Cleveland Browns: 4 players who will be key to winning in Week 2
The Cleveland Browns will look to right their wrongs in Week 2 against the Texans and some players will be a bit more key to winning than others.
Obviously, the Cleveland Browns entire 53-man roster playing as a cohesive unit will be the determining factor in whether or not Cleveland improves to 1-1 or falls to 2-0. Whether the players play a bulk of snaps in any of the three phases of the game, or minimal, the team must play as one in order to secure a victory over Houston.
The Browns are loaded on both sides of the ball, with the offense being more in sync being that they had the luxury of playing together for a full season. The defense is coming along, but it will take time for this unit to gel as there are eight or nine new starters, depending on the week.
Here are the four players who will be the keys to winning in Week 2 against the Texans.
4. Cleveland Browns QB, Baker Mayfield
The offense will go as far as Baker Mayfield can take them, and last week he took them pretty far.
In Week 1 against the Chiefs, Mayfield orchestrated arguably one of the best five games of his professional career. He completed 21-of-28 passes for 321 yards and had a rating of 97.5. His lone blemish came in the waning minute-plus of the game when he threw an interception as he was tripped up trying to throw the ball out of bounds.
You can place blame or hate wherever you want for the loss, with the exception of Mayfield. He played a near-flawless game and the late interception wasn’t indicative of how he played prior to that.
When Baker plays with a chip on his shoulder, he plays better and that is scary for anyone who tries to stop him. This week that just happens to be the Texans, a team in which Baker should be able to continue his incredible play.
In Week 1 against the Jaguars, Houston allowed rookie Trevor Lawrence to throw for 332 yards and three scores, while also picking him off three times. If a quarterback played like that in his NFL debut, just imagine what a fellow former No. 1 overall pick can do.
Mayfield may not have thrown a touchdown in Week 1, but he sure put his team in a position to do so.