Getty Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns fans were holding their breath after Baker Mayfield took a hit against the Seahawks on Sunday and looked very uncomfortable in the third quarter, retreating to the locker room before returning to the game.
When Mayfield, returned he was officially diagnosed with a hip injury, which he spoke about in his postgame press conference following the 32-28 loss
“It hurts,” he said, “but it’s a physical game of football.”
It seemed what hurt more was the fact that the Mayfield tossed three interceptions and the Browns came up just short, moving to 2-4 overall and 0-3 at home in FirstEnergy Stadium this season.
“Any loss hurts. Losing at home sucks,” Mayfield said. “We have played three games here and lost three of them. It hurts, especially when it was a game that we really felt like we needed.
“I think we have played better at times than 2-4, but the fact is we are 2-4. There is no getting around it. There is no way of hiding it. That is what we have to learn from to get better.”
Baker Mayfield Not Expected to Miss Practice Time
Browns coach Freddie Kitchens spoke on the injury to Mayfield saying that his QB is “fine”and he isn’t expected to miss any practice time. Mayfield has not missed a game in his career.
#Browns HC Freddie Kitchens on Baker Mayfield’s hip: “It’s fine.” Says he doesn’t think Baker will miss any practice time
As for Baker’s battle mentally after a concerning start, Kitchens doesn’t believe that the added criticism is something Mayfield will need as fuel. He carries enough of that naturally.
“I think Baker feels like he faces adversity every time he plays on the field,” Kitchens said. “I expect the best from Baker moving forward. I will always be aggressive. I’m going to ask our team to be aggressive so their coach should be aggressive.”
As for those 11 interceptions?
”I think each and every interception has its own story,” Kitchens. “I want Baker to continue to work to make better decisions… nd then we need to work around him to make sure we’re where we need to be. QB play is dictated by people around him being on same page”
The Browns are heading into the bye week and need to make some obvious changes to turn things around — especially with a matchup against the Patriots lurking the next time they take the field.
“All this talent we got has gotten us to 2-4,” Kitchens said, “so lets try and do something different and see if we can be a team going forward”
Baker Mayfield Fantasy Outlook: Is Browns QB Still Worth a Bench Spot?
GettyBrowns quarterback Baker Mayfield at the bottom of a pile against the 49ers.
With the Browns bye week here, expect to see Mayfield sitting on the waiver wire as teams look for other options.
Mayfield threw for 249 yards with a touchdown and the three picks against the Seahawks, but finished with negative fantasy points against the 49ers in Week 5.
It’s hard to justify keeping Mayfield around with his lack of production, but don’t forget he’s the same guy that set the rookie record for touchdowns a season ago. And he’s got two of the best wide receivers in the game in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham.
It’ll be hard to get worse than how Mayfield’s first six weeks of the season have gone, but expect the Browns to come out with a new and improved focus offensively out of the bye.