Getty Images Baker Mayfield of the Carolina Panthers.
Time does not heal all wounds, especially when it comes to Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield and the Browns went through an ugly breakup this offseason and faced off in Week 1, with Cleveland narrowly escaping with a 26-24 victory. The Browns’ former No. 1 overall pick staged a late comeback but ultimately was upended by a 58-yard kick from Browns rookie kicker Cade York.
“Everybody made this out to be the Super Bowl,” Mayfield said after the game, downplaying the importance. “But despite what everybody is going to make this, there’s 16 more games.”
The drama was seemingly behind Mayfield and the Browns — but not so fast. The grudge-holding quarterback is still capitalizing of every opportunity to take shots at his former team.
Mayfield was a special guest at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Quail Hollow in North Carolina over the weekend and ran into a Browns fan on the course.
“Go Browns,” a fan behind Mayfield could be heard exclaiming as Mayfield walked and carried on a conversation.
Mid-sentence, Mayfield paused, looked back over his shoulder and said, “Absolutely not.”
Baker Mayfield Struggling With Panthers
Mayfield and the Panthers picked up their first win of the season on September 25 by topping the New Orleans Saints 22-14. However, the passing game has struggled with Mayfield at the helm. He has completed 51.9% of his passes for 550 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and ranks last in the league in QBR.
“I am going to look back at the tape and not be real happy with how I played, considering the third-down conversions and our passing game,” Mayfield said after beating the Saints. “We will take wins when we can get them, there’s no doubt about that. Just need to capitalize.”
His head coach Matt Rhule also didn’t sound too happy about the production of the passing game and the limited impact of the wide receivers — which was an issue in Cleveland as well.
“To win a football game in the NFC South and have Robbie [Anderson] and D.J. [Moore] each have one catch, I wouldn’t have thought that would happen,” Rhule said. “It has to get better next week.”
Mayfield is coming off a dismal final season in Cleveland. He completed 60.5% of his passes for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 2021. Though he was inconsistent, at least part of it could be attributed to a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder he suffered while trying to make a tackle in Week 2 against the Texans.
Now healthy, he’s running out of excuses and will need to turn it around if he wants to remain a starter in the NFL.
Jacoby Brissett Exceeding Expectations With Browns
While Mayfield is struggling, Jacoby Brissett has thrived in Cleveland, guiding the Browns to a 2-1 start, which could very well be 3-0 if not for a late meltdown against the Jets in Week 2.
The 29-year-old veteran is completing 66.3% of his passes and has a QB rating of 94.3. Brissett has thrown four touchdowns against one interception and has formed a solid relationship with No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper.
It’s safe to say Brissett has exceeded expectations and his play has even sparked a “quarterback controversy” narrative, albeit one that is unlikely to manifest. Deshaun Watson is set to return from an 11-game suspension on December 4 against the Houston Texans.