Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield wins AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has had a great rookie season. With an AFC Offensive Player of the Week award now under his belt, Mayfield can make a serious case that his resume warrants the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The Cleveland Browns have been seeking a quarterback for nearly two decades. With failed project after failed project, the Browns rolled the dice on Baker Mayfield in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Mayfield wasn’t the consensus No. 1 pick at the time, but he’s certainly making his case now.

On Wednesday morning, Mayfield was awarded the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for week 16.

A three-touchdown performance against the Cincinnati Bengals led the Browns to a 26-18 win, putting them at 7-7-1. Mayfield posted a passer rating of 121.9 and has a season passer rating of 95.1, just .1 off of Otto Graham’s Browns’ record. His rookie completion percentage is 64.6, good for second all-time if he stays on that pace.

Mayfield has played lights out since coming in for Tyrod Taylor in Week 3 against the New York Jets. He’s had rookie moments, yes, but whereas most rookie quarterbacks go through flashes of greatness and stretches of mistakes, Mayfield has been the exact opposite. Flashes of mistakes, and sustained stretches of greatness.

Mayfield is surely building a Rookie of the Year-worthy resume. He may not be a shoo-in but I think he certainly has a case. He has won the NFL’s Rookie of the Week award four times, as well as the Offensive Rookie of the Month award for November. This is just adding one more piece to a trophy case that’s getting pretty full already.