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With Baker Mayfield at QB, Cleveland Browns show resiliency, change in culture

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield has made quite the difference in the mentality of the organization.
Credit: Scott Galvin
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws the ball under pressure from Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tavon Young (25) during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND -- Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield told media members at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine that if there was one signal-caller in the NFL Draft that could change the Cleveland Browns’ culture, it would be him.

And while Mayfield has started just two NFL regular-season games and played in only three overall, he has engineered more than a dozen scoring drives and led the team to a pair of victories, both of which were come-from-behind efforts.

“Take a lot of pride in that,” Mayfield said. “That shows that we are starting to change the culture around here. That guys early on thinking in the past that when something bad happens, then you kind of get in the tank a little bit, put their head down, but we have a team right now that is starting to believe in themselves, and rightfully so.

“I take a lot of pride in the culture change and being positive, always moving forward and doing your job no matter what the situation is. That was big for us.”

In just his second NFL start, Mayfield overcame an early interception to complete 25 of his 43 attempts for 342 yards with one touchdown and the turnover on the way to an 81.7 quarterback rating, which was more than 20 points higher than Baltimore’s Joe Flacco.

Late in the overtime, the Ravens brought a heavy rush, but Mayfield withstood the pressure and found wide receiver Derrick Willies over the middle for a completion. Willies utilized his speed to break free from Baltimore’s defense and gain 39 yards to extend the game-winning drive.

“Unbelievable environment,” Mayfield said of the atmosphere at FirstEnergy Stadium. “Our fans are some of the best in the country. I believe that. They have been hungry for a while. They deserve to see wins. Also, there is something about getting momentum. The biggest part about it is the way our defense is playing.

“There is zero question that we have a top-five defense in the league. They are holding people to very few points. You take out the exception of last week, and they are playing great ball. We have to score more points for them. We have momentum. We just have to capitalize on opportunities. We are giving up the ball and putting them into bad field position at times, but when the crowd gets into it, the defense plays well and we are able to seize the moment.”

Credit: Ken Blaze
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) calls a play during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.

After the first quarter of the 2018 regular season, the Browns found themselves two games in back of the Cincinnati Bengals and Ravens in the win column. However, the Browns took advantage of their chance to make up ground Sunday.

Although Cincinnati (4-1) remained on top of the AFC North Division with a come-from-behind victory over the Miami Dolphins Sunday, the Browns drew to within a game of the Ravens for second place.

The key for the Browns moving forward is building upon the win over the Ravens, starting with the week of practice ahead of next Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, which is a matchup that will be in front of the home fans.

“I do not necessarily know if I would say the Cleveland Browns are back,” Mayfield said. “We have a lot of stuff to work on.

“The AFC North is a great division. We are bringing the competition back within the division, and that is great to see. That is great to see for the AFC North. Hopefully, everybody gets the recognition they deserve. We are taking it one week at a time, so moving forward, that was a big win for us.”

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