Browns: Baker Mayfield’s numbers appear underwhelming, his play is not

Baker Mayfield may not pass the eye test for some Cleveland Browns fans, but if you look closely, you’ll see that he’s been playing very well.

Baker Mayfield is 28th in the NFL in passing yards through four games. At first sight, that’s pretty bad. It might lend to reason why some (one) Cleveland talk show hosts are acting like Mayfield is the reason the Browns are 0-4. Won’t name names, but if you follow him on Twitter, you know who he is. The ranting, the raving, the anger, you’d think Mayfield was doing nothing but costing the Browns ballgame after ballgame. He’s 28th in passing, clearly, he’s having a terrible season; right?! Clearly the Browns are 1-3 and not 3-1, right?!

Wrong. The Browns are 3-1. Mayfield is playing well. This team is not heading for a cliff.

On any sports team where the ball is shared among a group of truly great players, as the Browns do, you have to spread the love. That means people aren’t going to have as great of numbers as they could have elsewhere as the only option. That’s what’s happening with Mayfield in 2020. He’s taking a step back to let the system work. The system just torched the Cowboys for 300 yards rushing. The system works.

So back to Mayfield. Why are his pedestrian numbers actually an encouraging sign? Let’s break them down for you. Firstly he’s 28th in yards but tied for 11th in touchdowns thrown with seven. He’s on pace for the most touchdowns of his career with 28. He’d tie Brian Sipe’s franchise for most seasons passing for 20 touchdowns in a row, at three. Listen, we’re playing with some easy records, admittedly but the franchise is 74 years old and only one person in the franchise’s life span has thrown 20 touchdowns in three consecutive seasons. It’s not Tom Brady’s six SuperBowl rings but it’s ours and we’ll take it. Mayfield stands to be the second man ever to ever hit that hollowed Browns mark.

If Mayfield continues to play this well next season as well, he also has a chance to break the record for most 20+ touchdown seasons in franchise history, a number that currently stands at four; shared by Sipe and Frank Ryan.

Beyond the league’s touchdown numbers, Mayfield has upped his completion percentage to 63% a far cry from week one’s 54%. He finished his rookie season at 63.8% So he’s in line to have a good year with regards to accuracy. Even deeper than that? Mayfield has only thrown two interceptions this year, tied for 3rd fewest in the NFL so far. Considering he had 35 interceptions in his first two seasons combined, the fact he’s on pace for just eight is a good sign. He’ll probably throw more than eight on the year, he is a gunslinger after all, but still, a far cry from his 21 last season.

Not only that, but he’s hitting passes he needs to. Here’s one for you, 26 of Mayfield’s 35 completions over the last two games have been for first downs. Anyone who saw Mayfield darting away from the Cowboys defender, only to laser a pass off his back foot with precession would be able to tell you that he’s been super-efficient.

His numbers are shockingly good when you start looking into them and his ability as a leader has really shown up. His praise of his teammates, his ability to take responsibility, and his decision making in post-game interviews have him saying and doing all the right things. This is a different Mayfield than we’ve seen in years past.

One that is helping propel this team forward.