- Thursday Night Football saw the Cleveland Browns defeating Cincinnati Bengals, 35-30
- Browns’ running backs, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, were fantastic, delivering four touchdowns.
- Joe Burrow was also good, and did all in his power to prevent a loss, but didn’t have proper support.
Browns Win, RBs Dominate
After being blown away in Week 1 by the Ravens, the Cleveland Browns bounced back with an important win over the state rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. The hosts won this one with 35-30, primarily because of their running backs.
Both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were magnificent, playing at a Pro Bowl level and scoring two touchdowns each.
Chubb ran for 124 yards, crushing the Bengals’ defense, carrying the ball into the end zone twice. Meanwhile, Hunt had one rushing touchdown and the second one through the air, going for 101 yards from the scrimmage.
“They’re two talented backs that complement each other and push each other. We’re gonna look for ways to get those guys to rock,” said Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Chubb and Hunt were excellent when it came down to moving the chains in the late phase of the game, once Cleveland ran down the clock. In certain moments, Baker Mayfield was just there to put the ball in their arms, and step aside.
When mentioning Mayfield, he had a solid game, with 219 yards, 16-for-23, two TD passes, and one interception. That one pick extended his streak of games in which he had at least one interception to 8 contests. Still, he was much better than in Week 1.
One of his TD passes ended with Odell Beckham Jr., and it was 43 yards long.
Burrow Can’t Play Alone
The Bengals once again reached the lead first. Only this time, it was a field-goal, but after that one, they were constantly behind, trying to catch the home team. To be more precise, Joe Burrow was the one who chased the rivals, while his other teammates didn’t play with the same desire and flair like the No.1 pick did.
Burrow tossed three TD passes, had 316 yards, making 37 of his 61 pass attempts. That many tries are the second-most ever for a rookie. He did have one fumble and several mistakes, but that was mostly because of his desire to win and to change things on the field.
His offensive line didn’t do well this Thursday, allowing three sacks for 31 yards on their starting QB. After the game, Burrow showed some signs of frustration, but all in the boundaries of politeness.
“Losing isn’t very fun. This might be the only time I’ve lost two games in a row. It doesn’t feel very good. … Losing is unacceptable to me,” the youngster said.
He will have the new chance to win the first game in the league already next week, in Philadelphia against the Eagles, and after that at home vs. Jacksonville Jaguars.
As for the Browns, they await Washington Football Team at home on Sunday before visiting the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington.
