As Baker Mayfield's body of work expands, so does the body of opinion. The Ravens and other Browns foes critique the rookie QB and other Cleveland players.

CLEVELAND As Baker Mayfield's body of NFL work expands, so does the body of opinion.

After the rookie No. 1 overall pick faced Buffalo in a preseason game, Bills safety Rafael Bush said Mayfield "stares down his receivers."

In the wake of Mayfield's relief work on a Thursday night resulting in a 21-17 Browns victory, ex-Brown Josh McCown of the Jets said:

"He came in on a short week and moved his team down the field. What impresses me most is he drops back and cuts the ball loose and plays with a lot of confidence. That's the way he played in college."

Following Mayfield's first NFL home start Sunday, Ravens linebacker Kenny Young engaged in a Q and A after being asked to assess Cleveland's young QB.

Young: "What do YOU think?"

Reporter: "I don't know. I'm not a player."

Young: "I mean, you watched the game. What do you think?"

Reporter: "I'm not sure. it looks like he stares down receivers a little bit. Maybe telegraphs some passes."

Young: "You just said it right there. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what type of quarterback he is."

Ravens safety Eric Weddle took more of an attitude that Mayfield is a legit talent who was fortunate his rookie glitches didn't cost him a game.

"He made some good throws," Weddle said. "He easily could have thrown three or four picks."

Weddle did give Mayfield credit for fighting, exemplified by a 13-yard overtime scramble that turned a second-and-21 from his own 5 into a third-and-8. Weddle didn't see the next crucial play, Derrick Willies' 39-yard catch and run, as Mayfield magic.

"It was a throw and a missed tackle," Weddle said. "We had a pressure on, and we had good coverage. (Willies) ran through the tackle and ran another 20 yards.

"We stopped their offense the entire game. They made one more play than us."

There's more to the 2-2-1 Browns than Mayfield. They have been in position to win all five of their games. Last year, when they were 0-16, they were forever talking about their own mistakes, but now they have opponents lamenting theirs.

"We've got to run the play that's called," Baltimore left tackle Ronnie Stanley said while dissecting the loss in Cleveland. "It was one guy here and one guy there messing things up. When you're playing 10 against 11, it's never a good outcome."

Stanley, a former Round 1 pick, had no trouble recalling his own matchup for most the the day, Myles Garret.

"The other guy ... I don't want to butcher his name, was ..."

He pronounced it "Oh-duh-bow-dee." He was talking about Larry Ogunjobi.

"That No. 65 (Ogunjobi) is a good young player," Stanley said. "Garrett was a No. 1 pick. Those guys keep their feet moving. They'll give you a first move, then they're good with their second move. Not a lot of guys are able to do that."

The Raven who was the most complimentary toward Cleveland was receiver John Brown, who had been a big reason for their three wins, but was targeted 14 times and made just four catches Sunday.

"Denzel Ward did a great job balling," Brown said of Cleveland's prized rookie cornerback. "Plus, when you have a safety so far back, you can't throw deep balls and put air into 'em.

"They game planned pretty good."

By now, no one is taking the Browns lightly, as may have been the case with plenty of opponents in the recent past.

"We fought like heck," said Stanley. "They just made one more play than us."

The Browns are 1-0-1 in the AFC North this year. From 2015-17, they were 1-17. Prior to Sunday, they hadn't won a divisional game since beating Baltimore in overtime on Oct. 11, 2015, with McCown at quarterback.

The Browns have been installed as a 1 1/2-point underdog for the next game, Sunday, against the visiting Chargers — who were the only team Head Coach Hue Jackson's team beat across the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or

steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

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