The Browns racked up a whopping 530 yards of offense in Sunday's 40-25 statement victory over the Ravens in Baltimore. Odell Beckham Jr. was responsible for only 20 of those.
The wide receiver's biggest highlight did not come from either of his two receptions, but rather an incomplete 60-yard pass he threw off a trick play in the second quarter. It took three weeks, but Cleveland is finally playing up to its immense offensive potential as preseason AFC North favorites — by not forcing big pass plays from Baker Mayfield to Beckham.
WATCH: Full Browns vs. Ravens game highlights
Instead of going for style, the Browns found substance, balance and subsequent domination against the Ravens. With the big win to pull to 2-2 at the quarter point of the 2019 season, Cleveland is suddenly in first place in the division with a Week 4 head-to-head tiebreaker in hand.
Mayfield still got his volume and mega passing yardage (342 yards, 11 yards per attempt), and his 31 drop-backs were balanced with 26 rushing attempts, led by running back Nick Chubb's 165 yards and 3 TDs. The Browns simply diversified their offense to make ideal use of their personnel, with a lot of creativity and multiplicity.
Coach Freddie Kitchens broke out of his play-calling slump in a big way, channeling the work from last season that helped him get the promotion from offensive coordinator. All the thoughts of the ill-fated, fourth-and-9 draw play against the Rams last week went out the window.
WATCH: Chubb's best runs against the Ravens
Even when he is not getting the ball, Beckham can be effective opening things up in the offense because he demands the attention of multiple defensive backs in coverage. With their attention divided Sunday, the Ravens were caught chasing Chubb on chunk runs, including his 88-yard TD. Also playing off the attention paid to Beckham, the Browns revved up a connection that hasn't always been there between Mayfield and slot ace Jarvis Landry, who had 8 catches for 167 yards off a team-high 10 targets before exiting the game with a concussion.
The Browns also found a way to get the tight end incorporated into their passing game, which was a struggle at times for Kitchens last season even with a healthy David Njoku. Enter Ricky Seals-Jones (3 catches, 89 yards, TD), who flashed athletically with the Cardinals when Kitchens was a position coach under Bruce Arians.
Cleveland had eight players catch passes overall. The Ravens are thin and weak in the secondary without Jimmy Smith and Tavon Young, so the Browns had the right game plan with Marlon Humphrey covering Beckham. And they have more help coming; Antonio Callaway is returning from suspension, and Rashard Higgins might be coming back from his knee injury.
The Browns' offense came alive at an ideal time, when the defense needed a boost via complementary football. The Ravens were trying to do most of their damage with the rushing attack, and led by Mark Ingram and Lamar Jackson, they did get get to 173 yards. But Cleveland succeeded in pushing Baltimore into an unfavorable game script. Jackson, not Mayfield, was the one pressured into mistakes.
Having Mayfield run around (usually to his right) and buy time for Beckham or someone else to get open for a long pass was a high-risk, low-reward strategy. The Browns' offensive line is built to run-block, so it makes sense to focus on Mayfield getting the ball out quickly and feeding Chubb often.
This isn't to say the Browns should use Beckham as a decoy moving forward. But they need to remain calculated in how they deploy him.
WATCH: Every Landry catch from Ravens game
Remember, Mayfield had a fine rookie passing season without the services of Beckham. And Beckham is still the second-year QB's most talented go-to guy, but Mayfield has plenty of other help around him. Because Beckham is the shiny new weapon, both Kitchens and Mayfield seemed obligated to force his production.
But for the Browns, getting more players involved and showing teams they are willing to spread the ball will come back around to Beckham, making it harder on opponents to focus on him.
Humphrey is a good corner, and the Browns' upcoming schedule calls for a few more of his ilk: Richard Sherman, Stephon Gilmore, Chris Harris Jr. and Tre'Davious White. Beckham will see a lot more tight coverage over the next five games.
Sticking with the run and getting everyone involved in the passing game will be key to more Browns victories. They need to methodically build leads and put their defense in a position to play with aggression. With Myles Garrett fronting a strong pass rush backed by a good secondary — where hamstrung young corners Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams will return soon — the Browns can become a hard team on which to come back.
MORE: Full Week 4 scoreboard, highlights
Cleveland entered the season with unreasonable expectations as a young team still looking for its own identity. The question was how quickly Kitchens and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks could get all the talent to jell.
The process was bound to come with some dysfunction before the answers arrived. Credit Kitchens for learning from his mistakes and making the necessary adjustments.
Go figure: The Browns had to become more subdued to begin to live up to the hype.
