Baker Mayfield knew the Baltimore Ravens were not built to come from behind.
So when his offense had a chance to go for the jugular on Sunday and make Ravens QB Lamar Jackson throw the ball, he made sure his teammates knew what he was thinking.
“Real important drive, right here,” Baker can be heard saying on the latest “Building the Browns” episode. “We score and we (expletive) make him (Lamar) throw … It’s our (expletive) game.”
Here’s the condensed clip, courtesy of Twitter user Nick Shepherd.
Jackson has been criticized for his passing ability since entering the league last year, being the recipient of jokes that refer to him as a “running back” rather than a QB. He seemed to put that angle to bed when he came out with two huge games against the Dolphins and Cardinals, accounting for 596 and 7 touchdowns. However, neither of those team have registered a win this season and are among the worst defenses in the league.
He was held without a touchdown against the Chiefs in Week 3 and had a season-worst rating of 70.3. Last week against the Browns, Jackson finished with 247 yards, three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions — numbers that are a bit inflated considering the game script with the Ravens having to play chase almost the entire game.
And it turns out, Baker was right in his assessment. In the fourth quarter when the Ravens were down just two scores, three Ravens drives ended by a turnover on downs with Jackson misfiring on a throw and a pair of interceptions. Jackson has made obvious improvements after his rookie year, but if Mayfield’s criticism shows anything it’s that good defenses are comfortable with the ball in his hands late.
Meanwhile, Mayfield finished with the best stat line of the young season, passing for 342 yards, a trio of touchdowns and one interception.
It was the first game in Browns history they had a 300-yard passer (Baker Mayfield), 150-yard rusher (Nick Chubb) and 150-yard receiver (Jarvis Landry), according to Elias Sports Bureau.
And on top of the big performances, head coach Freddie Kitchens added wrinkles to the offense that had the fanbase initially excited when he took over — whether that be an option play between Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, or a tricky wide receiver pass that showed off OBJ’s arm strength.
Damarious Randall Celebrates First Career Sack
Jackson was sacked four times in the game, one of those coming from safety Damarious Randall.
It was the first game back for Randall from concussion protocol and he made his presence felt during the game. However, he was extra pumped to record the first sack of his career, against Jackson, nonetheless, one of the NFL’s more elusive targets.
“Five years waiting man. It actually felt pretty good,” Randall said with a big smile. “I missed a couple early in my career I don’t want to talk about, but definitely, it was a monkey off my back.”
Joe Shobert, Larry Ogunjobi and Olivier Vernon also notched sacks.
49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan: Browns Defense is ‘Scary’
Speaking of sacks, the Browns take on the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night in yet another primetime game. During a conference call on Thursday 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was very open about the challenge the Browns stout defensive front provides.
“They are all game changers,” Shanahan said. “They’re a scary defense to go against. They’ve got a lot of talent.”
Myles Garrett leads the team with six sacks, while Ogunjobi has three so far this season. In the linebacking corps, rookie Mack Wilson has filled in admirably for Christian Kirksey — who’s done for the year — and Joe Schobert is putting his name into Pro Bowl consideration, leading the team with 43 tackles, more than double of any other Browns player.
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Baker Mayfield Shades Lamar Jackson in Expletive-Laden Game Day Audio