CLEVELAND -- Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield has been a more productive player since the Cleveland Browns parted company with coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley and turned over the play-calling duties to running backs coach Freddie Kitchens with Gregg Williams becoming the interim coach.
After leading the Browns to consecutive wins for the first time since Weeks 8-10 of the 2014 season, Mayfield believes the increased productivity comes from a new level of comfort within the huddle and the locker room.
“As the experience continues, the comfortability grows,” Mayfield said following the Browns’ 35-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati Sunday. “There’s really nothing else to that. As I see more looks and more things, I’m going to be more comfortable. I just have to go out there and do my job, as I keep saying. It’s repetitive, but it’s the truth.”
Mayfield completed 19 of his 26 throws for 258 yards and a franchise single-game rookie-record four touchdowns against Cincinnati. Mayfield averaged 9.9 yards per attempt and connected with eight different receivers in the win over the Bengals.
“Good calls and good execution,” Mayfield said of his success against the Bengals. “My offensive line and our guys were making plays. They’re protecting. I’m getting the ball out quickly, getting it into our playmakers’ hands, and they’re doing the rest.”
The success against the Bengals came on the heels of a strong showing from Mayfield in the team’s previous outing, as he guided the team to a dominant 28-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday, November 11 by completing 17 of his 20 throws for 216 yards and three passing touchdowns.
Mayfield completed 13 consecutive throws at the start of the game against the Falcons.
“We’re taking shots when they’re there, and we’re able to play aggressive,” Mayfield said. “Against a team like that, you want to start fast. They’re a team that starts fast, so we needed to do that. We were emphasizing that all week, but yeah, a lot of that can be attributed to Freddie.
“Everything seemed to be working, but that’s the way we want it here in Cleveland.”
Since the Browns decided to clean up the “internal discord” with the unprecedented mid-season coaching change, Mayfield has connected on 65 of his 88 attempts (73.8 percent) for 771 yards and nine touchdowns against just one interception.
Also, the Browns have scored 24 first-quarter points in the three games since the loss in Pittsburgh on October 28. Prior to the coaching change, the Browns scored just 14 first-quarter points under Haley in the first eight games of the regular season.
“He’s been terrific,” Browns safety Jabrill Peppers said. “When you have a guy who manages the game and makes plays, it makes playing defense a little easier. When you’re not playing from behind all the time, it makes defense a little easier.
“When they’re controlling the clock like that, it makes defense a little easier. Baker has done a great job coming in and taking control of the offense. He makes plays in crucial situations. He’s been a blessing, and I can’t wait to see him develop. We’ll see how this shakes out down the line.”
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