Cleveland Browns: 3 takeaways from Week 8 loss to Las Vegas Raiders

Baker Mayfield is developing

Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baker Mayfield had the best game of his life. We’ve never seen him dominate an opponent at any level as he did then. Those Bengals beat the Tennessee Titans this week, so that performance looks even better.

Expecting Mayfield to repeat that outburst was unfair, but it was important for him to begin stacking good performances, something he hadn’t done in a long time.

The stat sheet isn’t pretty; 12-of-25 for 122 yards; but Mayfield played much better than his numbers would indicate. He was decisive and accurate despite the poor conditions and the absences of Odell Beckham Jr. and Austin Hooper. Mayfield got zero help from his targets, as multiple key passes were dropped, including two drive-enders from Jarvis Landry, one of which would have been a touchdown.

Mayfield’s pocket presence was much improved; he didn’t bail out of clean pockets or roll right for no reason. He also didn’t put the ball in harm’s way, with just one pass that could have been intercepted, and that was a bullet into the ground.

Mayfield is still an unknown at this point, and he’s not yet earned his fifth-year option. But the past two games have undoubtedly been his best of the season, and that’s encouraging for his future.