Cleveland Browns 3 matchups to watch in Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Rams

1. Baker Mayfield vs. the Rams defensive back

There are plenty of big names in Cleveland with Odell Beckham, Jr., Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, and Sheldon Richardson all on the same roster. However, the majority of the excitement comes from their belief in the abilities of their starting quarterback — Baker Mayfield.

Now in his second season in the NFL, Mayfield is still working toward becoming a winner. He was 6-7 as a starter in 2018 and is now 1-1 in 2019. He’s proven he can make every single throw, but he’s also shown he can be susceptible to mistakes.

That’s been evident by his four interceptions in the first two games of the year. With the Rams now coming to town, he’s going to have to be much smarter with the ball.

Rather than taking chances constantly, he has to know when to pick his battles. Mayfield’s ability to attack the defensive backs at the right time is going to be key.

Should he see that the receivers don’t have the right position, he needs to either throw it away or check the ball down to a running back. It’s better to play for the next down than throw a pick and give momentum to the opponent.

This battle will be key to whether or not the Browns can steal a win away from the favored Rams. He doesn’t need to play scared, because that’s not who he is. However, he needs to be calculated with his risky throws.