Browns: Bengals beatdown offers cathartic moments for Baker Mayfield
Browns QB Baker Mayfield staved off the haters for another week in win vs Bengals
If you were at the end of the Browns beat down of the Bengals, you experienced a sense of camaraderie between a player and fans that’s hard to drum up in the corporatized NFL world.
Paul Brown Stadium had converted into Dawg Pound South by the fourth quarter, and with just a couple minutes remaining, Browns head coach Kevin Steanski sent quarterback Baker Mayfield onto the field, only to call him back to have Case Keenum replace him.
The moment afforded Mayfield the chance to hear from the fans, and they had his back. Claps echoed. Chants of “Let-go-Baker” and “Ba-ker-May-field” emanated out of the lower bowl.
It was cathartic after a week in which everyone wondered if the season on the brink was nosediving into the tank.
Mayfield needed it. The fans needed it. The 75th anniversary of Cleveland Browns football was supposed to be a celebration, but the campaign was turning into a nightmare, with the one-time supposed savior WR. No. 1 submarining the season.
The submarine surfaced though, with Mayfield hitting Donovan Peoples-Jones on the type of deep throw we’ve been waiting all season to witness.
Odell Beckham Jr. leaves, and all of a sudden no one is taking about Mayfield’s shoulder. What a coinky-dink.
Oh yeah, what’s that say about Beckham’s value? It’s clear to everyone the Browns are better without him. It will be interesting to see how general managers view his value now that it’s clear Mayfield wasn’t the problem.
Mayfield was 14 of 18 for 218 yards and two touchdowns. He’s not going to the Hall of Fame based off this game, but it was exactly what he needed. Pushing the ball vertically? Mayfield was 4-of-5 on throws that traveled at least 20 yards through the air. He racked up 130 of his passing yards on those plays.
Mayfield quieted the noise, at least for another week. If he’s going to get that extensions, it’s what he’s going to have to do from here on out: Win a lot more than you lose, overcome adversity and get the team back into the playoffs.
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I know it’s simpler said than done, but it’s what what a franchise quarterback would do.