Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield’s 5 worst games of 2020

3. Week 5 vs. Indianapolis Colts

Mayfield was unleashed in the first half of this game, throwing for two touchdowns as the Browns took a 20-10 lead into halftime. The second half was a different story, as he threw two interceptions (one was as a result of getting hit, and was not his fault) and the Colts made it a closer game.

At the time, Indianapolis had the NFL’s top defense, so it was good to see Mayfield have some early success through the air, especially after All-World guard Wyatt Teller suffered a calf strain early on. Even with his solid first half, Mayfield’s ball placement was extremely erratic and Xavier Rhodes had an easy interception that he dropped.

Given the level of competition, it was an overall encouraging outing for Mayfield, as the flashes of elite play were there. However, the inconsistency that plagued him in 2019 was still present here, as throws that should have been completed were sailed high or too far. At this point in the season, Mayfield’s comfort level was not all that high, and his mechanics were iffy because of it.

This game proved that the Browns could beat good teams (the worst outing of Philip Rivers’ season didn’t hurt) with Mayfield, but he had yet to show that he could shoulder the squad in crunch time.