3 Takeaways from Browns' Week 4 Win

With the way the AFC North race is developing early in the season, the Cleveland Browns have to keep winning to keep pace with most of their division rivals. Fortunately for them, that's just what they've been doing.

Cleveland notched its third straight victory on Sunday afternoon, edging the Minnesota Vikings 14-7 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Since dropping their season opener to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Browns have gone on a roll, having entered this matchup coming off wins over the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears.

The Browns are one of three 3-1 teams atop the AFC North, along with the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

It was a low-scoring affair between Cleveland and Minnesota, with only three total points being scored in the second half. The Browns had only 327 total yards of offense, but that was enough to hold off the Vikings late.

Here are three takeaways from Cleveland's Week 4 win.

The Vikings have a good offense. Kirk Cousins has been one of the NFL's most consistent quarterbacks. Dalvin Cook is a top-tier running back. Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are excellent wide receivers. And yet, the Browns completely shut down that unit on Sunday.

Minnesota had only 255 total yards, and its only points came when Cousins threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson to cap the game's opening drive. After that, the Vikings' final 11 possessions resulted in six punts, two turnovers on downs, an interception and a pair that ended with the clock running out at the half and at the end of the game.

"You're going to have to win a bunch of different ways in the NFL, and today our defense carried us," Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said, per Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com.

It's the second week in a row that the Browns' defense has had a dominant performance, as it held the Bears to six points and 47 total yards in Week 3. This week's showing may have been even more impressive, considering the level of competition.

After a slow start to the season for the unit, it's now showing what it's capable of. It may even be a key reason why the team is successful again this year.

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are always a big part of the Browns' offense, as they're one of the top running back tandems in the league. But they really needed the duo to come through against the Vikings on a challenging day for quarterback Baker Mayfield.

In his toughest showing of the season thus far, the signal-caller went 15-for-33 for 155 yards. No problem for Cleveland, though. Chubb was a workhorse, rushing for 100 yards on 21 carries. And Hunt continued to complement him well, recording 14 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown for the Browns' lone trip to the end zone.

Defenses keep having trouble trying to stop Chubb and Hunt, who are both getting enough touches to put up impressive numbers. Chubb has 362 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Hunt has 234 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to go along with a team-high 121 receiving yards.

Typically, Cleveland has a more productive passing attack. But if Mayfield struggles, it can still win games because of the different looks it can bring out of the backfield with Chubb and Hunt in the mix.

Don't be surprised if the talented backs continue to have success throughout the season, which will surely be valuable for the Browns down the stretch.

Over his first two seasons in the NFL, Chase McLaughlin played for five different teams, none of which were the Browns.

The kicker couldn't stick with any of them while going 18-for-23 on his field-goal attempts during that span. He may not have been elite, but he was far from unreliable.

When the New York Jets waived McLaughlin in May, Cleveland claimed him to bring in competition for Cody Parkey, who ended up injuring his quad during the preseason and then getting released. Now, the Browns' decision to add the NFL journeyman is paying off.

On Sunday, the 25-year-old made a pair of field goals from 48 and 53 yards, with the latter pushing Cleveland's lead to 14-7 with six minutes, 16 seconds to go. Through four games, McLaughlin is a perfect 7-for-7 on field goals (including a 57-yarder in Week 3) and 9-for-9 on extra points.

According to Andrew Gribble of the team's official site, he is the first Browns kicker to make three 50-plus-yard field goals in a season since 2012, when Phil Dawson had seven. With 13 games still to go, there's plenty of time for McLaughlin to exceed that number.

It seems McLaughlin may have finally secured a full-time job. And his booming leg and reliable presence can continue to help Cleveland win games moving forward.