CLEVELAND, OHIO – NOVEMBER 15: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Baker Mayfield missed a wide-open touchdown against the Jaguars.
Baker Mayfield should’ve relished the opportunity to take on a tanking, one-win Jacksonville Jaguars team, as he could pad his stats and help the Browns move to 8-3 in the competitive AFC North.
However, Mayfield has spent most of his afternoon missing easy throws and giving the Jaguars chances to get back in this game.
Mayfield could’ve connected with Jarvis Landry for an easy touchdown to extend Cleveland’s lead, but he panicked, pump-faked, and overthrew Landry, which forced Cleveland to settle for a field goal.
The Browns are reliant on the running game, not Baker Mayfield’s arm
While Mayfield is turning the ball over less and has a higher passer rating than he did in his poor sophomore season, he is only averaging 185 passing yards per game, a sign that Kevin Stefanski doesn’t trust him to air the ball out and win games with his arm.
Mayfield’s five-touchdown performance against the Cincinnati Bengals shows how high his highs can be, but inconsistency like that could end up dooming the Browns if they manage to make it into the 2020 postseason and their running game is stymied.
Mayfield has proven he can be a competent game manager that can make enough good throws to lead the Browns to victories consistently in Stefanski’s run-heavy offense. However, Cleveland needs more out of him if they want to truly be considered among the AFC’s elite, and undrafted free agents, let alone No. 1 overall picks, would be capable of making that throw.