CLEVELAND — Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft, made his NFL regular-season debut Thursday night after starter Tyrod Taylor was knocked from the game with a concussion before halftime.

Mayfield entered the game with 1:42 left in the first half, trailing 14-0, to thunderous applause from the home crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium. He immediately completed his first three passes for 47 yards, setting up a Greg Joseph’s 45-yard field goal.

Merely moving the ball earned Mayfield even more adoration from Cleveland fans, who endured a brutal first half where the Browns had minus-3 passing yards prior to Mayfield’s appearance. Taylor completed just four of 14 throws for 19 yards but was sacked three times for minus-22 yards before his night came to an end.

Mayfield showed immediate decisiveness, crisply ripping a 14-yard dart to Jarvis Landry on his first NFL pass before feathering in a 17-yarder to tight end David Njoku. Mayfield fumbled on his next snap — the Jets pass rush dogged Taylor much of the night – but the Browns recovered.

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Cleveland coach Hue Jackson has maintained that Taylor would be the starter since the moment Mayfield was drafted. However, that calculus could begin shifting given the emotional lift and performance boost Mayfield quickly provided for a team searching for its first win in 635 days.

Mayfield looked better in his first meaningful drive than Jets counterpart Sam Darnold had all night. Darnold connected on just five of 12 passes for 45 yards at the half, playing second banana on a Jets attack that was reliant on its ground game.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.

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