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Jarvis Landry: Cleveland Browns ‘stand behind resilient’ rookie Baker Mayfield after three-INT game

Wide receiver Jarvis Landry says the Cleveland Browns "stand behind resilient" rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield after his three-interception first half against the Houston Texans last Sunday.
Credit: Ken Blaze
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) warms up before a preseason game at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns have no worries about rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield’s ability to bounce back from a three-interception first half against the Houston Texans, not when he threw for more than 300 yards and led three scoring drives after the intermission.

Heading into this week’s game against the Carolina Panthers at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, the Browns have confidence that Mayfield will lead the offense down the field and finish drives with points, just as he did in the second half in Houston.

“He is resilient,” wide receiver Jarvis Landry said. “Obviously, he has a short-term memory with those types of things.

“It is always high-risk, high-reward when you are trying to make plays. We stand behind him. We support him. I think that if we can limit turnovers, we have better opportunities of winning, but you can’t make big plays if you are not trying to create them either.”

Credit: Ken Blaze
Oct 7, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) talks with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

During the first half, Mayfield completed just five of his 13 attempts for 46 yards with the three interceptions, but he rallied at halftime and had a strong finish to the game.

Mayfield finished the day 29 of 43 for 397 yards and one touchdown, a 17-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Rashard “Hollywood” Higgins late in the fourth quarter. In the second half, Mayfield completed 24 of his 30 throws for 351 yards and the one touchdown without a turnover.

“I do not think that you have to tell Baker to shake off anything,” offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens said. “He does a good job of it. I think that is one of the characteristics of a good quarterback is being able to shake off things like that.”

Credit: John Glaser
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a pass to running back Nick Chubb (24) during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Throughout the week of practice, the Browns have focused on honing their route-running and speeding up Mayfield’s decision-making process by taking what the defense is giving him rather than forcing passes that become turnovers.

“I think it was a great learning experience for Baker,” Kitchens said. “He is a rookie. He is playing in the National Football League.

“I do not know how many starts this is for him, but he is a rookie, so he has a learning curve there. I think that was evident last week. I will tell you, I was very, very pleased and happy with the way he came back in the second half because a couple of plays there and we are right back in the game.”

Credit: Aaron Doster
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks to pass against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

By bouncing back from the first-half struggles against the Texans in the third and fourth quarters, Mayfield showed the kind of leadership the Browns expected out of him when he was elevated to the starting lineup earlier this season.

“I do not know that you develop a leader,” Kitchens said. “I think you are either a leader or you are not. I think Baker is definitely a leader. I think he did a good job on Sunday and realized that you can still help while you are struggling a little bit.

“The kid made three bad decisions and everything else was pretty good. I do not know what kind of records he was setting in the second half, but it had to be something. He made three bad decisions in the first half. In this league, against good football teams on the road, you make those decisions and you have an uphill battle the whole day.”

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