While Victory Monday has since passed and the glow of Sunday's offensive explosion has gone with it, the rest of the league has officially noticed the emergence of Cleveland's stars from its early season slumber.
Running back Nick Chubb and quarterback Baker Mayfield were each nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week, announced by the NFL on Tuesday. The duo combined for 507 of the Browns' 530 total offensive yards gained in the Browns' Week 4 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Chubb paced the Browns' rushing attack all afternoon, racking up 165 rushing yards and three touchdowns to go along with three receptions for 18 yards, but it was his 88-yard touchdown that essentially sealed the game and launched him into the national consciousness. Nearly midway through the fourth quarter with the Browns nursing a six-point lead, Chubb raced around the right end on a quick toss, cut upfield off a timely block from right guard Eric Kush and outran the rest of the Ravens defense to a touchdown that immediately answered a Baltimore score and sucked the energy out of M&T Bank Stadium.
The running back clocked a top speed of 21.95 mph, the fastest for a ballcarrier on a scoring play in the NFL this season, and his quarterback sprinted with him in celebration, hitting 18.92 mph fueled purely by the joy of seeing his teammate succeed.
Mayfield didn't just support his running back in a 40-point output but did plenty of his own work after struggling in the first three weeks to recapture what made him so effective as a rookie. The second-year signal-caller completed 20-of-30 attempts for 342 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a 102.4 passer rating, his first plus-100 rating of 2019. In the process of compiling such a final stat line, Mayfield completed passes to seven different targets, hooking up with Jarvis Landry most often for 167 yards.
What made Mayfield effective Sunday was his comfort in the pocket and willingness to target the open man. With Baltimore dedicated plenty of resources to stopping Odell Beckham Jr., Mayfield gladly took the open option elsewhere, finding tight end Ricky-Seals Jones for three connections, 82 yards and the game's first touchdown. Chubb and Dontrell Hilliard handled the scoring from there, helping the Browns find the end zone five times in a 40-25 rout of the Ravens.
The nominations are the first for both Mayfield and Chubb in 2019. Click here to vote on the most deserving candidates from Week 4.
