CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns believed quarterback Baker Mayfield could help turn around the fortunes of a franchise with only one playoff appearance and two winning seasons since returning to the NFL ahead of the 1999 season, and so far, Mayfield has not disappointed.
Since entering the starting lineup in the second quarter of a Week 3 win over the New York Jets, Mayfield has led the Browns to a 5-6 record, including a 4-2 mark at FirstEnergy Stadium, where they walked off the field with a 26-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers Sunday.
And the Browns feel it is just the start with Mayfield at quarterback.
“Very. Very,” wide receiver Jarvis Landry said of how bright the Browns’ future is with Mayfield. “Obviously, we have to continue to keep growing. We have a test this week going on the road, leaving early. We are going to find out some more about ourselves. We will go from there.”
Mayfield and the Browns literally came out firing against the Panthers.
On first-and-10 from the Cleveland 25-yard line, Mayfield took a snap under center, faked a handoff to running back Nick Chubb and rocketed the ball down the numbers on the left side of the field, where wide receiver Breshad Perriman had gotten behind the coverage of Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson.
Perriman secured the catch at the Carolina 19-yard line and stumbled his way to another 10 yards before being brought down inside the 10.
Two plays later, Landry ran in for the touchdown from three yards out.
“There is never any doubt knowing Baker is out there,” running back Nick Chubb said. “You know that he is going to make a play. When he releases the ball from his hand, you know someone is about to catch it because he puts it in a great spot. It all starts from the protection, and then, just letting Baker make a play for us.”
Mayfield was far from testing the Panthers’ secondary.
With the Browns facing a third-and-17 from the Cleveland 49-yard line, Mayfield avoided a rush from the Panthers and muscled a throw deep down the left side of the field for Landry, and despite two defenders closing on him, the veteran pass catcher hauled in his third receiving score of the season.
“He’s a guy that you just believe in,” defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi said of Mayfield. “I think it was the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth, and they put the camera on him. He was trying to pump the crowd up, even when we were down, 20-17.
“There was no doubt in his mind that we were going to win that game. When the quarterback has that kind of confidence, it just goes throughout the team.”
Mayfield led the way to Cleveland’s third victory in the last four outings by completing 18 of his 22 throws for 238 yards and one touchdown without a turnover and was sacked only once for a six-yard loss in the win.
“Each time that these type of things come up in his short career right now, it just helps more and more with confidence and there are not very many things anymore as it goes on that you will be able to confuse him or surprise him with. He does a really good job of only having one mistake and not a repeat mistake. He does a good job with that.”
