Cleveland Browns: 5 Bold predictions for Week 1 vs. Ravens
By Randy Gurzi
2. Baker plays a clean game
As a rookie, Baker Mayfield was a great quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Despite not playing for the first two and a half weeks of the season, he ended up throwing an NFL rookie record 27 touchdown passes. Cleveland finished 7-8-1 and had a 5-3 stretch in the second half which gave them plenty of hope for more in 2019.
As a sophomore though, Mayfield went in the wrong direction. The Browns finished 6-10 and the second-year quarterback saw his completion percentage drop from 63.8 to 59.4 while his touchdowns decreased from 27 to 22. What was even worse was the interceptions as Mayfield threw 21 picks in his second campaign.
Looking ahead to the 2020 season, one of the more encouraging things for Cleveland is the fact that Kevin Stefanski’s offense is very friendly for quarterbacks. He relies heavily on the run which opens up the play-action pass — something that Mayfield has also done well in the past.
In Week 1, look for the Browns to do all they can to start the season off with a simple game plan that keeps the ball secure. Mayfield won’t be heaving it deep the way he did in Freddie Kitchens’ offense, but he also doesn’t throw any interceptions or lose a fumble in this prediction.