Browns: Yes, Baker Mayfield is a top 10 QB in the NFL and better than Lamar Jackson

The Browns officially have a top 10 quarterback in Baker Mayfield.

Yes, PFF got it right. Yes, Baker Mayfield is a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. Yes, Mayfield is slightly better than Lamar Jackson. Don’t worry, you can “at me”, as the kids say, because I have proof. Firstly, let’s just take a look at the whole list.

Patrick Mahomes is at the top, followed by Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins, then Mayfield, and then Jackson. Frankly, you could make a case for Mayfield being at #6, as Prescott, Ryan, and Cousins have their own glaring issues.

Yet, for Mayfield, a lot of people aren’t going to be happy he’s in the Top 10 to begin with, or that he’s ahead of Jackson. While you could make a case for him being higher, let’s just stick with why he’s higher than Jackson.

Why Baker Mayfield of the Browns is higher than Lamar Jackson

Firstly, Mayfield has more yards than Jackson. To be clear, not just through the air, either. Mayfield has thrown for 11,115 yards and rushed for another 437. He also has six receiving yards for what it’s worth. That’s 11,558 combined yards. Jackson has just 9,991 yards combined, with only 7,085 coming in the air. Mayfield has more passing touchdowns than Jackson, 75 to 68 but does fall short in total touchdowns with 79 total to Jackson’s 87.

Mayfield has improved as his career has gone on, hitting a nice upward trend with his fourth head coach in three years, Kevin Stefanski. Jackson, who’s played for the same coach, and in the same system for three years, has declined in play; having his worst season in 2020. He threw for more interceptions than Mayfield and had more fumbles than Mayfield in 2020.

Having more fumbles is to be expected, as he runs more often than Mayfield so he should have more opportunities to fumble than Mayfield. Yet, he throws far less. Mayfield threw 486 times in 2020, while Jackson only threw 376 times. So in theory, Mayfield should have more interceptions than Jackson by the sheer volume of opportunities. Yet, he doesn’t. Further highlighting the issue with Jackson’s passing abilities.

If Jackson could win without throwing, this may not be an issue, but he can’t.

The biggest problem comes in the form of the Ravens beating up trash can teams. This is an MMA/fighting term where a guy pads his stats by taking fights against less-talented opponents on purpose. While the Ravens don’t have any say with who they play, the Ravens always play better against really bad defenses.

When then they’re forced to face top teams, they fold.

When Jackson went to the playoffs and took on the Charges in 2018, the Titans in 2019, and the Bills in 2020, they ended up facing three Top 16 NFL Defenses. They averaged just 10 points in those three games with Jackson behind center. It then took Jackson three tries to get his first playoff win, against the 28th ranked Titans defense. A game they still nearly lost.

In those losses, he’s thrown 59 completions against 112 attempts for 721 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions.

Factoring in his one win, where he went 17 of 24, for 196 yards, no touchdowns, and a pick, his career playoff numbers are 76 attempts against 136 completions (55.9%), with 900 yards tallied, three touchdowns, and five interceptions.

In Baker’s one postseason, he’s 44 of 71 (62%), with 467 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. He also won his playoff debut against a top-three NFL defense and nearly defeated another defense that was in the top ten for points against.

Mayfield has faced the same, if not better quality defenses in his first two turns in the playoffs and walked away 1-1, while Jackson is still 0-3 against good defenses.

If for no other reason, that’s why Mayfield is better than Jackson. We could go into all the extras, like all the players Mayfield had missed, and still missed during the playoffs. How he adapted to a carrousel of offensive linemen, or how his best receiver was hurt, again, or how he was just in Weeks 18 and 19 of his third offensive system in three years.

It doesn’t matter, because at the end of the day Mayfield stepped up in the playoffs. Jackson steps aside.