CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield did not have a multi-touchdown game through the first half of the 2019 regular season, but he broke through with a couple of scoring throws against the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland Sunday.
Mayfield threw two touchdowns and for the second consecutive week, did not have a turnover, which helped the Browns (3-6) earn a 19-16 come-from-behind victory over the Bills (6-3), their first victory at FirstEnergy Stadium this season.
“I think it can be a great thing for us,” Mayfield said. “We still didn’t play perfect by any means. We can still learn from the film, move forward and improve.
“Having a tight victory against a great team is something that we needed, especially at home. Kind of getting the monkey off our back with that one. The first win at home in Game 9 isn’t something that usually happens, but it can get us going from here.”
Here is a breakdown of Mayfield’s performance against the Bills.
What Mayfield did
Despite the Bills having one of the National Football League’s toughest pass defenses, Mayfield completed 26 of his 38 attempts (68.4 percent) for two touchdowns and no interceptions or lost fumbles, while taking just two sacks.
Mayfield registered his highest quarterback rating of the season, 102.7, and had his best game not only from a touchdowns perspective, but also, in his completion percentage.
“I think we showed that we can come out within a critical game when it is a tight situation and be able to make the plays we needed to,” Mayfield said.
“We needed to have that. Moving forward, we know that we can do that. That goes a long way mentally for everybody in our locker room, but it is a singular focus. We are going to enjoy this win, but it is a short week. We are onto the Steelers.”
Analysis
Although Mayfield had 26 completions, none were as big as his final two throws of the game.
First, there was a 24-yard pass to wide receiver Jarvis Landry that moved the ball from the Buffalo 31-yard line to a goal-to-go situation at the seven. Despite heavy pressure from Buffalo’s defense and having to take a hit after staying in the pocket, Mayfield threw a perfect back-shoulder pass to Landry.
Two plays later, Mayfield found wide receiver Rashard “Hollywood” Higgins for what turned into the game-winning score, a seven-yard touchdown with 1:44 remaining in regulation.
“Baker is tough, mentally and physically,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said. “His fortitude was tested a little bit from the standpoint of getting hit. I do not know if he got a hit a little lower. I do not really know what the problem was.
“I expect him to get up, and he does. He did a good job. Jarvis made an outstanding play on the ball. It was a good job of Baker getting it off because he knew what we had, and Jarvis did a great job adjusting to the ball.”
What’s next?
The Browns did not get much time to enjoy the win over the Bills, as they have a short week and will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland as the kickoff game to the Week 11 schedule on “Thursday Night Football.”
What are they saying?
“Just do your job,” Mayfield said of what he told the team in the huddle before leading the game-winning 10-play, 82-yard drive.
“Stay focused. Within the few times during the drive that we got to huddle up and have a moment where it was not complete crowd noise, just do your job and focus in. That is what we have been harping on in the last few weeks. ‘Don’t try and do too much. Just focus on doing your job.’”