Browns snap 19-game winless streak in Mayfield debut

ymakerpi8d

Browns snap 19-game winle s streak in Mayfield debut   Published: Sep 20, 2018 at 05:03 PM           Around The NFL Podcast Co-Host                                   Open the in Cleveland! An electric Mayfield orchestrated a trio of second-half scores, lifting the to their first victory since Christmas Eve of 2016 -- and snapping with gusto a notorious 19-game winle s streak. As soon as the draft's No. 1 overall pick entered the game, slow-developing sacks gave way to pinpoint darts into tight windows. , shredding a defense that had dominated the game's first 28 minutes. Winning the battle of the hotshot rookies against No. 3 pick , Mayfield completed 17 of 23 pa ses (73.9 percent Preston Tucker Jersey ) for 201 yards at 8.7 yards per attempt for a 100.1 pa ser rating in just over two quarters of action. fans have to be asking themselves if their team would be sitting pretty at 3-0 if Mayfield had been allowed to take first-team practice reps over the past month and a half.         While Mayfield's dramatic comeback might have seemed scripted by the football gods, that certainly wasn't the case in the middle of the fourth quarter. had teamed with Mayfield for a high-wattage "Cleveland Special" that electrified FirstEnergy Stadium by way of a trick play to tie the game at 14 with a two-point conversion. Darnold promptly answered with a methodical 12-play, 65-yard field-goal drive that gave the a three-point lead with nine minutes remaining. Charged with mustering a scoring drive of his own, Mayfield hit in stride down the sideline only to watch the ball slip out of the rookie's hands in a what-might-have-been scenario. Would the young crumble in the wake of that crucial gaffe? Not so fast. After converting a pair of first downs, Mayfield threw a strike that bounced off of Landry's chest for another brutal drop. Once again, Mayfield  George Springer Jersey bounced back, this time with a first-down redemption to Callaway. Facing adversity one final time when a 16-yard touchdown run was nullified by an illegal-block penalty, Mayfield found Landry for a 12-yard gain that set up 's game-winning touchdown. Cleveland's defense closed out the victory, intercepting Darnold twice in the game's final two minutes.     Even before Taylor was forced out with a concu sion, there was a strong sense that coach Hue Jackson had no choice but to turn to Mayfield at halftime. Taylor received little help from his offensive line and play-caller, but he was failing in so many different ways: frozen like a deer in headlights against an array of coach Todd Bowles blitzes, underthrowing a wide open Callaway on a deep bomb that might have gone for a 70-yard touchdown, overthrowing Landry on a disconnect that resulted Tyler Clippard Jersey  in an intentional grounding penalty. In two and a half games at the helm of coordinator Todd Haley's offense, Taylor had completed just 48.8 percent of his pa ses at 5.5 yards per attempt for a 64.0 pa ser rating and 13 sacks. Taylor's toothle s attack had converted a whopping eight defensive takeaways into just 10 points under his watch.     Showing a head-scratching inability to read the city and the moment -- much le s the room -- Jackson insisted after the game that he's not yet ready to name a starting quarterback for next week's tilt at Oakland.     In contrast to Mayfield, the draft's No. 3 overall pick, Darnold, struggled for the second straight week. Credit defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for shrinking the field, dialing up blitzes and squeezing Darnold like an anaconda for 58 minutes prior to the game-ending misfires. Mayfield played just six first-half snaps and was still the game's leading pa ser entering halftime with 47 yards on four throws. The two teams combined for eight punts on eight first-quarter po se sions until a blocked punt set up the first of two second-quarter scores against his former teammates.        Outside of those two run-heavy po se sions, the offense was simply stymied. Through three weeks, an up-and-down Darnold, 21, has completed 56 of 93 pa ses (60.2 percent) at 7.5 yards per attempt with a 3:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 72.0 pa ser rating. It's no surprise that the youngest quarterback  Jake Marisnick Jersey since the league's 1970 merger is experiencing growing pains leading up to next week's clash with the ferocious Jacksonville defense.         While the ' pairing of safety and defensive lineman might just rank as the AFC East's top defensive duo, the can boast their own exciting young nucleus in disruptive second-year pa s rusher and playmaking rookie cornerback , the No. 4 overall pick. Garrett came through with two more sacks while Ward changed the game's momentum with a strip of receiver , giving the former Ohio State star three takeaways in three NFL games. Throw in pocket-pushing defensive tackle , rookie linebacker Genard Averay and hard-nosed tackling machine , and this Cleveland defense is starting to smother opposing offenses.     Three cheers for lifelong fan Marc Se sler, the resident soothsayer. At a live performance in London two days before the NFL Kickoff Game earlier this month, Se  Andy Pettitte Jersey sler foretold in vivid detail in which Mayfield would come off the bench to save the day for the and, more importantly, jumpstart an exciting new era of Cleveland football:    Attn:  Chris We seling (@ChrisWe seling)     A po sible prophet, a savant - or just ? With the and moving into the second half of play and starting, Marc's prediction could become reality...  NFL Podcasts (@NFL_Podcasts)        This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.