CLEVELAND (AP) — e same.Unable to slow Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s thrill-a-minute offense
https://www.brownsfanshop.com/JC-Tretter-Jersey , the Browns were soundly beaten — and beaten up — in a 37-21 loss on Sunday in Cleveland’s first game under interim coach Gregg Williams.Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Cleveland native Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt, another local kid who drove past FirstEnergy Stadium almost every day, scored three TDs as the Chiefs (8-1) overpowered the banged-up Browns (2-6-1) while sending them to their fourth straight loss.It doesn’t figure to get better anytime soon for Cleveland, which had three more defensive starters get injured.The pain isn’t going away.“We have to keep going — next man up,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “We have to do the best with what we have.”The loss ended another tumultuous few days for the Browns, whose promising 2-2-1 start has dissolved into more disarray.Still, rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield managed to extract some positives. He passed for 297 yards and two touchdowns.“Offensively, I think there was a lot more good in this game than we had in the past,” said Mayfield, who twice connected with running back Duke Johnson on scores. “There is a lot to build on, but there is obviously so much more room for improvement. When you are playing a team like that, you have to stay in the game.“You have to give yourself chances. You have to do the little things right. You have to chip away, take time off of the clock just because of the offense that they have. There was a lot of good on offense, but we just have to keep getting better.”Cleveland’s hopes of staying with the Chiefs took a major hit when defensive backs Damarious Randall (groin), E.J. Gaines (concussion) and Denzel Ward (hip) were sidelined by injuries. Randall was scratched before the kickoff, and after Gaines and Ward went down in the first quarter, linebacker Christian Kirksey (hamstring) got hurt.Stopping the Chiefs with a full roster is tough.Short-handed, it’s impossible.The Browns were already missing Pro Bowl linebacker Joe Schobert, who sat out his third game in a row with a hamstring injury.“The biggest thing that really affected us was that we lost two of our starting corners in the first drive,” cornerback T.J. Carrie said. “That definitely put us in a different situation. We practice with those guys throughout the week, and when those guys go down, it changes the game plan. They are a high-powered offense, and I don’t think we did a good job at all stopping their momentum.”The injuries put more pressure on Williams, who did not relinquish his duties as defensive coordinator after being asked to replace Hue Jackson, who was fired on Monday along with offensive coordinator Todd Haley.The Browns may have been outmanned by the more talented Chiefs, but Williams liked how his players fought through a week full of adversity.“I never saw any flinch
Ozzie Newsome Jersey ,” he said. “Never saw a flinch today. Never saw body language poor today. You have to build on that. This is the National Football League. There are no excuses. You have to continue to get better. You have to. We all have to.”Williams set an early tone for his shell-shocked team with a fourth-down gamble on Cleveland’s first possession. The Browns converted then, but Williams’ choice to go for a 2-point conversion in the second quarter resulted in the Browns chasing points all afternoon.Cleveland went 0 for 3 on conversion tries.Following the game, Mayfield and Mahomes met at mid-field and shared a hug and some words of encouragement. They’ve been friends for years, college rivals and part of the NFL’s next wave of young quarterbacks.While Mahomes appears to have it all — more talented teammates, a stable franchise — right now, Mayfield doesn’t think the Browns have to try to replicate Kansas City’s offense.“What we do is perfectly fine,” he said. “We just have to be better at it. They have guys who are making their plays. Their quarterback is putting it in the right spot. He is giving them a chance to win. We just have to be better. We are not going to abandon ship with what we are doing and try to do the Chiefs offense. We just have to trust our guys, trust our playmakers and do our job.” Baker Mayfield dragged more than a Heisman Trophy with him into the NFL. There was other baggage, including a well-earned reputation as being cocky, fiery, brash and over-the-top.He hasn’t changed much.And that’s what the Browns love about their rookie starting quarterback, who didn’t need long to firmly plant his own flag in Cleveland.“He walk it,” receiver Jarvis Landry said, “like he talk it.”As Mayfield prepares to make his first pro start in a few days at Oakland, his confidence isn’t the only thing impressing teammates eager to see if the No. 1 overall pick can build upon his sensational debut last week against the New York Jets 鈥?a stunning performance that prompted coach Hue Jackson to switch QBs.While he is on the verge of his first visit to play in front of the Raiders’ notoriously rowdy “Black Hole”, Mayfield is showing no fear or signs of complacency.The 23-year-old did not speak to reporters on Wednesday and the only time he was seen in Cleveland’s locker room was to grab the playbook out of his locker.“He’s been real focused,” said left guard Joel Bitonio, one of the team’s captains. “He’s taken the lead in a few meetings just because that’s what the starting quarterback does.”Sooner than the Browns or anyone expected, Mayfield has risen on the depth chart and vaulted from high-profile backup and future QB to the present one.And while it may have happened quickly, Mayfield has shown since the moment the Browns (1-1-1) selected him he’d be prepared for this moment.He’s worked hard, shown humility and remained supportive of Tyrod Taylor, who remains in protocol with a concussion that hastened his benching.Before he was drafted, Mayfield drew comparisons to Johnny Manziel, another Heisman winner who busted for the Browns. The Mayfield-Manziel similarities though, seem to start and stop at their height.“You hear people say, ‘Oh
Briean Boddy-Calhoun Jersey , he’s Johnny or he’s this or he’s that,’ but since I’ve known him he’s been a great guy,” Bitonio said. “He’s been in the building. He’s a confident guy. I think people see that as a little bit of cockiness, but he’s just confident in what he does and he understands you put in the work and he’s ready to compete and he’s ready to play.“And that’s all you want in a quarterback.”But with Mayfield, there’s a little more.It wasn’t long after replacing Taylor during Thursday’s nationally televised game when Mayfield started talking trash to the Jets defensive linemen. That may have surprised a few of his new teammates, but it’s nothing new for Mayfield, whose on-the-field antics in college didn’t stop at choice words.Mayfield loved to antagonize opponents, whether it was telling Kansas’ fans to “stick to basketball” or celebrating a victory at Ohio State by spiking an Oklahoma flag into the turf.“I followed all that stuff, and again, it’s that ‘Walk it, Talk it,'” Landry said. “He definitely has that attitude and charisma, and that is contagious.”It remains to be seen how much of Mayfield’s personality rubs off on his teammates. But Raiders coach Jon Gruden believes a quarterback’s nature can mean as much as arm strength or mobility.“Those are the intangibles that you look for that are hard to find,” Gruden said on a conference call. “Do they like the pressure? Do they like the big moment? Some guys come alive, some guys don’t. Some guys can bring out the best in their teammates. Some guys struggle to do that.“But Mayfield has the magic about him. He has the charisma about him that really allows everybody on that team, defensively included to play at a higher level. They know if we can get the ball back to this kid, something good’s going to happen.”Gruden grew up in Ohio rooting for the Browns, and he’s well aware of the team’s two-decades-old search to find a quarterback.With Mayfield, the hunt may be over.“What they have not had is a front-line starter that really can make all of the plays,” Gruden said.“I think Mayfield, if you draw a line under that name, he is the man. He is the story that I think right now is going to become bigger and bigger in Cleveland this year.”NOTES: DE Emmanuel Ogbah (ankle) returned to practice and is expected to play after missing the past two games. … Sunday’s game will be a homecoming of sorts for Jackson, who spent one season as Oakland’s coach. He’ll also be reunited with Gruden as they spent a season coaching together at Pacific. “He taught me football,” Jackson said. “We used to argue every day. I was a wishbone quarterback at the time. I’ve always given Jon credit for where I am today. He helped mold me and shape me into the coach I am a little bit.”___
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