The Cleveland Browns’ showdown against the Tennessee Titans was correctly billed as a battle of run-game behemoths, two offenses that would just as soon hand it off five times straight than pass on consecutive plays.
Yet, while people have begrudgingly come around to admitting that Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill is a good quarterback, there was still a general lack of respect — a curious fog, of sorts — surrounding the long-term potential of Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield.
Despite being the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 — ahead of two studs at the same position in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen — this doubt was well-earned.