem quite a but easier than what the Browns had to deal with in Pittsburgh. They still have quite a ways to go to play at least equally with the big boys.

Close, but . . . 

Before unpacking the ingredients that could foretell what will unfold Sunday in Pittsburgh when the resurgent Browns invade to play the Steelers, a perfunctory but necessary look at the preponderant history between these two teams.

They have been playing each other twice a year -- with the exception of a three-year Cleveland absence in the late 1990s due to National Football League ignorance -- since 1950. Sunday''s game marks the 137th meeting in a rivalry rife with lopsided results.

For example -- this will be extremely hard for Browns loyalists to believe -- the Browns won 34 of the first 44 games against the Steelers between 1950 and 1971. Since then, they are an embarrassing 25-66 against their turnpike rivals. 

Since 1969, when Cleveland native (Benedictine High School) Chuck Noll took over as Steelers head coach, the Browns have had 20 (full-time and interim) head coaches. Twenty!! Kevin Stefanski is No. 20. Since 1969, the Steelers have had only three head coaches -- Noll,  Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin.

That should tell you something right there. Stability is the name o the game in the NFL. The Steelers with their three head coaches in the last 52 years, have been in the playoffs 30 times, won six Super Bowl championships in eight attempts and are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1979. For what it's worth, they lost game five that season.

Cleveland qualified only 11 times for the playoffs since 1969, 10 by the old Browns. The resurrected Browns were in the playoffs only once, That was in 2002 when they blew a large early lead and lost to -- yep -- the Steelers in what foretold an ominous future that dragged Cleveland professional football to depths never even imagined. Since 1994, the Browns are 8-40-1 against Pittsburgh.

The stats leading up to games between these teams make Browns fans ill, feeding the anger they hope gives away to the joy they hope to feel when good fortune finally turns in their favor. Entering this game with a 4-1 record gives them the kind of hope they haven't experienced since . . . well, since can't remember when.

Some of the recent stats hang like a tight chain around the Browns' necks. Like the 16-game losing streak in Pittsburgh. Or Ben Roethlisberger's 23-2-1 record against them and the fact he has never lost to them at home. Big Ben joined the Steelers in 2004, the year after the Browns' last victory in Pittsburgh.

(In case you're interested, Roethlisberger was available to the Browns in that college draft, but head coach Butch Davis preferred Kellen Winslow Jr. And we all know how that turned out.)

I remember that 33-13 manhandling well. I was lying on my back in a hospital bed with an extremely painful kidney stone.The enjoyment I derived from watching that game helped ease the pain. Not completely, mind you, but enough to forget how painful each movement of the stone was. It was like a three-hour shot of a painkiller.

It is assumed Stefanski is extremely aware from a historical standpoint the importance of this game. For example, if you win only two games in a season and both are against Pittsburgh, that's nearly the equivalent of a successful season. Of course that's an extreme example, but you get the point. 

The odds are clearly in the Browns' favor Sunday, although oddsmakers like the Steelers by three and a half points. They've got to win there sometime. And with the explosive nature of the Cleveland offense this season, why not now? The 2003 victory was only their second in Pittsburgh since 1990 over a 29-game stretch.

Words that eventually reach the opposition's bulletin board are flowing. Pittsburgh defensive end Cameron Heyward talked about "inflicting good pain" on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who enters the game with bruised ribs. Browns' defensive end Myles Garrett says he looks forward to meeting up with Roethlisberger in the Pittsburgh backfield.

Right now, it's anybody's guess how Stefanski will approach this game from an offensive standpoint. Will he try to run the ball first as he did against Cincinnati, Washington and Dallas in order to set up the pass? Or will he come out throwing as he did last Sunday against Indianapolis?

The Steelers, playing their fourth straight game at home due to a week three COVID-19 postponement in Tennessee, have flat out stopped the run this season, limiting opponents to 64 yards a game. The Colts were pretty good against the run, too, and Stefanski took to the air. Guess here is Mayfield will be throwing.

That, of course, would give the Steelers more opportunities to improve on the five-sacks-a-game pace they have maintained thus far. Edge rushers T. J. Watt and Bud Dupree are arguably the best rush tandem in the NFL.

Browns offensive tackles JedrickWills Jr., who will face Dupree, and Jack Conklin, who draws Watt, are the keys in this one. Unless, that is, Stefanski gameplans to get Mayfield out of the pocket as often as possible. Throwing from outside the pocket is where he is most effective.

If Stefanski dials up pocket passes, quick-developing throws work best with Mayfield, who must deliver the ball quickly in order to be effective. If he hesitates even for a second without getting rid of the football, a negative play looms. Count to three. If the ball isn't gone by three, look out.

Timing is everything in the passing game. If Mayfield doesn't trust his receivers to  run correct routes and deliver the ball on time, Stefanski might as well roll him out in either direction as often as possible to where he has time to pick his target.

The Browns enter the game looking more like part of a M*A*S*H unit with 10 players either out or questionable. They questionable include Mayfield and receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. on offense, punter Jamie Gillan and tackle Larry Ogunjobi and end Olivier Vernon on defense. Out are guard Wyatt Teller, safeties Ronnie Harrison Jr., and Karl Joseph and linebacker Jacob Phillips.

The Browns defensively remain the same team that upchucks points on a regular basis. However, it has begun to show some bite lately with 11 takeaways in the last three games. What it lacks in talent, it makes up in opportunism.

The Steelers, meanwhile, chug along with Roethlisberger, who missed most of last season with an elbow injury and didn't face the Browns, showing his old form this season. It's not the same old bash-your-face type of offense. It doesn't have to be. The defense has played a big part in the early success.

The Steelers keep coming up with unlikely stars on offense. Last Sunday, receiver Diontae Johnson left the game early against Philadelphia with an injury and was replaced by 6-4, 240-pound Chase Claypool, who proceeded to score four touchdowns, three through the air. Stuff like that doesn't happen in Cleveland.

Add standouts like JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight ends Eric Ebron and Vance McDonald and you can see why the Steelers convert half of their third downs, average nearly 140 yards on the ground with James Conner and Benny Snell carrying the load behind a veery good offensive line and Big Ben completing nearly 70% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and just one interception.

The current Steelers defense isn't much different than the old one, featuring the zone blitz scheme popularized by former coordinator Dick LeBeau that worked so well through the years. Watt, Dupree, Heyward and Stephone Tuitt own a dozen of those 20 sacks. 

This one has the aroma of another scoring bonanza with the Browns seriously challenging the Steelers' defense with some serious talent. And there is no way the Cleveland defense all of sudden overachieves, especially with an injury-riddled secondary.

It could be one of those games where the team that has the ball last wins the game. If that's the case, it's difficult to bet against Big Ben with the game on the line. Mayfield hasn't shown that capability since his rookie season.

The Browns will make a game of it and at the same time send a message not only to Pittsburgh but the rest of the NFL that these are not your old, downtrodden, make-fun-of Cleveland Browns anymore. The sleeping giant is stirring. Won't help this game, though. But the future begins to glow. Make it:

Steelers 30, Browns 27

Midweek thoughts

The way the Browns have played the game of football since 1999, I was beginning to think I would have to wait a whole lot longer to write the following lead paragraph so early in the season. Until now.

As ludicrous as this sounds, Kevin Stefanski is an a position where he might have to quell a rising mound of confidence bordering on overconfidence as the 4-1 Browns prepare to invade Pittsburgh Sunday to face the unbeaten Steelers.

Imagine that. A Cleveland Browns team that has energized a fan base that has waited so frustratingly for nearly a generation to get genuinely excited about to the point where confidence is finally alive and well in Berea.

I can't remember the last time these two teams -- can't call them rivals in a series so lopsided -- met with records like these so early in the season and so much meaning riding on the outcome.  

Winning four games in a row is anathema to Cleveland Browns football this early in the season. Perhaps it's the spectacular way they have ripped off four straight victories that has them brimming with the kind of confidence Browns fans are used to seeing elsewhere around the National Football League.

Putting on an offensive display this franchise hasn't seen since 1968 tends to swell the notion that no team can stop them. At least on offense. (The defense is another matter.) The top-rated Indianapolis Colts defense tried and failed last Sunday. Now, it's the Steelers' turn.

Stefanski's main job, besides crafting a game plan, will be to get into his players' heads. Ground them. A little between-the-ears coaching, Let them know this is the NFL where just about anything can happen, especially on trips to Pittsburgh, where the welcomes are generally rude and the results disappointing.

There was enough of a roster turnover in the offseason by General Manager Andrew Berry to the point where quite a few members of this team will experience their first taste of what it's like to play in what still is considered by many one of the NFL's hottest rivalries (yeah, I said the word).

While it's nice to be confident -- it sure beats the alternative -- and more than merely content with what has unfolded this season, overconfidence can often result in improper preparation. Stefanski most likely will often remind them the Steelers haven't lost a game this season.

And if he hasn't, it might be a good idea for the head coach to remind those unfamiliar with the contentious attitudes that usually arise in Browns-Steelers games often result in negative outcomes and to play within themselves.

Myles Garrett will probably drive that point home this week, considering what happened in the first Cleveland-Pittsburgh game last season. Grabbing Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph's helmet and whacking him on top of the head with it drew a season-ending suspension and the scorn of the Steelers.

The Browns were 2-4 without Garrett last season after beginning the season 4-6. They had just come off two straight victories. This will be the first game he has played against the Steelers since that incident. Some of the Browns are talking about winning this game for him. Sort of a rallying cry.

The big difference in this one? The Steelers are used to quick starts. This is nothing new to them. They have developed a reputation in the last 50 years of winning big games. The Browns? They're just happy to be 4-1 at this point and seeing how good they really are against a quality opponent.

Tight end Austin Hooper, one of the many newcomers, called it a "quiet confidence." He said it was "indicative of how we're doing this year." 

It will be very interesting to see how Stefanski preps his men physically and emotionally for the most important test since the season opener in Baltimore. It will answer the question: Can they play with the big boys?

Monday leftovers

Well, I guess a very good defense does not always stop a very good -- but sometimes inconsistent -- offense. The Browns certainly proved that Sunday against the not-very-stout Indianapolis Colts defense. At least in the first half.

After pounding the daylights out of the Colts in the first 30 minutes, the Cleveland offense took up residence in what can be generously called a retreat. They became relatively silent relatively quickly, hanging on to -- and threatening to blow  -- a comfortable 17-point lead.

Fortunately, the banged-up defense rose when the offense needed a bailout. Two members of the secondary, heretofore not mentioned as much more than window dressing, stepped up and provided the necessary lift after head coach Kevin Stefanski seemingly forgot how to call plays in the final 30 minutes.

(More about them later.)

Stefanski admitted as much after the 32-23 victory Sunday. "I think I can do a much better job as a playcaller," he said. "There are some calls I really want back." Hmmmm. Where have we heard that before?

Wanting back plays that don't work is a weak excuse many coaches lean on, giving the impression they are self effacing when it comes to second-guessing. Sort of shifting the blame away from the players. Of course Stefanski wanted them back. For all we know, at least a few of them might have been among those he called in the successful first half.

Theoretically, all play calls are designed to work. They certainly aren't designed to fail. The difference lies in the execution. Run plays correctly and the outcome a vast majority of the time is positive. Improper execution is what causes coaches to look stupid.

If the gadget play in Dallas a week ago when Jarvis Landry hooked up with Odell Beckham Jr. had  resulted in an interception instead of a touchdown, would that have qualified as a play Stefanski wanted back? Of course not. Execution.

He was the same playcaller whose unit put up only six first downs, 101 total yards and 15 net yards passing by Baker Mayfield (1-for-8) in the second half. Stefanski took his foot off the pedal when the Browns opened up the 27-10 lead early in the second half.

Rather than keep the pressure on the Colts defense, he resorted to a chains-moving, clock-burning, ground-churning offense minus its best running back. Nick Chubb and his torn MCL could only watch on the sidelines while Kareem Hunt and D/Ernest Johnson ran the football 21 times in 29 plays. The upside there are the 86 yards gained after running for only 38 yards in the first half. 

But it was the defense that saved that game, notably a pair of safeties whose contributions this season were less than minimal. Ronnie Harrison was obtained from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fifth-round draft next year 10 days before the season opener. Sheldrick Redwine was a fourth-round selection in the 2019 college draft. Both entered the game stale.

Their names were on the lips of just about every Browns fan after the game for their valuable contributions. Each picked off a Philip Rivers pass. Harrison, filling in for injured strong safety Karl Joseph, turned his theft into a 47-yard pick six a half dozen plays into the second half. He left after being concussed after 37 snaps.

That brought on Redwine, who started five games last season as a rookie but was shunted to the bottom of the roster and full-time special teams duty this season. Not good enough apparently to play from scrimmage. After more than 80 snaps on special teams duty, Redwine finally got his chance.

He replaced Harrison late in the third quarter and played 19 snaps. On snap No. 7, he stepped in front of Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox and pilfered the pigskin (sorry, I couldn't help myself) to end a threat. Sort of makes you wonder why he isn't getting more reps. If Harrison's concussion lingers, Redwine might get the opportunity to show more next Sunday in Pittsburgh.

*       *       *

Two other contributors last season relegated to the bench, one a starter, also came through against the Colts. 

Offensive lineman Chris Hubbard, who resembled a turnstile in pass protection last season at right tackle, chose to remain with the Browns as a utility lineman this season. He is far better at guard and proved it Sunday with a solid performance after right guard Wyatt Teller went down with a calf injury on the Browns' second possession of the game.

Playing between right tackle Jack Conklin and center JC Tretter didn't hurt, but Hubbard was stout protecting Mayfield and opened holes, mostly in the second half when he teamed with fellow guard Joel Bitonio in the ground game. 

Rashard Higgins, one of Mayfield's favorite targets in his rookie season, fell out of favor last season under Freddie Kitchens and virtually disappeared. And then he lost the third wide receiver job this season to KhaDarel Hodge. The coaches loved him, though, and he patiently awaited his chance.

It arrived when a hamstring injury landed Hodge on injured reserve last week. The fifth-year pro paid immediate dividends as he and Mayfield renewed acquaintances.

On the ninth play of the possession following the Colts tying the game at 10-10 in the second quarter, Higgins ran a perfect seam route and Mayfield found him with a 15-yard scoring strike that put the Browns ahead for good.

It was an afternoon when the bottom part of the roster played like they belonged a lot higher. It had to give comfort to Stefanski and his staff that the depth on this team should not be worrisome from here on out.

*       *       *

It went completely unnoticed. The following statistic is almost unbelievable. But there it was on the final stats sheet against the Colts. 

The Browns committed only two penalties all afternoon. Yep, two. Both were on the defense and both were called in the first half. In other words, the Browns played cleanly on both sides of the football for the entire second half. Told you it was unbelievable.

Cornerback Terrance Mitchell held Indy wide receiver T. Y. Hilton on the first play of the Colts' second possession of the game and defensive end Olivier Vernon was offsides two possessions later. That's it.

Why is that so important and unbelievable? First of all, it signifies the players are paying attention to the discipline message Stefanski and his staff pound home. Why unbelievable? A positive stat like that isn't usually associated with the Browns.

*       *       *

The Browns had 11 head coaches (all but two full-time) in their first 50 seasons, including just two in the first 25. In the last 22 seasons, including this one, they have had 12 head coaches, full-time and interim. That's 12 coaches in 22 seasons. No wonder this team has been the laughingstock of the NFL for almost a generation.

Since Chris Palmer was hired as the head coach of the expansion Browns back in 1999, no head coach since has accomplished what Stefanski has in such a short period of time. Five games into a season beset by a global pandemic that has affected the manner in which teams prepare for the season, Stefanski in the early going has emerged as somewhat of a miracle worker.

No one saw four straight victories after an opening-gane embarrassment. Of course, it wasn't against a tough schedule, but considering the new Browns lost many games to a lot of bad football teams since 1999. that doesn't matter. A victory is a victory and Stefanski's name is on four of them after five games. 

That sure makes the rest of the schedule that much more appealing to the fans as the Browns take aim at becoming the NFL's surprise team this season.

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Finally . . . Cody Parkey hasn't missed a kick yet since taking over for Austin Seibert, who was cut after  after the first game, although he came close on the clinching field goal against the Colts when his 46-yarder kissed off the left upright and scooted over the crossbar. He is perfect on 17 extra points and seven field-goal attempts. . . . Outside linebacker Sione Takitaki played only 15 snaps against Indianapolis, but had seven tackles, five solo. . . . Free safety Andrew Sendejo is the only Brown to play every snap on defense with 353. Mitchell, filling in for the oft-injured Greedy Williams, trails Sendejo by one, missing the one snap in game two against Cincinnati. The Browns finally put Williams (shoulder) on injured reserve. . . .  Since scoring only six points in the season opener, the Browns have put 150 points on the board, including four straight games of more than 30 points. . . . Mayfield emerged with bruised ribs late in the Colts game and probably will wear a flak jacket against Pittsburgh Sunday.

This sure is fun

It was a Dickensian kind of afternoon Sunday along the lakefront for the Browns, who toyed with their fans emotions before escaping with a 32-23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Instead of a Tale of Two Cities, this one was a Tale of Two Halves for the Browns, who labored for 23 seasons (not counting the three years they were unfairly kicked out of the National Football League) to finally open a season with a 4-1 record after the first five games. 

The first half treated the 16,000 fans or so on hand to a near flawless brand of offensive football Browns fans haven't seen for many seasons. Like four possessions that bled nearly 20 minutes off the clock, 284 yards from scrimmage on a ridiculous 43 plays and 20 points on the board. 

Baker Mayfield looked sharp as the Colts, determined to stop the vaunted Cleveland ground game, practically dared him to throw,. He said thank you very much and proceeded to complete 20 of his 29 passes for 228 yards and touchdown tosses to Kareem Hunt and Rashard Higgins.

He did what a good field general does. He kept the chains moving, converted six of nine third downs and looked very much in control. A rout against the NFL's best defense loomed. It became even more likely on the Colts' first possession of the second half.

A 47-yard pick six by new strong safety Ronnie Harrison, subbing for the injured Karl Joseph, extended the lead to 27-10 less than three minutes into the second half. Browns fans had to be beside themselves with joy.

The defense, which has struggled all season, had its 11th takeaway in the last three games and first touchdown. The offense was purring and now this. What in the world was happening with this erstwhile forlorn franchise?

And then the game turned. Just. Like. That.

Isaiah Rodgers, a rookie cornerback, returned Cody Parkey's ensuing kickoff 101 yards and the emotional high the Browns and their fans were experiencing after Harrison's pick softened. Poor coverage again was the major contributor.

Nine players with orange helmets surrounded Rodgers at the Colts 25. He somehow squirted through a tiny crease, cut to the right sideline, avoided a tackle by M.J. Stewart Jr. at the 40, cut back to the middle and was gone.

That seemed to inspire the Indy defense as Mayfield and the Cleveland offense looked nothing like the team that played the first 30 minutes. What worked in the first half didn't come even close in the next 30 minutes. 

All of a sudden, the Colts defense that led the league in just about every category sprung to life. It continued to slow down the run and Mayfield became a different quarterback, the one who becomes a mistake machine when flustered. He became uncertain, much less confident with his passes. 

How many times have we seen him this season start to pull the trigger on a pass only to have second thoughts and yank it back? The rollout passes that were called and executed so successfully in the first half disappeared. It also didn't help that the usually reliable Jarvis Landry, who made a couple of dazzling catches, dropped a pair of passes you and I could have caught that would have extended possessions.  

The next four Cleveland possessions resulted in a Bobby Okereke interception that led to a field goal, a pair of Jamie Gillan punts and an Anthony Walker pick that led to another field goal. A special teams breakdown and two Mayfield interceptions turned a presumed rout into yet another Browns nailbiter.

Gillan's first punt Cleveland provided the only bright moment for the defense in the final quarter.  It was fair caught at the Colts' four-yard line. Quarterback Philip Rivers, who has been around long enough to know better, threw the ball away toward no one in particular in the vicinity from his end zone on the first play after he was nearly sacked by Myles Garrett. 

Intentional grounding in the end zone resulted in a safety, extending the Browns' lead to 29-20, a two score lead and breathing room, which then became a one-score lead after Walker's interception and subsequent field goal.

The sagging Cleveland second-half offense, which in no way resembled the first-half Cleveland offense, mustered a puny 66 yards on 22 snaps and burned just 12:29 off the clock. The Colts made adjustments that worked. The Browns did not counter.

And then the game turned again. Just. Like. That.

With time running out and the Colts sensing a comeback victory, the first-half Cleveland offense reappeared. The emotional rollercoaster ride Browns fans were experiencing was about to take a different route.

Hunt, who had gained 72 hard-earned yards on 20 attempts against the stout Indy defense, was spent. His injured groin was probably shouting "no more." In came D'Ernest Johnson, who ran so well last Sunday in Dallas, but was relegated to spot duty in this one, carrying the football only four times for three yards.

On the Browns' final possession of the game when they needed him most and with Hunt on the sidelines, the second-year man delivered and ran the Colts out of timeouts. 

The play of the game for the offense, as it turned out, was a quick burst by Johnson on a counter play with guards Joel Bitonio and Chris Hubbard leading him through a small seam on the left side of the line where he turned on the jets and sped down the left sideline for 28 yards.

There was nothing the Colts could do to stop the clock and Parkey made it official with 20 seconds left in regulation with help from a friendly left upright, which steered a ricochet through on his 46-yard field goal attempt. 

While it's comforting to know this offense is pretty damn good when it hums, it has yet to reach its peak. It also needs to hone one aspect of the game that created heart-pounding thrillers the two weeks. Consistency is the hallmark of good teams. The Browns don't have it yet on that side of the ball. 

Victories like this one, of course, are enjoyable. They should be celebrated. But when that inconsistency shows up against better teams, like Pittsburgh next Sunday for example, those victories might not be as achievable as the last two.

It will be close

Every now and then, a football game comes along that catches your attention for all the right reasons. Sunday's late get-together on the lakefront between the Browns and Indianapolis Colts is such a game.

It figures to be a classic battle between the unstoppable force against the immovable object. The Browns' top-ranked ground game against a Colts defense that makes stingy look like a dirty word in Indianapolis. It has all the earmarkings of a something's-gotta-give kind of game.

We all know how scary the Cleveland offense, especially the ground game, has become in the last three weeks. Just as scary, though, is what the Colts have done in those three weeks as well. Both clubs have rebounded nicely -- in vastly different ways -- from an opening loss to bring 3-1 records into this one.

The Colts present numerous gaudy statistics on defense in the last three games as their calling card. They have surrendered only 29 points (they allowed 27 in the opening loss to Jacksonville); only 43 first downs (60 all season); a measly 704 total yards; an even more measly 217 yards on the ground, and seven takeaways.

There's more, Overall, they give up 236 total yards a game, have yielded only six touchdowns (one infantry style), racked up 10 sacks, and limited foes to 308 yards on the ground all season (77 a game). By comparison, the Cleveland offense last Sunday piled up 307 yards on the ground against the Cowboys. 

The Browns answer on offense with their own kind of gaudy as well in the last troika of games on the schedule. They have rung up 75 first downs, 1,242 total yards (680 on the ground; that's 227 a game), and just one turnover.

Yes, they will be without Nick Chubb for this one and probably the next three or four games. But they have the luxury of turning to Kareem Hunt, who just might be every bit as good as Chubb, but in a totally different way. And then there is D'Ernest Johnson, who introduced himself to the rest of the National Football League last Sunday in Dallas with a 95-yard effort.

On the other side of the wish-he-wasn't-hurt coin is Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard, one of the league's terrific fecal-matter disturbers who will miss this one with groin issues. Big break. So is the absence of offensive left tackle Anthony Castonzo (ribs). Another big break.

The Colts' defense is just as miserly when the football is airborne with seven interceptions and a per-game average of just 159 yards. That's probably because the defense is so strong against the run, opponents are forced to put the ball up but still fall short.

In theory, that will not happen Sunday. And that's where the immovable and irresistible collide. You can safely bet head coach Kevin Stefanski will carry a play sheet Sunday filled with running plays that will (a) keep the chains moving in the right direction, (b) take time off the game clock, (c) keep the defense well rested and (d) relegate quarterback Baker Mayfield again to working with a less-risky passing game.

The Cleveland defense, which has coughed up points at a dizzying pace (31.5 a game), will be without defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (abdomen), cornerback Greedy Williams (still with a shoulder issue) and possibly strong safety Karl Joseph (hamstring) and defensive end Adrian Clayborn (hip). Rookie Jordan Elliott replaces Ogunjobi.

But Myles Garrett, playing at an All-Pro level this season, is healthy and ready to wreak more havoc, looking to extend his strip-sack streak to four straight games. With Castonzo out, it will be interesting to see whether defensive coordinator Joe Woods lines Garrett up opposite LeRaven Clark, his replacement.

The Colts' offense represents a bit of a break for the Cleveland defense, which has been been bombarded all season by opposing quarterbacks. Colts quarterback Philip Rivers, the ex-Charger, is also a gunner, but the Colts love to mix in the ground game with rookie Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins sharing the load after Marlon Mack tore his Achilles in the season opener.

Rivers, who has thrown just four touchdown passes and three interceptions, completes 73% of his throws and loves to spread the ball around. His favorite targets are Hines out of the backfield, wideouts T. Y. Hilton and Zach Pascal and tight end Mo Alie-Cox, who has caught half of River's' scoring throws. 

This figures to be a pivotal game for both teams, each recording victories against mostly lesser teams and looking for a stalwart opponent to judge just how good they are.

For the Colts, it will answer whether they can stop a strong run game, one that leads the NFL in many offensive categories. For the Browns, it will answer whether they can continue to win battles against the best defense they have faced since the opening-game disaster in Baltimore.

It has been said many times throughout the course of football history -- and believed by many to be factual -- that most games are won in the trenches. Trench warfare is the great dictator.

It is also believed that a solid defense will stop a solid offense more often than not. It's even truer that a solid defense will turn away a solid offense almost every time in games leading up to a championship. Offense wins games; defense wins championships.

That said, Sunday will reveal a lot about both teams. Something will give. Since this is a game and not a championship, and since Leonard and Castonzo will be sideline spectators, a flip of the coin says the Browns will be 4-1 early Sunday evening for the first time since 1994 when the team that now call themselves the  Ravens were 6-1 in their first seven games. 

Hunt and Johnson won't run wild, but they will be effective behind the solid offensive line. Mayfield once again will throw fewer than 30 passes, completing his only scoring toss to tight end David Njoku, back from a sprained knee. The defense will struggle, of course, but will record two more takeaways. It will be close, though, so keep the Nitro tablets handy. Make it:

Browns 23, Colts 21

Mid-week thoughts

There are five very good reasons the Browns' offense this season is humming smoother and looking prettier than it has in quite a while.

They are, in very particular order from left tackle to right tackle along the line, Jedrick Wills Jr., Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter, Wyatt Teller and Jack Conklin. No one saw them coming together so quickly.

People are beginning to take notice as the aforementioned plug uglies -- meant endearingly -- comprise the offensive line for the No. 1 rushing team in the entire National Football League a quarter of the way into the 2020 season.

Pro Football Focus ranks it the best unit in the league when it comes to grinding out yardage the old fashioned way. On the ground. Snot- nose football. Mano a mano.

No one, and I mean absolutely no one, had any idea of how explosive this unit would -- and could -- be when head coach /playcaller Kevin Stefanski decided to go full bore infantry to set up the passing game. As a result, the Cleveland offense has drawn much more than scant attention of every defensive coordinator remaining on the schedule. 

So-called skill players like Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson, Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., and, to a lesser extent, Baker Mayfield receive a large portion of the attention and credit for the club's success. Rest assured, though, the guys in the trenches have their own set of skills.

How often this season have we seen Chubb or Hunt, even Johnson, break long runs? More than you think.  The Browns lead the NFL in 20-plus yards plays with 11, almost doubling their nearest challenger. They are tied for second in first downs with 42.

That is not accidental. It's the residue of hard work put in by a unit that did not play its first game together until the first offensive snap of the season opener in Baltimore. After a rough start that fortunately did not portend the immediate future, the Browns became downright scary. And it's not often you see Browns and scary in the same sentence.

Stefanski has relied so heavily on the run, the Browns are virtually tied with New England for the most rushing attempts (139) thus far, maintaining his goal of equal balance and not becoming too predictable. 

Without really knowing, the guess here is the line loves running the Stefanski offense because it features what they do best -- run block -- and have rewarded him with outstanding performances in the last three games.

They have allowed just six sacks of Mayfield, who has become a gane manager, throwing only when necessary. Most offensive linemen prefer run blocking to pass protection, anyway. So there's little complaining if the new head coach limits his quarterback in the passing game.

Bitonio, Tretter and Teller (for half the season) are the only holdovers from last season's disaster. That team permitted 11 sacks and 18 quarterback hits in the first four games. This season? Six sacks and 13 hits. 

The three-game winning streak the Browns lug into the late Sunday afternoon game at home against Indianapolis is a direct product of the efficiency of the offensive line. Outside of the season opener, when they spent way too much time protecting Mayfield after falling far behind, they have excelled.

Since then, the Browns have punished three defenses for 1,242 yards, including 508 last Sunday in Dallas, and scored 118 points. That's an average of 414 yards and nearly 40 points a game. Again . . . offensive line.

Teller and Bitonio at guards have proven quick enough, skilled enough and athletic enough to pull on trap plays or counter plays. Teller, especially, has been a pleasant surprise. Both men can get to the second level quickly. New offensive line coach Bill Callahan installed Teller at the beginning of training camp and he arguably has become the best member of that unit.

Tretter has been steady in the pivot, seemingly making all the right line calls, while Wills and Conklin have been unspectacularly steady on the flanks. Wills has shown that making the switch from right tackle to left tackle was not was as difficult as some of us -- okay, moi -- believed it would be. And Conklin is playing like another trip to the Pro Bowl is inevitable.

It will be interesting Sunday to see how the line performs for the first time without Chubb, the bellcow ofd the backfield who will be sidelined for at least a month with a torn MCL.

It might be trite, but it's also true. Football games are won and lost in the trenches. What the 2020 season has unveiled thus far for Browns fans more than substantiates that claim.

Monday leftovers

Browns fans undoubtedly are moaning about the unfortunate injury that befell Nick Chubb in the club's startling 49-38 victory against the Cowboys Sunday in Dallas. The big running back will miss at least the next month with an MCL tear.

Chubb was innocently in pass protection mode late in the first quarter and Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill rolled up on his right knee, bending it in a direction it's supposed to go. "Damn," thought many of those fans as Chubb slowly walked off the field.

"Too good to be true," many of them probably surmised of the surprising 3-1 start to the 2020 season. "Now our best running back goes down for a while. Figures." That's the (normal for Browns fans) pessimistic view of the situation. 

But all is not lost. After Chubb went down, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson and Dontrell Hilliard stepped right in and did not miss a beat, helping lift that aspect of the offense to its best day (307 yards) in many years behind an offensive line rapidly moving up the charts as one of the best in the National Football League.

Now is a good time to find out whether the revamped offensive line is the main reason for the Browns' surge on the ground, Or whether it's the talent of the running backs that makes it work. Sunday's output opened a lot of eyes.

Chubb obviously will be sorely missed, especially with defensive stalwarts Indianapolis and Pittsburgh dead ahead. But the manner in which Hunt and Johnson badly bruised the Dallas defense makes the situation a little more palatable.

It certainly isn't as though all hope is lost and Baker Mayfield will have to shed his role as game manager and distribute the football all over the field. No. Hunt is still very much a quality back and the Browns are fortunate to have him at this juncture.

There aren't many NFL teams that can shrug off a Chubb injury and come up with someone who can put up similar numbers. Their styles might be different, but the end result is what counts and Hunt, in limited action, has come through superbly.

If anything, he is a better all-around back than Chubb, excelling on the ground, as a receiver and as an effective blocker. He has touched the football only 58 times this season and has five touchdowns (three on the ground) to show for it.

He is quite capable of stepping into the No. 1 role behind (sometimes alongside) Mayfield. Head coach Kevin Stefanski might not use him as often as he would Chubb due to a groin pull. And that's where Johnson enters the picture.

Before Sunday in Dallas, no one knew who he was. He was just another lower roster player with an unusual first name who occasionally returned kicks last season after being picked up in May 2019 following the demise of the Alliance of American Football.

Most fans couldn't have cared less about who he was because Chubb and Hunt formed arguably the most lethal running tandem in the league. Then Chubb went down and Johnson moved up to back up Hunt and shed his non-entity status with a 95-yard effort against the Cowboys. No one saw that coming.

Johnson logged only 17 snaps, all but four with a football in his hands, gobbling up yardage at a 7.3-yard clip behind the line. The 5-10, 210-pounder runs with deceiving speed and nice bend, making him a small target for defenders. 

Don't look for Stefanski to seriously alter his game plans in the next month or so with Chubb in the role of spectator, probably because he has enough faith in his offensive line to continue the path that has led the Cleveland running game to the top of the league's statistics. They have run for 818 yards (an average of 204.5 yards a game), 175 yards ahead of the second-place Baltimore Ravens. 

The Colts and Steelers will provide the ultimate litmus tests in the next two weeks. That's when fans will determine whether the injury suffered by Chubb has dealt the offense a more serious blow than initial indications suggest.

Now is not the time to lament, It's the time to adjust.

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Checking the numbers: 

The Browns will be looking for their fourth straight victory against the Colts on Sunday at home. The last time they started a season at 4-1 was in 1994 when they began 6-1. . . . The last time they won four in a row was in 2009 at the tailend of Eric Mangini's first year as head coach. They won the last four games of the season after losing 11 of their first 12, including seven in a row . . . Baker Mayfield has not thrown an interception in the last two games which for him is mildly surprising. That's not his best streak, however. He went three straight games without a pick last season in weeks nine through 11. . . 

Scoring 30 or more points in the last three straight games is not a club record. It was last accomplished by the 1968 team, was part of an eight-game winning streak and produced at least that many points in seven straight games between Oct, 30 and Dec.1, more than 40 in each of the last three. Blanton Collier's club won the Century Division, but lost to Baltimore in the NFL championship game, 34-0. Bill Nelsen, Leroy Kelly, Paul Warfield and Milt Morin were the stars of that team. Kelly scored 20 touchdowns. . . . 

The current Browns had zero takeaways in the first two games this season. They have created eight since then, turning six of them into points. The defense might have many weak areas, but lack of opportunism is not one of them. . . . The poor secondary has tumbled to the bottom of the league stats. And no wonder. They have faced two quarterbacks in the last three games who combined to bombard that area of the field with a total of 124 dropbacks and 119 actual throws. Dak Prescott and Joe Burrow walked away with losses. . . 

Taking extrapolation to the extreme, the Browns are on a pace to scorse 496 points this season, which wound obliterate the club's all-time record of 415 in 1964, the year they thrashed the Baltimore Colts, 27-0, to win their last league title. Sure is fun to simultaneously dream and reminisce. . . . 

To give you some idea of how easily the Cowboys nearly wiped out a 41-14 Cleveland lead heading into the fourth quarter Sunday, check out these stats: They ran 38 plays for 308 yards, scored three ridiculously easy touchdowns, easily converted all three two-point attempts, all the while removing just 9:13 off the clock against the Browns' Swiss cheese defense. Ordinarily, that's a recipe for disaster. . . . In the middle quarters, the Cowboys were held scoreless and turned the ball over thrice. . . . Their longest (time-wise) drive of the afternoon consumed just 4:02. . . . The Cleveland defense was on the field for just a little more than 26 minutes, but faced 82 plays. Cornerbacks Denzel Ward (nursing a groin pull) and Terrance Mitchell and free safety Andrew Sendejo logged all 82. Mitchell had 12 tackles, all but one solo.

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Myles Garrett is easily the best player on defense. That's because no one else is even on the same planet with regard to his brilliance. He was the only defensive lineman who got close to Prescott with three tackles, two sacks, a pair of quarterback hits, a caused fumble (strip sack), six of the club's unofficial nine hurries and a partridge in a pear tree. 

When is Andrew Berry going to do something about giving this man some help? The general manager has to notice Garrett is not getting it from anywhere else along the line. He is a one-man pass rush. At this rate, Garrett will be spent by the time snow falls. 

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Sixth-round draft pick Donovan Peoples-Jones made his professional debut against the Cowboys and did fairly well. The wide receiver did not factor in the passing game. In fact, he was not targeted at all. But he played nine snaps on special teams, returning three kickoffs for 73 yards (long of 32) and a punt for eight yards. He logged 33 snaps on offense and proved an adept blocker, delivering a beauty that wiped out the final defender on one of Hunt's two scoring runs. 

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Finally . . .  Odell Beckham Jr. touched the football only seven times against Dallas, but compiled 154 yards and the three touchdowns. He was targeted only once by Mayfield in the second half. . . . Mayfield finished 19-of-20 through the air for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He threw only seven passes in the second half, completing five for 33 yards. . . . Defensive end Olivier Vernon finally showed up Sunday and was credited with three solo tackles. Oh and a fumble recovery. Wonder how much longer he plays before the injury bug bites again, . . . Tight ends Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant combined for nine receptions for 71 yards and a Hooper touchdown. . . . Placekicker Cody Parkey remains perfect on field goals and extra points. His blocked PAT kick after the Browns' final touchdown was wiped out and ruled a two-point conversion when Stephen Carlson of the Browns recovered the ball in the end zone after the Dallas special team kicked it there.