CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield understands the buck stops with him, and he is plenty okay with that.
Following Sunday’s 29-13 loss to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston, Mayfield “absolutely” took responsibility for the setback, especially after throwing three interceptions, all of which led to scores for a team that won its NFL-leading ninth straight game.
“The second half, we got into a rhythm, but that’s how we needed to start the game,” Mayfield said. “We were moving the ball, getting separation and taking care of the ball. That’s the most important thing we did in the second half. I’ve just got to do my job better in the first half.
“We’ve got to be more precise, especially when you’re playing a team like that, that’s that good on defense. It’s all about the little things, the little details. Gotta have the right depths, gotta have the timing. I’ve gotta have throws out on the right time. The offensive line played great, zero sacks again. It’s just about taking care of the ball and the little details when you play a team like that.”
In the second quarter, Houston’s defensive players joined in on the scoring after forcing an interception.
The Browns faced a first-and-10 from their own 28-yard line when Texans weakside linebacker Zach Cunningham read a pass from Mayfield to wide receiver Antonio Callaway, jumped the route, corralled the interception and returned the ball 37 yards for a touchdown.
Originally, Cunningham was ruled out of bounds close to the goal line, but a replay review overturned the call on the field and resulted in a touchdown.
The extra point gave the Texans a 17-0 lead over the Browns with 7:26 to play in the second quarter.
Then, the Texans turned interceptions on the next two drives into field goals later in the first half.
“We should’ve been able to execute and just do all of the little things right,” Mayfield said. “That’s why I keep preaching that. If we do the little things right, we can be a great offense. We saw a glimpse of that in the second half, but unfortunately, I put us in a deep enough hole to where it didn’t matter.”
During the first half, Mayfield completed just five of his 13 attempts for 46 yards with the three interceptions, but he had a strong finish to the game.
Mayfield shook off the turnover-plagued first half during the halftime break and finished the game 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.
“We stuck with what we were doing, and that’s the most important thing,” Mayfield said. “It’s about execution. It’s about us. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It’s the little things when you play a team like that, but we had our game plan, we stuck with it and were able to execute in the second half.
“Unfortunately, at that point, we had already dug ourselves a big hole, and they had control of the clock, so that’s the frustrating part, but we stuck with the game plan and our guys executed.”
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