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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.