One of the big reasons the Cleveland Browns struggled early in the season was the erratic play from Baker Mayfield. The accuracy, the poise, the magic that predominated Mayfield’s rookie campaign in 2018 was nowhere to be found.
But since the bye week, Baker is back, baby!
Mayfield has played very well since the Browns break in Week 7. He’s not been perfect and still makes some mistakes, but the ability to avoid the catastrophic misfires and giveaways has been a significant improvement from the first six games.
The statistics show where he’s improved:
90-of-143 (63%), 898 yards, 8 TDs, 1 INT
Before the break, Mayfield was 112-of-198 (56.6%), 1496 yards, 5 TDs, 11 INTs.
The panicked rolling back and to the right, frantically trying to extend plays and force things down the field is all but gone. Mayfield’s hesitation to pull the trigger in the early season has been replaced by the confident and efficient distributor we saw in his record-setting rookie campaign.
Mayfield is getting the ball out quicker and allowing his talented receivers to do more work after the catch. Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr. and Kareem Hunt have all broken off impressive runs after the catch. The Browns offense has shifted to letting the playmakers make the plays instead of trying to have Mayfield do everything.
It’s been a smart change that has helped both Mayfield and the overall offense.