The Cleveland Browns got in the win column after beating the visiting Cincinnati Bengals 35-30 at FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday.

Browns running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 234 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns to lead the Cleveland offense. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a pair of touchdowns to Hunt and Odell Beckham Jr., who snatched a 43-yarder to give Cleveland an early 13-3 edge.

Mayfield won the battle of No. 1 overall draft picks with Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow, who Cincinnati took first overall in 2020. Cleveland selected Mayfield to lead the 2018 draft.

Burrow was largely excellent, however, throwing for 316 yards and three touchdowns.

The 1-1 Browns earned their first victory after losing to the Baltimore Ravens 38-6 last Sunday. The 0-2 Bengals have started 2020 winless after losing 16-13 to the Los Angeles Chargers on the same day.

Notable Performances

Browns QB Baker Mayfield: 16-of-23, 219 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Browns RB Nick Chubb: 22 carries, 124 rushing yards, 2 TD; 1 catch, 9 receiving yards

Browns RB Kareem Hunt: 10 carries, 86 rushing yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 15 receiving yards, 1 TD

Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr.: 4 catches, 74 receiving yards, 1 TD

Bengals QB Joe Burrow: 37-of-61, 316 passing yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 7 carries, 19 rushing yards

Bengals RB Joe Mixon: 16 carries, 46 rushing yards; 4 catches, 40 receiving yards

Bengals WR Tyler Boyd: 7 catches, 72 receiving yards, 1 TD

Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah: 4 catches, 42 receiving yards, 1 TD

Baker-Beckham Connection, Running Game Crush Cincinnati

An ugly few days transpired in the media after Odell Beckham Jr. caught just three passes for 22 yards on 10 targets against the Ravens.

Trade rumors popped up, questions of on-field chemistry were brought up and concerns about Mayfield's struggles, which date back to the 2019 season, were presented to fans.

Mayfield, Beckham and the Browns will get a reprieve from that sports media chatter for at least 10 days as the offense shined against the Bengals, who had no answer for anything Cleveland did.

Mayfield and OBJ clicked on a 43-yard touchdown pass to give Cleveland a 13-3 lead:

Next Gen Stats showcased the difficulty of the completion in addition to noting an historical best between the signal-caller and pass-catcher:

Beckham could have had a second touchdown if cornerback William Jackson didn't yank onto his jersey as the seventh-year pro streaked down the sideline. At the very least, a defensive penalty should have been called, but that did not happen.

OBJ didn't see a ton of action (six targets), but he still made a profound impact.

Mayfield and Beckham buoyed the Browns offense early, and Chubb and Hunt did the rest.

Chubb, a human pinball machine, bounced off defenders en route to this 14-yard touchdown run to give Cleveland a 6-3 first-quarter edge:

Like the Beckham touchdown, the degree of difficulty for scoring there was hard to overcome, but Chubb did so:

Chubb continued to use Bengals defenders as bumpers on this run that was initially called a touchdown before he was ruled down at the 1-yard line:

That drive did not end with a score, but the Browns quickly got the ball back after a Burrow fumble, leading to Chubb's second touchdown two plays later. 

The ex-Georgia star's ability to absorb contact and keep running is no secret, with ESPN's Jake Trotter dropping this stat midgame:

Chubb's excellence prompted 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, Super Bowl champion and current FOX Sports analyst Reggie Bush to tweet the following:

The Browns still needed some magic from their offense late after Cincinnati cut the Cleveland lead to 28-23, but that wasn't a problem as six runs from Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 75 yards en route to a touchdown from the latter back to effectively put the game away:

In the end, everything clicked on Thursday as Cleveland showcased the potential from its talented roster.

Burrow Dominates Browns

Burrow's first game as a professional featured a pedestrian 23-of-36 completion rate, no passing touchdowns and one interception in a 16-13 loss to the Bolts.

However, Burrow was fantastic in the clutch, going 8-of-10 for 70 passing yards and rushing for seven yards amid a potential game-winning drive with Cincinnati down three.

That drive ended with a missed 31-yard field goal, but Burrow's calmness and success under pressure got people to notice, including that of Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green.

That translated into Thursday as Burrow looked fantastic all game, finishing with 37-of-61 passing for 316 yards and three touchdowns.

He threw his first career touchdown pass, a 23-yard dime down the sideline to tight end C.J. Uzomah.

That prompted this response from four-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA champion LeBron James:

Burrow's pinpoint accuracy between defenders continued when he found fellow rookie Tee Higgins on this dart to midfield, eventually leading to a field goal to bring Cincinnati within 21-13 at halftime:

Numerous analysts were impressed with his work, including ex-Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark, FOX Sports' Charlotte Wilder and ESPN analyst Mike Clay:

Burrow excelled and kept the Bengals in the game despite two primary obstacles: the offensive line struggled all night (particularly the right side), and the Bengals' defense suffered against the pass and the run.

Of note, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett slithered through a gap between right guard Fred Johnson and right tackle Bobby Hart to sack Burrow, force a fumble and set up an easy Nick Chubb one-yard touchdown run:

On defense, the Bengals had no answer for the Browns, who finished the night rushing for 6.1 yards per carry and passing for 9.5 yards per attempt.

Still, Burrow gamely kept the Bengals alive, using his legs to keep a late third-quarter scoring drive going to eventually pull Cincinnati within 28-16.

He also guided Cincinnati on a 14-play, 83-yard drive capped by a Mike Thomas four-yard receiving touchdown to help pull the Bengals within 28-23 with 5:55 left:

And he persevered down the stretch, guiding the Bengals on a 16-play, 75-yard drive that featured Burrow converting a pair of fourth downs and finding Tyler Boyd for a nine-yard touchdown to bring the Bengals within 35-29 with under a minute left.

The Bengals went for an onside kick after a successful extra point but could not get the ball back, leading to the five-point loss.

There will likely be more games like this in 2020 if the Bengals can't solve their offensive line and defensive woes, but one thing is abundantly clear: Burrow is developing into a star just two games into his career, to the point where he should keep Cincinnati competitive all season despite the team's shortcomings.

What's Next?

Both teams play next on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET.

Cincinnati will visit the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, and Cleveland will stay home to host the Washington Football Team.