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Football on Thursday night Sept. 17, 2020, features a battle of No. 1 draft pick quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals were the No. 1 draft picks for their teams in 2018 and 2019.
Building up to the kick-off of the game, both quarterbacks seem to have a no-nonsense attitude towards the game. Mayfield being the senior of the two can not allow the rookie to beat him tonight.
Both Mayfield and Burrow offered up similar compliments for the other when asked about the week two’s matchup. “I think he’s a great player,” Burrow said during a Zoom interview with NFL media.
Stats
The Bengals received the ball first and Joe Burrow proceeded to move the ball down the field. It took them 15 plays, 41 yds, before the drive stalls and Randy Bullock kicked a 38-yard field goal.
Baker and the Browns took the field and you can tell that the execution of the 10 plays, 75 yd drive, lead to Nick Chubb 11 yard TD run. In fact, he completed his first three play-action throws outside the pocket for 78 yards and the touchdown to Beckham.
In the second quarter, Mayfield connected with his running back, Kareem Hunt for a touchdown throw that electrified the Brown’s sideline.
Bengals stuffed Nick Chubb on fourth-and-goal from the two. Myles Garrett blew past Cincinnati’s right guard and sacked Joe Burrow, forcing a fumble. The Browns recovered back near the goal line and Chubb punched the ball in, giving Cleveland a comfortable 28-13 lead in the third quarter.
Burrow completed 37 of his 61 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns. But it was not enough on Thursday Night Football to overcome the 35-30 loss to the Browns.
Record-Breaking
Burrow broke a host of NFL records on Thursday Night Football. Since former Carolina Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke threw the ball 63 times in 2001, Burrow has thrown 61 passes, making him the second-highest number of attempts for a rookie.
Mayfield passed for 408 yards, three touchdowns, and two intersections.
The fan base in Cleveland would have reached an unmanageable level of disappointment if the Browns would have lost Thursday night and gone 0-2. Instead, hope shines in the eyes of Browns’ fans and with more confidence moving forward as they seek to end the NFL’s longest playoff drought.
Written by Omari Jahi
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Source:
Geaux24/7: Joe Burrow vs. Baker Mayfield on Thursday Night Football, by Shea Dixon
ESPN: Browns’ Baker Mayfield again uses Thursday night game to breakthrough, by Jake Trotter
Newsweek: Joe Burrow Sets New NFL Records as Bengals Lose to Browns on Thursday Night Football, by Dan Cancian
Feature and Top Image Courtesy by Erik Drost’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy by Tammy Anthony Baker’s Flikr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image Courtesy by Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository