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A few weeks before Veterans Day, Joe Thomas spent a day with former soldiers in a game reserve specifically designed for wounded veterans.
USA TODAY Sports

CLEVELAND – Before getting up out of bed, Baker Mayfield knew he would make a good game.

"When I woke up this morning, I felt very dangerous," said the rookie quarterback of the Browns with a smile and a hint of arrogance. "Really dangerous."

Someone should have warned the Falcons of Atlanta.

Mayfield scored three touchdown passes at the top of the season and rookie Nick Chubb scored 92 yards for a goal, while the Cleveland Browns ended a four-game losing streak with their best game of the year , a superb 28-16 win against the Falcons on Sunday.

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The Browns (3-6-1) played their most complete game of the season with interim coach Gregg Williams, their defensive coordinator, moved to 1-1 since replacing Hue Jackson, who was sacked.

Mayfield beat Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan with a performance that further justifies Cleveland's decision to win the top quarter with the No. 1 pick in this year's draft.

"The plan was to put the ball in Baker's hands so that he could make quick decisions," said goalkeeper Joel Bitonio. "He did a great job of making plays for us. With Baker doing his thing and the way Chubb ran the ball, it was a great day for our entire offensive.

"Sometimes the ball bounces on your way. Sometimes this is not the case. Today, he really bounced our way. "

Mayfield completed his first 13 passes and 17 of 20 for 216 yards. He sent a 28-yard pass to Rashard Higgins, 13 yards to Chubb and 11 yards to Duke Johnson.

Ryan and the Falcons (4-5) had a run of three straight wins – and the playoff momentum – stopped cold.

"It's disappointing because we played better than that in the last few weeks. We are better than what we announced today, but you are as good as your last performance. Today 's day was not enough.

And although Mayfield caused damage, Chubb's record was decisive.

Chubb, who had 176 yards in 20 carries over 176 yards, made a transfer and headed right. He cut to Atlanta sideline, cashed a block, then showed his surprising exit speed while finishing the longest race ever in the team's history.

The Chubb race broke the previous team's mark held by Bobby Mitchell, who scored against Washington with a 90-yard run on November 15, 1959.

The score put the Browns ahead of 28-10, an unexpected and unavoidable hole for the Falcons, who missed a chance to get closer to the fourth quarter when they were stopped just inches from the goal line.

Ryan completed 38 of 52 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

Atlanta receiver Julio Jones rushed for 107 yards and became the fastest player to reach 10,000 yards with a 30-yard gain in the second quarter. Jones reached the 10,000-yard mark in his 104th game, 11 points faster than Calvin Johnson.

Moments later, Ryan completed a 1-meter pass for Jones to give the Falcons a 10-7 lead.

Mayfield, who lamented his accuracy problems in the loss to Kansas City last week, scored 12 of 12 points for a 165-yard TD win and two TD assists in the first half, finishing with a score of 158. 3.

Mayfield did not make his first run until 11:14 in the third quarter, but two games later he moved closer to Johnson to give Brown a 21-10 lead.

The score came after cornerback T.J. Carrie hijacked the ball from Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu.

Penetrated by slow starts, the Browns took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter during Mayfield's pass to Higgins, one of QB's favorite targets in his second consecutive game after three weeks of knee injury.

It was Cleveland's first touchdown in the first quarter of the season.

WISHBONE WISH

The New Browns offensive coordinator, Freddie Kitchens, jokingly said earlier in the week that he could bring back the "boom" – a three-back training much appreciated by college teams in the 1970s.

Cleveland used a variation of the triangle on several games.

Strange call

While Mayfield was sublime in the first period, the Browns had an interception.

Offensive back Dontrell Hilliard took a step forward and made a misguided pass to Mayfield, which was well covered and the ball was taken over by Falcons goaltender Damonte Kazee.

NEW TACKLE

The Browns pitched Greg Robinson to the left tack for the second week in a row for rookie Desmond Harrison.

Choosing number 2 in 2014, Robinson made a fresh start with the Browns, who signed him as a free agent before the training camp. He had previously played for the Rams and Los Angeles Lions.