Cleveland Browns: 3 keys to victory against Las Vegas Raiders

1. Keep Baker Mayfield rolling

What Baker Mayfield did against the Bengals was nothing short of incredible. The first quarter could not have gone worse for him, and for the rest of the game, he was literally perfect. Mayfield could not have played better than he did, going 22 of 23 (with his lone incompletion being a spike) for nearly 300 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Not including the first quarter, Mayfield’s PFF passing grade was over 96, a mark he had never reached even in his legendary college career.

He was simply dominant, and it’s almost unbelievable how something just clicked in his head after an atrocious stretch of play. Now, the challenge is to continue playing well. He’s been extremely inconsistent to this point in his career, so this can’t just be a flash in the pan. It must be a turning point for him. Asking him to be perfect every week is unfair, but what Mayfield does need to do is show he can extend plays from within the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield, read a defense after the snap and pick up on things before it, and be aggressive and decisive in his decision-making.

All of that was on display against Cincy. We’ve all seen franchise QB Baker. We just need to see that guy consistently, and a weak Raiders secondary is the perfect opportunity for him to build on the best game he’s ever had.

The Browns are a better team on paper than the Raiders. They’ve yet to lose to a team they are more talented than. If Cleveland can do these three things, they’ll keep that streak going.