Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield shockingly bad in fourth quarter
Hopes and dreams of Cleveland Browns fans rest in the lap of Baker Mayfield and there are some major concerns over the play of the second-year veteran.
The Cleveland Browns made a number of shiny new acquisitions this offseason, but there’s really one reason Training Camp sold out and there’s now a wait for season tickets: Baker Mayfield.
When it comes to playing well in the fourth quarter, Mayfield hasn’t flashed.
For the season, Mayfield has a 23.9 passer rating, while completing a dismal 46.2 percent of his passes. All five of his interceptions have come in the final stanza, while he’s averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt.
The recent loss to Rams conjured up images of the 2018 season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.
In that contest, the Browns had the ball for the final possession, but then disaster struck. Freddie Kitchens didn’t exactly put his players in the best position to make plays, while Mayfield didn’t do anything to lead his team to the come-back win.
He faced constant pressure and ended up getting picked off by C.J. Mosley, Mayfield’s third pick of the game.
That carried over into Week 1 against the Titans, where Mayfield’s three interceptions paved the way for a Tenesee blowout.
For his career though, Mayfield has four come-from-behind wins and three game winning drives. The quality of the opponent is something to consider, though.
When tasked with sleighing a good team, Mayfield just hasn’t been able to rise up. Three of this victories were against sub-.500 teams (Jets, Panthers, Broncos). He led the Browns past the Ravens last October, but as we all know, that team had a completely different look to it from the one that finished the season.
For the season, he’s completing 56.9 of his passes, down from 63.8 percent a season ago. The inaccuracy has raised a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum. Is Kitchens’ play calling dooming the Browns, or is Mayfield failing to execute?
Analytically oriented website Pro Football Focus recent offers a defense of Mayfield, suggesting things will get better as the season progresses while also defending the former Heisman winner’s interceptions…
"“It’s been an uneven start for Mayfield statistically, and he’s looked uncomfortable in the pocket, bailing out of clean looks far too often. On the positive side, Mayfield has posted the ninth-lowest percentage of negatively graded throws, and his five interceptions are inflated as he has only four turnover-worthy plays (turnover-worthy plays become interceptions about half the time). Mayfield must do a better job of working within the flow of the offense, and we should see more big-time throws in the coming weeks, as he ranked second in that department last season but only 15th so far this year.”"
If Mayfield is too turn things around, Baltimore would be a great place to start. As fans and media become more aware of Mayfield’s inability to beat good teams, in addition to his ineffectiveness in the fourth quarter, the pressure is only going to ramp up.
The Ravens can be exposed defensively. It’s not impossible to come out of Baltimore, which is usually a tough place to play, with a victory.
If Mayfield isn’t significantly better, more doubt is going to creep up and unfortunately, the schedule doesn’t get any easier.
Mayfield has it within him to turn things around. Browns’ fans saw him carve up some bad teams last season, but with that said, they were still NFL defenses.
The former No. 1 pick can turn things around. He has to turn things around. There’s no other way to approach it if you’re a card carrying member of the Dawg Pound tired of watching loss after loss.