Pictured is Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett

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By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -Led by second-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who is Black, the Cleveland Browns won their season opener against the Carolina Panthers and lead quarterback Baker Mayfield 26-24 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina Sunday afternoon, the first time the Browns have won an away season opener in 28 years.

Rookie Cade York kicked a 58-yard field goal with only eight seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter to give the Browns their first Week 1 victory since 2004, which was when they defeated the Ravens.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was ecstatic as he joined his players in the locker room after the game where he said determination was key to winning.

"What did we talk about Saturday morning?" asked Coach Stefanski. [We talked about] from start to finish, and we finished because we believed."

The Browns made the first two touchdowns of the game and were ahead 17-7 at halftime. But the Panthers, after trailing the entire game, rallied to a 24-23 lead by the end of the fourth quarter, York's last minute game winning field goal shocking Mayfield, and the stadium crowd.

Sports pundits said after Sunday's loss for Mayfield, 26, that it spoiled the Heisman Trophy winner's last chance at revenge against the Cleveland Browns.

It was an exceptional loss for Baker Mayfield in fact, given his checkered history with Browns franchise bigwigs. The Browns chose Mayfield first overall in the NFL 2018 draft and in 2020 he led the Browns  to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and victory since 1994. This was before the team traded him in 2022 due to a sloppy 2021-2022 season and inconsistent play and conflict with Browns management.

The Browns also played on Sunday with a new quarterback at the helm.

Jacoby Brissett, 29, was traded to the Browns this year from the Miami Dolphins. He played as the stand-in quarterback for Deshaun Watson, whom the Browns secured last year from the Houston Texans and handed a five year contract worth $230 million, though Watson is sidelined and is serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's sexual misconduct and ethics policies.

Although running back Nick Chubb did not make any touchdowns like he usually does, he was a force for the Browns, finishing  with 22 carries for 141 yards. And Kareem Hunt compiled 34 yards on four carries plus 25 yards on two catches.

NFL superstar Myles Garrett, named to three Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pros during his NFL career, was the defensive star of the Cleveland game. He has two sacks was a dominating force, particularly in the first half, pundits said.

His  first time in a Cleveland Browns uniform, Brissett completed 18-of-34 attempts for 147 yards and one touchdown for the Browns as its season opener quarterback and Mayfield as a newcomer to the Panthers was 10-for-19 for 101 yards with four balls ripped at the line of scrimmage.

The Browns will play their season home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sun., Sept 18 at 1:00pm at FirstEnergy Stadium in downtown Cleveland.

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief (Coleman is a former biology teacher and a seasoned Black journalist, and an investigative, legal, scientific, and political reporter who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio).

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.