Cleveland Browns, Baker Mayfield: To play or not to play?
Why Baker Mayfield should start the last two games?
1. He’s still a rookie and needs reps – Baker Mayfield showed against the Broncos why fans are so excited about having him as our franchise quarterback — and why there is more to learn. It will be good to see how Mayfield responds to seeing both the Bengals and the Ravens a second time.
What adjustments do those teams make and how does he adjust back? Those are things you can’t see if Baker is on the bench. Mayfield needs to get as many rookie mistakes out of the way as possible while he’s still a rookie.
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2. There is still a chance – Yes, it’s unlikely that the Browns will make the playoffs even if they win out, but, they still have a chance and that should be reason enough to play your best players. Plus the possibility of going 8-7-1 after two seasons where you totaled one win (not to mention the opportunity to go 5-2-1 at home) is nothing to scoff at. For other teams, 8-7-1 may be meaningless, but for the Cleveland Browns, it’s a huge springboard into the offseason.
3. The rookie season passing yards record – I’m the last person to put individual accomplishments ahead of team goals, but Mayfield is just under 300 yards away from breaking the Browns rookie single-season passing record. Players (usually) say all the right things, but they want records and they have long memories.
The Browns would be wise to give Baker the chance to break this record. Not only is it the right thing to do for a player who has led the team to six wins (I count the Jets as a Baker win even if the NFL does not), but it’s good for the rest of the team to see.