Baker Mayfield delivers when the Browns needed him most

After a rough start, Baker Mayfield rallied with an epic performance that shows why he can be great

After a brutal outing in Week 6 that followed up an iffy second half in Week 5, all eyes were squarely focused on Baker Mayfield. And when Mayfield came out of the gate struggling badly in the Browns Week 7 trip to Cincinnati, things looked bleak.

And then the Baker Mayfield that Browns fans, players and coaches all desperately needed to see delivered an amazing, record-setting performance. Mayfield led the Browns to a comeback win on a game-winning drive in the 37-34 win and he did it by being almost literally perfect.

Mayfield missed his first five pass attempts in Cincinnati, including an interception on his very first throw. To make matters worse Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a knee injury chasing down the interception return. The ‘bench Baker” calls were everywhere on social media.

And just like that, the switch flipped. What was dark suddenly became a shining bright light.

Mayfield completed his next 21 pass attempts, setting a team record for consecutive completions in the process. His only incompletion after the first quarter was an intentional spiking of the ball to kill the clock. On the very next play, Mayfield threw a perfect strike to Donovan Peoples-Jones for the go-ahead touchdown.

Five of those completions went for touchdowns, tying the Browns’ team record. Both touchdown strikes to rookie TE Harrison Bryant were tight-window rifle shots with a high degree of difficulty. No problem.

The confidence his teammates had in Mayfield was tangibly surging the more he kept it up. The offensive line blocked better. Kareem Hunt ran great. The penalties stopped. Coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt kept dialing up great plays that showed faith in Mayfield, and he rewarded their faith with a phenomenal performance to steal a divisional road win with a game-winning drive.

Cleveland needed this. Not just the Browns, but all of Browns fandom. The barking at Baker has grown louder and angrier. It could have gone very badly after the rough start. Instead, Mayfield showed why he was a No. 1 overall pick and why he’s capable of being a franchise leader for a good football team.

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