During the summer, Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield had a famous exchange with national sports radio/Fox Sports 1 host Colin Cowherd that ended with an appearance on the show shortly before the start of training camp in July.
Although the two “talked it out” on the show, Mayfield remembered the criticism of his play and included a roasting of Cowherd in a Christmas tweet.
“Merry Christmas to everybody!!!” Mayfield tweeted. “Enjoy your time with loved ones during this special time of year!!.....even to you @ColinCowherd ya Grinch.”
Mayfield’s Christmas Eve tweet garnered more than 165,000 likes, 29,000 retweets and 2,600 comments. Also, it generated a response from Cowherd.
“Merry Christmas to you too @bakermayfield,” Cowherd retorted.
Since taking over the first-team offense in the second quarter of a Week 3 win over the New York Jets, Mayfield has completed 287 of his 444 attempts (64.6 percent) for 3,349 yards and 24 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.
Although Mayfield, a fourth alternate for the Pro Bowl, will not get official credit for the victory over the Jets because he came on in relief of an injured Tyrod Taylor, the first-year quarterback has guided the Browns to seven wins and the greatest turnaround in franchise history.
At 2-5-1 following a 33-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 28 and in the middle of an unprecedented midseason coaching staff upheaval, the 2018 Browns looked to be anything but the team capable of the greatest year-to-year turnaround in franchise history.
But a 5-2 record over the last seven weeks and a three-game winning streak have secured the Browns’ greatest turnaround in team history, as they are plus-7.5 in wins over last year’s winless campaign.
Time and again, the 2018 Browns have proven that the words “same old” no longer apply, and the players added another broken streak to the list of reasons why this team is different, as on December 15, they snapped an 11-game skid against the Denver Broncos that dated back to December 8, 1991.
In addition to the 17-16 road win over the Broncos, the 2018 Browns have broken a three-year losing streak within the AFC North Division, a 17-game slide, a 19-game winless skid and an NFL-record 25 consecutive road setbacks.
With Mayfield at quarterback, the Browns posted a 5-2 record at FirstEnergy Stadium this year. Overall, the Browns went 5-2-1 at home this season, which gave the organization its first .500 mark at FirstEnergy Stadium since 2014 and first above .500 since a 7-1 showing in 2007.
After been swept by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens in both 2016 and 2017, which added up to an 18-game winless streak within the AFC North Division, the Browns have the opportunity to sweep both the Bengals and Ravens over the final two weeks of the year.
For the first time since 2002, the Browns swept The Battle of Ohio against the Bengals. The Browns (7-7-1) completed the two-game sweep of the Bengals (6-9) with a 26-18 victory in the 2018 home finale at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland Sunday.
In addition to breaking a 16-year drought of two wins in the same season against the Bengals, the Browns finished the home portion of the schedule against AFC North Division opponents without a loss for the first time since the division was formed in 2002.
And by doing so, the Browns gave themselves a chance at a winning season for the first time since 2007.
The Browns close out the 2018 season with Sunday’s game against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
