Still kicking

For those of you who have begun to craft an obituary for the struggling 2021 Cleveland Browns, hang on just a little bit longer. Stop writing. Same for those preparing a eulogy.

The Browns are not dead. Not yet, anyway. After the way they played against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, they are more alive, from a football standpoint, than at any point in the season. 

Apparently, they took their head coach seriously when late this past week he said his team was "desperate and that's where our focus is." Well, that focus was a laser-sharp 20/20 Sunday after they went out and hung a stunning 41-16 thrashing on the Cincinnati Bengals. If that's what desperation football is, sign me up.

No one saw this big-play spanking coming. After all, the Browns' offense had generated just 41 points in the previous four games. Winning the game was prime, of course, but matching that total in one game was eye-opening.

From the 99-yard pick six by Denzel Ward on the opening possession of the game after jumping an end zone route by rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to the 60-yard touchdown dagger Baker Mayfield connection with Donovan Peoples-Jones early in the second quarter to Nick Chubb's 70-yard scoring burst midway through the third quarter, this one was pure fun.

After the Browns took a 24-10 halftime lead, it would have been natural for suspecting fans to start thinking there was still one half of football left and the way this team had been playing, nothing was safe. Little did they realize they were watching what amounted to a statement game.

The statement: "We are not dead. Time to start taking the Cleveland Browns seriously. More to come."

The game statistics belie the final score as the Cleveland defense put on its best performance of the season. The Bengals had 25 first downs; the Browns just 14. The Bengals ran 70 plays to score 16 points; the Browns logged 46 to score 41.  The Bengals owned the football for 35 minutes and 22 seconds; the Browns just 24:38.

So how did this turn out so favorably for the Browns? Arguably the most important stat of any game: Turnovers. The Browns had three, converting them into 13 points. The Bengals, zilch.

Due to Ward's opening surprise, the Cleveland offense did not see the football until 4:33 remained in the first quarter and the Bengals had tied it up at 7-7. The defense, on the field for nearly 23 minutes in the first half. limited the Bengals, who entered the game having scored 109 points in the last three games, to just 10 points, while the offense scored 24 in just eight minutes.

No problem, though, with Mayfield, looking better by the possession in spite of a badly damaged left shoulder and managing the offense masterfully, putting up 34 points in just 41 plays. It was an offense that had been absent since a 42-point outburst against the Los Angeles Chargers in week five.

But the defense deservedly shared the honors -- perhaps even moreso -- with this victory. It was almost unrecognizable because of what sure looked like a new-found aggressive stance. The pass rush was tenacious, racking up five sacks of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and forcing the three turnovers after entering the game with only five total (a penalty wiped out a fourth).

This is the opportunistic defense most fans expected after General Manager Andrew Berry massively addressed that side of the ball during the offseason and exponentially raised the talent level of the team. It was originally thought the unit would become cohesive right away. It didn't, but now that it has stepped up big time against one of the National Football League's best offenses, the future looks bright.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods, becoming bolder by the game, turned the blitz loose against Burrow, who was knocked down a dozen times. Slot corner Troy Hill, spectacular with seven solo tackles, two sacks and three knockdowns, seemed to be ubiquitous. Equally ubiquitous middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. checked in with 14 tackles, 12 solo. Safety John Johnson III caused a fumble and intercepted a pass.

Overall, this one clearly qualified as the club's best overall effort of the season, something on which to build for head coach Kevin Stefanski, especially after what has transpired the last month, the last week in particular with the Odell Beckham Jr. saga. 

Entering the game on the tailend of a four-game span that saw the offense slumber with an allergic reaction to scoring points, many inhabitants of Browns Nation were flummoxed at just what the hell was going on. After last season, 4-4 was not excepted at that point, especially with a relatively easy schedule.

On this day, however, everything clicked. Kind of made me wonder where in the world the team that showed up Sunday has been the first two months of the season. The fact they were playing .500 ball at this point was somewhat miraculous, especially with the OBJ nonsense swirling around the club on a weekly basis. Now, it's what chaos?

Sudden thought: Now that OBJ will officially become an ex-Brown Monday with his quickie divorce, does this pounding of the Bengals mean what I think it means? How emphatically was that question answered? You know, the one about whether Mayfield is a better quarterback with Beckham not in uniform.

He was an efficient 14-of-21 for 218 yards and touchdown passes to Peoples-Jones and David Njoku to wrap up the scoring in the final quarter. He was sacked a couple of times, but generally looked more relaxed and confident in the pocket than he has been the last month or so.

One terrific game like this, however, is insufficient evidence to adequately answer that question, but the fact is Mayfield wins more games with Beckham nowhere to be seen than when he suits up. It's an argument best suited for talk radio, one that no doubt will be looked at quite closely as the rest of the season unfolds.

It was also good to see Chubb rebound nicely from his 61-yard game last Sunday in the Pittsburgh loss, churning out 137 yards on just 14 carries en route to his two-touchdown afternoon.  

So hold off on those obituaries and eulogies for the time being. The Browns are off the resuscitator and functioning, at least for one game, quite nicely. Now comes the second half of the season against a much tougher schedule.