Cleveland Browns: Studs and duds following loss to Chargers

Dud: Baker Mayfield

It was bound to happen at some point this season, but the Chargers defense made Mayfield look like a rookie on Sunday.

Mayfield completed 22 of his 46 passes for 238 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He was also sacked five times.

The rookie quarterback was hampered for most of the game after tweaking his ankle in the first half, and Mayfield never looked the same after the incident.

Throughout most of the game, Mayfield did not show his gunslinger approach. The Chargers were disguising their coverages well, and it made Mayfield look confused often. The corners were playing tight coverage and none of the Browns receivers were able to create openings for Mayfield. But Mayfield was not throwing into tight windows, taking more of a conservative approach.

With Mayfield holding on to the ball longer than he should have, it allowed the Chargers rush to get to him. There were occassions when Desmond Harrison and Chris Hubbard were blown off the ball, but Mayfield would also scramble right into a defender.

These are the types of games that teams have to deal with when starting a rookie quarterback. With Mayfield’s mentality, the hope is that he does not let a game like this happen again during the next couple of weeks.