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Crack open the fridges of victory and distribute free beer, the Cleveland Browns finally won a match.
It was not the Super Bowl, nor even a playoff match; The Browns, thanks to Baker Mayfield's electric debut, beat the Jets, 21-17, on Thursday night, ending a winless series that had lasted for 635 days.
It was not expected that Mayfield, the number one pick in this year's draft, would play in this game because veteran Tyrod Taylor was cut off in the quarter. But after a bad start, Taylor suffered a concussion in the second quarter, which opened the door to Mayfield, who woke up a team that led 14-0, when he ran on the field at FirstEnergy Stadium. .
Mayfield showed everything that made him the first pick in the draft. He created games with his legs, he made the difficult shots easy, he even caught a 2-point conversion on a pick where he split by receiving a float in the final area kicked by Jarvis Landry. Cleveland immediately took the match under Mayfield, who ended up throwing 201 yards in just over two quarters of the action, easily ahead of Sam Darnold of the Jets, who was two picks after Mayfield in the repechage .
It was hardly a one-man show in Cleveland. Landry made a close connection to Mayfield and finished the day with eight catches for 103 yards, including a goal-line circus kick that helped set the Browns' first touchdown. Carlos Hyde beat 98 yards and two touchdowns, and the Browns defense, led by Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward, caused errors for the Jets to bring Cleveland back into a match that at one point looked like New York's favor.
Darnold, who last week became the youngest quarterback for 300 yards, could not do as much against Cleveland's defensive defense. He completed 15 of his 31 passes for 169 yards, but did not touch and started two interceptions in the final two minutes of the game. Isaiah Crowell, former Brown, accounted for most of the Jets' score with two touchdowns.
The futility of the Browns since the resurrection of the franchise in 1999 has been well documented. In 19 seasons, Cleveland had a record of wins twice and played in the playoffs just once. Their quarterbacks had the power to beat a drummer for Spinal Tap, their acquisitions almost always seemed to fail and their referrals too often found success elsewhere.
But in the first two years of Coach Hue Jackson, they had somehow found a lower level than the N.F.L. In the Thursday night game, the team went 1-32-1 to Jackson, including a 0-16 in 2017, which prompted fans to run a parade to celebrate their shortcomings.
Despite some optimism about the team's off-season movements, the Browns had low enough expectations for the season. Bud Light designed a promotion in which refrigerators filled with beer were distributed to bars in the Cleveland area. the time the Browns have won.
It only took three games for Browns fans to drink for free.
Mayfield's tremendous performance erased memories of Taylor's impressive performance in the first half. Taylor, an eight-year veteran, was traded to the Browns this season and was expected to be a solid goaltender until Mayfield was ready. He was known for his precision in Buffalo, where he helped the Bills end their long drought in the playoffs last season, but in three games with the Browns, he completed only 41 of his 84 assists (48 , 8%).
The win gives Cleveland a 1-1-1 record after three games, which is Cleveland's best start since 2011. Next week, they will head to Oakland to face the Raiders in search of something seemed impossible until now: a series of victories.
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