Baker vs. Darnold, Part II
Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold will face off for the second year in a row in just their second seasons in the league. They were the first and third picks, respectively, in the 2018 NFL Draft.
And the first time they met was in Week 3 in 2018 when Mayfield replaced an injured Tyrod Taylor and led them to a 21-17 win, their first since the 2016 season.
Against the Bills, Darnold was 28-for-41 for 175 yards and a touchdown. But he was sacked four times.
When Darnold took on the Browns last season, he threw for 169 yards and two interceptions. Both of those came in the final two minutes of the game.
[TWEET]1170776152018837504[/TWEET]
Browns face Le’Veon Bell once again
The Browns have been used to having to play against Le’Veon Bell in the past when he was with the Steelers. They will get another look at him on Monday night after he made his Jets’ debut against Buffalo.
Bell, who did not play last season after holding out for a new contract from the Steelers, rushed 17 times for 60 yards and caught six passes for 32 yards and a touchdown.
When Bell last played against the Browns on Nov. 20, 2016, he rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown and had eight receptions for 55 yards in a 24-9 Steelers’ win.
Flip the switch
Last week, quarterback Sam Darnold said he expected the offense to be “electric” this season. That didn’t happen in Week 1, when the unit looked like a group that was searching for the light switch in a dark hallway. They scored only eight points (the same as the defense), reached the red zone once and never had a play of longer than 19 yards.
There’s plenty of blame to go around. Darnold did not look sharp in his debut, and while he wasn’t awful — he’s now thrown 155 consecutive passes without an interception, a four-plus game streak that dates back to last December — he also missed every opportunity to make a play that could have won a very winnable game. To take a big step forward this season, Darnold must find a way to come through when his team needs it.
The offensive line looked like a group that had never played together, because they had never played together. Let’s see if they can take a step forward in Week 2 before anyone starts to worry too much.
Outside of Jamison Crowder, who tied a franchise record for a receiver with 14 catches in his debut, Robby Anderson had zero impact.
The Jets brought Gase in to build an offense that Darnold could thrive in. Instead, as Gase accurately said following the game, the Jets were “inept” on Sunday. He failed his first test.
But this was just one game against a Bills defense that very well could end up being one of the league’s best. Let’s give Gase and Darnold some time to flip the switch before panicking. A potential breakthrough
One guy who didn’t struggle on Sunday? Le’Veon Bell. The running back looked fully up to speed, playing every single offensive snap after a 20-month layoff. He gained 92 yards from scrimmage, which was a solid start. But Week 2 could be an opportunity for a breakthrough game.
The Browns suffered a nightmare 43-13 Week 1 loss to the Titans, allowing Tennessee running back Derrick Henry to get loose for 159 yards from scrimmage — including a 75-yard touchdown catch on a screen pass.
Bell, who is quicker and more elusive than Henry, should be able to do some damage against the Browns. And if he breaks a game-altering play, or has a signature game on Monday Night Football, it would be a message to the entire league that Bell is back to being one of the game’s most dynamic and dominant offensive players.
