Quinshon Judkins rushed for two touchdowns, while Shedeur Sanders threw for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The Cleveland defense sacked Las Vegas quarterback Geno Smith ten times, with Myles Garrett (three) and Maliek Collins (two and a half) leading the way.
The Browns improved to 3-8 with the win and will come home for their next games against the visiting San Francisco 49ers.
Brownie Bits
1) I thought Shedeur Sanders was good and bad in his first start.
I thought his interception to Charles Snowden of the Raiders was a poor decision, but his throw to Isaiah Bond was the play of the day.
2) The Sanders throw to Bond was on the run and was right on the money with the type of throw that Dillon Gabriel isn't capable of making.
Sanders isn't known for extraordinary arm strength, but if he can make that throw, arm strength will not be an issue.
3) Every week, we write about Jerry Jeudy, and once again, it's a Jeudy screw-up as he caught one pass for thirty-nine yards before fumbling it away.
On this play, Jeudy was running down the field with a large gain before pulling up ( in live action, it looked possible that he pulled a hamstring), and inexplicably hopped in the air before Jeremy Chinn punched the ball out.
4) Quinshon Judkins finished with only forty-seven yards rushing on sixteen carries, but scored two touchdowns, both from the "Wildcat" formation.
Teams will continue to focus on stopping Judkins first until Sanders (or any other QB) can consistently show the offense can do other things besides handing off to Judkins.
5) To say that I'm not in love with the Wildcat is understating things, mainly because it's not a passing threat, but I prefer the formation when the player taking the snap is a power rusher, such as Quinshon Judkins, rather than a scatback type.
Judkins is far more capable of putting his shoulder down and gaining a few yards than a smaller, shiftier back, so it makes sense to use him in short-yardage situations.
6) Ten sacks on Geno Smith for the Browns defense.
The Raiders had no luck blocking the Browns pass rushers, and while Myles Garrett was his typical dominant self, Cleveland had eight players who finished with a half-sack or more.
7) Both teams entered the game at 2-8, and honestly, neither team is very good, but the Browns defense alone is enough to beat other crappy teams.
Although this didn't work out against the similarly awful Jets, Cleveland's defense will more often than not lift them to victory.
8) The Cleveland offensive line has been much maligned this season and rightfully so, but the O-line held the Raiders to just one sack against Shedeur Sanders and zero to Maxx Crosby.
Crosby is almost as good as Myles Garrett, and he did hit Sanders several times, but the offensive line held things together enough to keep Crosby from taking over.
9) Myles Garrett has more sacks (18) than the entire teams of the Panthers, Bengals, or 49ers.
Besides that being a crazy number, keep your eye on that as the 49ers come to Cleveland this week.
10) I'm not a big fan of the Browns white alternate helmets, but they looked better with the orange pants worn against the Raiders.
The orange breaks up the all-white look that the Bengals have with their alternates, which resembles pajamas with all the white.
11) The win essentially ended any hopes of the top overall draft pick.
The Browns are now at 3-8, which places them behind the 1-10 Titans (a future Browns foe) and behind the following 2-9 teams: Jets, Raiders, and Saints, along with the 2-10 Giants.
Add in three other 3-8 teams (Bengals, Commanders, and Cardinals), and the Browns would pick between sixth and ninth if the draft were held today.
Since they will likely defeat the lousy Titans in a Cleveland home game, the Browns might need help to pick in the top ten.
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