The Cleveland Browns struck the perfect balance within their offense to maximize all the talented pieces found on the roster. 

After Sunday's brutal loss to the Baltimore Ravens, quarterback Baker Mayfield silenced critics with his performance Thursday during a 35-30 victory over the rival Cincinnati Bengals. The third-year signal-caller had plenty of help with running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt providing the league's best one-two punch out of the backfield. 

The two positions should feed off each other as the season progresses to form a symbiotic relationship for the Browns to finally thrive after two decades of disappointment. 

The talent is clearly there, but no one knew if the new coaching staff under the direction of first-time head coach Kevin Stefanski could cultivate and nurture this particular group, especially after the team's initial performance. 

A 38-6 loss to the best team in the division is bad enough. Mayfield played poorly with missed reads, a lack of confidence in specific throws and some inaccurate passes. Star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. looked frustrated and couldn't seem to establish a rhythm with his quarterback. The defense was completely overwhelmed. 

As such, the same old tired chatter spiraled out of control after the woeful performance. 

Is Mayfield on a short leash? Should the Browns trade Beckham? Is the current coaching staff capable of turning the moribund franchise around? All this and more came to a head in the three days between contests. 

The overreaction didn't take into account the extenuating circumstances of a truncated offseason and no preseason for a new coaching staff to implement its schemes, and playing last year's best regular-season squad was the worst possible starting point for the Browns. 

"Early on, just settle down,'' Mayfield told reporters Tuesday about his Week 1 struggles. "There were a couple of throws just pressing to get it out of my hands. Then as the game went on, I felt that I did do that. My eyes were in the right place and got the ball to where the reads were telling me to go. A little bit of the first game jitters without the preseason might have caused that. But at the same time, definitely need to be more settled in.''

Baltimore punched Cleveland in the mouth, and the dominating victory served as a wake-up call for the team on the wrong end of the ledger. 

Stefanski learned a simple lesson that clearly played a role in his squad's rapid improvement. Without being down multiple scores for most of the contest, Cleveland could operate its typical offense, which means heavy doses of the zone running game, proper utilization of the roster's uber-talented backfield and no forcing Mayfield into uncomfortable situations in which he's more likely to make mistakes. 

The effort wasn't perfect by any means, but the Browns found a winning combination that starts with the running game and then feeds through the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick. 

Cleveland's offense is built on the outside zone that's been a staple of NFL offenses since Mike Shanahan graced the sidelines as the Denver Broncos head coach during the franchise's back-to-back Super Bowl-winning years. The system has produced no-name 1,000-yard rusher after no-name 1,000-yard rusher for more than two decades.

Now, drop two of the very best backs in the entire league into that system and let them run wild. 

Chubb and Hunt ran the ball like the Juggernaut on Thursday because the Bengals certainly couldn't stop their momentum. The two backs carried the ball 32 times for 210 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and three scores. Hunt added a receiving touchdown for good measure. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the dynamic duo produced 99 yards over expectation. 

"We'll always look for creative ways to get them the rock," Stefanski told reporters after his first victory as a head coach. 

The mere fact Cleveland can give the ball to two of the very best and just let them work is an advantage over most opponents. When they get rolling, Mayfield can, too, because the offense then plays into his strengths as a passer. 

Stefanski got away from his core offensive tenets against the Ravens because the head coach/play-caller had to after getting down early. But the basis of the offense is establishing the zone running game while marrying it to certain passing concepts like play action and bootlegs. 

Some may argue any quarterback can play in this system when those two backs grind out chunks of yardage. That may be true, but take a look at how the Browns opened the contest. Cleveland called two play-action passes at the start of the game, and Mayfield delivered accurate throws on both to get the unit started. 

Mayfield is far from a finished product, and that's crystal-clear. In fact, he threw another poor interception in the fourth quarter when he didn't recognize the backside cornerback, William Jackson III, rolling his coverage toward tight end Harrison Bryant, who initially looked open down the middle of the field. 

However, the quarterback settled in and delivered throughout the night. He definitely looked more comfortable, which allowed him to show signs of growth. 

"It builds an enormous amount of confidence," Mayfield told reporters. "The scary part is if we start clicking, it'll be a fun ride."

Two obvious examples of the difference in his performance can be easily found in his unwillingness to pull the trigger on certain timing throws.

Against the Ravens, Mayfield stared down Beckham and didn't have the confidence to let it rip. The Browns ran a similar concept against the Bengals. This time, the quarterback delivered the ball on time and in rhythm. 

Pocket presence can be an issue at times, too. Mayfield bailed when he didn't need to on certain occasions in Week 1. The 25-year-old quarterback looked far more comfortable in the pocket Thursday and delivered. He attacked the blitz and didn't shy away from pressure packages, as NFL Next Gen Stats noted: 

The Browns offensive line did a wonderful job opening holes and stymying the Bengals' pass rush. The front five deserves a lot of credit, especially with Jack Conklin not starting due to ankle and finger injuries. But protection doesn't matter if the quarterback can't take advantage of the extra time. 

Going back to Oklahoma, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner is at his absolute best when three things are heavily emphasized in the offensive scheme. Mayfield is deadly on designed rollouts. He loves targeting his tight ends. Finally, he excels in play-action situations. 

Bryant and Austin Hooper caught only three passes for 36 yards, but both are integral parts of the offense as receiving threats and blockers. The rollout game can be nearly unstoppable when paired with two outstanding zone runners, crossing opposing linebackers' wires when all their keys are going one direction with the quarterback going the other. Mayfield completed four of five attempts for 87 yards and a touchdown on play-action passes, per the NFL Network telecast. 

Pretty much everything clicked for one night. As a result, Mayfield's completion percentage was 13.1 percent over expected against the Bengals, according to NFL Next Gen Stats (h/t ESPN's Jake Trotter). 

By getting Mayfield going, Cleveland's star wide receivers—Beckham and Jarvis Landry—can thrive. A balanced offense doesn't mean running and passing the ball a similar number of times. It means effectively spreading the ball to all the weapons within the scheme. 

For one week, the Browns can settle a little with the realization they can be good with a potential franchise quarterback behind center and an unstoppable duo at running back. If one succeeds, everyone else will succeed because they're being placed in a situation to complement one another perfectly.