CLEVELAND – The Browns and Falcons were on very different trajectories heading into their Week 10 showdown. Since starting the season a promising 2-2-1, Cleveland had dropped four straight and the season quickly went form postseason dreams to progressing for the future. Atlanta on the other hand, got off to an uncharacteristic 1-3, slow start to the season before rattling off three straight wins. So just as everyone expected, the Browns pulled off a massive upset to snap both streaks with a 28-16 win on Sunday.
It took former head coach Hue Jackson 15 tries to win his first game as the Cleveland Browns head coach in 2016. After taking over for the now fired Jackson two weeks ago, interim head coach Greg Williams needed just two games to accomplish the same feat.
Williams has rookies Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb to thank for his first win as Browns head coach. That duo had a hand in all four of Cleveland’s touchdowns on the day in what was arguably the biggest Browns win since a 31-10 win over Pittsburgh in 2014.
Here are five takeaways from the Browns third win of the season:
1) A First Quarter Touchdown
It took long enough but the Cleveland Browns finally, 10 weeks into the season have scored a first quarter touchdown. It came on their second possession of the game. It was no gimmie either as the Browns started the series back on their own 12.
On the first play of the drive Mayfield hit Breshad Perriman for a 16-yard gain. Two plays later it was Mayfield moving the sticks again with an 18-yard strike to Njoku as they were quickly set up just shy of midfield. On the very next play they’d cross into Falcons territory with a 13-yard pass from Mayfield to Chubb. The either-play, 88-yard drive and the first quarter touchdown drought eventually ended with Mayfield completing with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins.
What a relief for this Browns offense. It really shouldn’t have taken this long. Put a feather in new offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens’ cap for pulling off something his predecessor Todd Haley couldn’t. In just two weeks the offense under Kitchens looks much more efficient than it ever did under Haley.
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