Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 3 X-Factors in Week 7

Can Baker Mayfield rebound?

There’s no sugarcoating it; Baker Mayfield was awful on Sunday. It was his worst outing as a pro, and probably his worst game as a football player, ever. He was under constant duress from the Pittsburgh defensive line, and when he wasn’t being hit, he was throwing the ball to Minkah Fitzpatrick and making other poor decisions.

Mayfield has yet to play a wire-to-wire good game this season, with his performance against Cincy being the closest thing. There were always going to be growing pains, as aside from the disadvantage he was placed at due to the pandemic disrupting the offseason, Mayfield is still learning Kevin Stefanski’s offensive system, which is a scheme he has never played in before.

Still, the results thus far are less than encouraging. He’s still struggling from within the pocket, is consistently missing high, and generally looks like a mid-round rookie, not a former first overall pick in his third NFL season. The thought would have been inconceivable a year ago, but it’s now entirely fair to question whether Mayfield is a franchise quarterback or not, because it’s been an awfully long time since he’s looked like one.

Mayfield has 10 games left to prove that the team should exercise his fifth-year option, which would almost certainly pay him over $35 million in 2022. That’s a high price for any signal-caller, much less one who has struggled to play consistently average. Time is running out for Mayfield, and he needs to get back on track this week. And it can’t just be a flash in the pan against a bad defense; he needs this to be the catalyst to consistent improvement. He may have a 4-2 record this season, but Mayfield isn’t responsible for that.