SportsPulse: The Patriots and Steelers have been the standard in the
AFC and the NFL for over a decade, and now both face internal strife,
and a realization that an era of dominance is coming to end. So who
crumbles first?
USA TODAY
CLEVELAND
— Baker Mayfield was unlocked from the bench and helped the Browns
unlock free Bud Light for their thirsty fans as Cleveland overcame a
two-touchdown deficit to defeat the New York Jets 21-17 on Thursday
night, the franchise’s first win in 635 days.
The Browns' previous victory came on Dec. 24, 2016, when they beat the then-San Diego Chargers. They'd gone 0-18-1 in the interim, including the second 0-16 campaign in league history last year.
Mayfield,
the top pick of the 2018 NFL draft, replaced concussed starter Tyrod
Taylor before halftime — Cleveland was trailing 14-0 — and immediately
ignited a stagnant offense in his regular-season debut. Mayfield was
sharp and decisive all night, completing 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards.
He connected on his first three NFL throws (for 47 yards), getting the
Browns in position for a field goal before the half — and showed why the
club made the surprising decision to take him No. 1 overall ahead of
Jets counterpart Sam Darnold.
Mayfield even showed
nifty hands, catching a two-point try from Jarvis Landry on a “Cleveland
Special” type play to tie the game in the third quarter.
Given
the lift he gave to the offense, the boost he gave to a crowd that
groaned through Taylor’s first-half showing and the breakthrough in the
win column, Cleveland coach Hue Jackson will be hard pressed to sit the
rookie after vowing all spring and summer that Taylor would be the
season-long starter.
"This crowd deserved to see
that first win at home. And so that’s the thing I’m most proud of, we
put it together for the fans at home," Mayfield said while on the NFL
Network set following the game. "I felt the energy. That was an
unbelievable feeling."
Free beer sprung from coolers around the city Thursday to celebrate the win, part of a Bud Light promotion.
Mr. Hyde:
Cleveland running back Carlos Hyde successfully compartmentalized his
personal life, fueling a Browns run game that began the night ranked
fourth league-wide. As he was awaiting the birth of his child, Hyde
consistently churned out large chunks of yardage on his way to a
game-high 98 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner with 43
seconds left.
Jets grounded:
Darnold had a poor performance. He looked fully in command at times but
utterly failed to get the offense moving at others before throwing two
crushing interceptions in the fourth quarter. The New York backs did a
decent job picking up the slack as Bilal Powell (73 rushing yards) and
Isaiah Crowell (2 rushing TDs) teamed up to keep New York in the game
most of the night. However not the best look for Crowell, who played his
first four seasons for Cleveland, after earning a 15-yard
unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second quarter after pretending to wipe his backside with the ball before launching it into the crowd.
MORE NFL:
- Mayfield makes sooner-than-expected NFL debut
- Jets' Crowell penalized for wiping butt with ball
- Browns debut new uniforms after years of waiting
Draft dividends:
Mayfield wasn’t the only Browns rookie to make an impact. Corner Denzel
Ward, who was drafted three spots after Mayfield, set up a field goal
after stripping Jets receiver Robby Anderson and recovering the fumble
in the third quarter. Antonio Callaway, who’s essentially replaced Josh
Gordon as the Browns starting receiver opposite Landry, consistently
threatened the defense with his deep speed. His impact wasn’t fully
reflected by his four-catch, 20-yard stat line.
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