It's finally happened Cleveland Browns fans, you aren't losers. After 635 days, the Browns have finally won a game, and they can thank the first overall pick Baker Mayfield for that.
The 19 game losing streak was the longest of its kind since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, and the Browns are looking to turn over a new leaf with Mayfield who will make his first NFL start in week four against the struggling Oakland Raiders.
Mayfield replaced the former pro bowl QB Tyrod Taylor who was taken to the locker room with his third concussion in three years. Mayfield who had seen little time besides in the preseason showed why he was the first player taken off the draft board on Thursday night.
Mayfield went 17-23 with 201 yards in the limited time he played and led time-consuming game-winning drives that clinched the game for Cleveland.
The new look Browns finally look primed to make some noise in the slacking AFC North, and they finally have their franchise QB at the helm.
Mayfield is loaded with weapons like Jarvis Landry and rookie Antonio Callaway at receiver and a dynamic duo in the backfield of Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde, a supporting cast that no Browns QB has had in quite some time.
Hyde was a major component in the Browns historic W as he had 98 yards and two of the three Cleveland touchdowns on the night. While Landry never made it into the end zone, he racked up over 100 receiving yards on eight catches and solidified his spot as the number one target with the departure of WR Josh Gordon.
The Browns have an opportunity to win two straight games, but not without a tough crowd and the black hole at the Oakland Coliseum. Cleveland will travel to Oakland where the awful Raiders defense will look to rattle the rookie in his first start.
The defense who traded arguably the best pass rusher in the league, Khalil Mack, and who is now ranking near the bottom in every defensive statistical category.
The future is now for Cleveland, and it is bright under Baker.