CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield had a rocky start to the 2019 regular season, as he did not have one multi-touchdown performance and struggled with turnovers over the first eight games.
However, in recent weeks, Mayfield has done a better job taking care of the football and getting it to his playmakers, to the tune of back-to-back multi-touchdown games while leading the Browns to victories over the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers over a five-day stretch.
“We have played better around him,” Browns offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “He has played better.
“A couple of games in between there not nearly as well, but when you are in the game, you are not having to throw it, you are not putting yourself under duress and you are not maybe doing things outside of yourself to try and win the game, which happens and has happened in the past with a number of quarterbacks where you are trying to win the game and you are making decisions you would not normally make. I think he has played well all year. It has just come about the last few weeks in terms of everyone doing it better.”
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In the win over the Bills, Mayfield had his highest single-game completion percentage and quarterback rating (102.7) this season.
Against Buffalo, Mayfield completed 26 of his 38 attempts (68.4 percent) for 238 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions. Mayfield followed that up by going 17 of 32 for 193 yards with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score in last Thursday’s 21-7 victory over the Steelers.
“We knew it was going to be a real challenge,” Monken said of the Steelers game. “Very similar to, maybe not schematically, but to Tennessee.
“We started the year off with 11 guys, good football players that you have to earn it up front. We knew it would be a heck of a challenge, and our defense really stepped up with the four turnovers and the two times they stopped them on fourth down. We had great field position all day.”
Although Mayfield has played better as of late, he still has thrown more interceptions, 12, than touchdown passes, 11, but still, the Browns remain in the hunt for a postseason berth.
With that in mind, the Browns are very much looking to make Mayfield more comfortable and give him the chance to make big plays with his Pro Bowl-caliber teammates, like receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, as well as running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
“It is a week-to-week league and you can’t carry over points,” Monken said. “You can carry over momentum in the way you feel and the way you practice, but in terms of once you get on the field, it is a different opponent, a different style and everybody is capable of beating anybody. Just a couple weeks ago, the team we are going to face is a team that beat the Colts on the road, a pretty good football team. We have to be ready to go.
“I think the more comfortable he is with schemes, protection, the routes, who you are playing, what to anticipate and when guys are coming out of their breaks, there is no question a quarterback is going to play better.”